Is Meta Verified for Business Pages Worth It?

Meta recently introduced Meta Verified for Business Pages. For this month’s Digital Buzz, I’ve decided to share my thoughts on Meta Verified for Business to determine “Is it worth it?” As businesses scramble to understand the necessity and value of this new feature, it’s essential to take a closer look at these tiers. Is this just another “pay-to-play” tactic for Facebook? In this article I’ll break down what each tier includes and share some more insights about what to be thinking about when new features like these become available.

The Pay-to-Play Model

The concept of paying to gain visibility on social media is nothing new. Since Facebook’s significant News Feed algorithm update in January 2018, how social media works has changed. Facebook made the announcement to prioritize content from friends, family, and groups over businesses. Ever since that change businesses have found it increasingly challenging to achieve organic reach. Meta Verified for Business Pages seems like another take on the pay-to-play model. While the promise of better visibility and credibility might sound appealing, let’s take a closer look at their four tiers to come up with our own conclusions.

The Worth of Being Meta Verified

• Tier 1 ($15/month): Includes the verified badge, impersonation protection, Meta support, an enhanced profile that allows you to add images to your links, and search optimization that pushes you near the top of searches.
• Tier 2 ($50/month): Includes everything in Tier 1, prioritized customer support, enhanced profile with the ability to share three business addresses and showcase three of your profiles. Plus, you get two links in Reels per month.
• Tier 3 ($150/month): Everything in Tier 1 & 2, with the ability to share five business addresses and profiles on the enhanced profile, more opportunities to be featured in the recommended feed, share up to four links per month in your Reels and employee impersonation protection for up to two employees.
• Tier 4 ($500/month): All benefits from Tiers 1, 2 & 3, plus you can request a call from a Meta agent with active case monitoring. The ability to share up to eight business addresses and showcase eight of your other profiles. Become most featured in the recommended feature feed, share up to six monthly links on your Reels, and get employee impersonation for up to five employees. You also get customized messaging chat, which is basically changing the messenger and IG chat theme colors, and semi-annual access to an advisor who will provide guidance to improve your content strategy.

I tried Meta Verified for my personal account when it first launched. Unfortunately, I wasn’t impressed and quickly canceled the service because the value wasn’t there. The same skepticism applies to the business version. Many of the listed features can be achieved through other means or offer benefits that don’t add up to their cost.

There are link management services like Linq, and Linktr.ee provide link solutions at a fraction of Meta’s monthly fee. You can even create your own pretty easily on a WordPress site. Our team has also tracked “button clicks” on Facebook Business Pages, which are normally low across all our clients’ reports. Link clicks on Instagram bios seem to do much better, but that’s not the case when it comes to Facebook Page views.

When it comes to content strategy, I’m not a big fan of having a Meta advisor as my guide to content strategy. Our goals and mission are quite different. Meta has made it more difficult for Christian organizations to target or connect with their audiences. In January 2022, Meta removed the ability to target ads based on sensitive topics, including religious practices and groups. This change impacted faith-based organizations, limiting the ability to reach people interested in Christian content. Plus, for all the years I’ve worked with clients, one constant frustration has been Meta’s lack to respond back on an issue someone contacted them about. I just can’t wrap my mind around paying $500 a month to a business with that reputation.

The Future of Featured Accounts

Another concern I have is whether featured accounts will mimic Google Sponsored ads. It’s no surprise that many people don’t click the top sponsored ads, as they are often seen as less trustworthy than organic search results.

The click-through rate (CTR) for sponsored ads on Google versus organic listings varies significantly. On average, Google Ads have a click-through rate of around 3-5%, depending on the industry. Some industries, such as Arts & Entertainment, see higher CTRs, averaging around 11.78%​

(WordStream)​​ (Search Engine Journal)​

In contrast, the first organic search result on Google typically has a CTR of about 28.5%, significantly higher than sponsored ads. The second and third organic positions see CTRs of around 15% and 11%, respectively​​.

(First Page Sage)​​ (First Page Sage)

This indicates that users are generally more likely to click on organic listings than paid ads, especially for the top-ranking organic results.

This is just another reason why Killer Bee is taking a different approach. We believe in crafting marketing strategies that create meaningful connections, transforming digital interactions into opportunities to impact more lives, embodying our principle “We Don’t Buy Attention. We Earn It.”

The Facebook Factor

Facebook’s algorithm changes in 2018 led some to question the platform’s long term plan for businesses. Today, TikTok has become the place to be for small businesses. Could Facebook be heading down the same path as MySpace? While it may be too soon to say, we should remain cautious. The truth is social media platforms are all transient by nature. The place to be today, may not be the place to be tomorrow.

There are so many ways to connect with your audience today across digital. Social media is not the only way and it’s ok to ask, “is social media the most effective approach?” Whether you’re considering paid or organic strategies. Remember Facebook changed the rules, which changed everything, and they continue to do so today. Don’t be fearful of making your own change too. In the digital world, change is inevitable. Yes, social media is a good tool to connect with people to build community, but have a plan to get them off those platforms and to digital assets you own. If you need help creating that plan, let’s connect, we can help you do just that! From my research so far, that little blue Meta Verified badge might not be as valuable as they claim, but it sure does look cool, right? ?

Consider this. Before you throw money at becoming Meta Verified, evaluate your own digital assets and investments first. Assets like your own website, blog content, email list, text messaging services and any other forms of communication. These are the places where you have more control to connect with your audience on a deeper level, on your own terms. Social media is a tool to support these efforts, not the only way to reach your target audience.

Conclusion

As tempting as it may be to jump on the Meta Verified bandwagon, it’s essential that you weigh the costs and benefits carefully. The features offered may not justify the investment. For Christian broadcasters and churches looking to maximize their digital impact in peoples’ lives, pursuing an organic approach might return better results in the long haul.

The selling point for these platforms tend to be geared around greater reach, but sometimes less is more. Greater reach doesn’t always equal greater impact. Business owners know it’s more cost effective to maintain a loyal customer base than it is to market and acquire new customers continually. Could that same truth be applied to social media strategies? I say “yes.” Serving vs. Promoting has always been a winning approach for Christian broadcasters we serve alongside. 

Before you go, if you’re looking for a way to measure your social media success, check out our two FREE calculators designed to help you set and achieve your social media goals.

🤖 This article is based on our own experiences, reflections and thoughts. AI was used to help research and gather additional data and insights.