Australian SMEs can now get Meta Verified for business from $45.99 a month

Australian small businesses can now pay to access a verified badge, along with extra account support, on Meta-owned social media platforms Facebook and Instagram.

But it will cost $45.99 a month and that’s just for one account.

Meta says its Verified program for businesses comes with a bunch of security and support features, in addition to the official badges, which have been available to personal users since February this year.

These features include help with troubleshooting account issues, “proactive impersonation monitoring for added brand protection” and added exposure to Facebook and Instagram users, “including appearing at or near the top of search results and as a recommended verified business to follow in feed”.

Verified businesses on Instagram will also see their verified badge on Threads, and verified businesses on Facebook will see their badge on Messenger.

To be eligible, Australian business owners will need to complete a multi-step verification process to confirm their connection with their business, including by providing phone numbers, email addresses, or domain verification.

Businesses will also need to have two-factor authentication turned on, and meet both a minimum tenure period for their Business Account and selected Facebook or Instagram account and a minimum level of page activity.

In a statement, Harry Lowes, head of SMB for Meta in Australia and New Zealand, said businesses have requested ways to “build more credibility and get greater visibility” on Facebook and Instagram. The service will “help people know that the businesses they’re engaging with are validated and authentic,” he added.

“We’ll continue to evolve what’s included in the subscriber toolkit to make sure we’re bringing the best value to businesses.”

Meta announced the extension of the Verified program to businesses back in September, and the official news release from that time suggests businesses will need to pay per account to access the features.

Meta has confirmed to SmartCompany this morning that Meta Verified is available for purchase by individual Facebook and Instagram Professional accounts, and the price per account starts from $45.99.

The Verified features only apply to the subscribed account and not additional business accounts.

With the initial rollout, Australian business accounts are being limited to one subscription covering either their Facebook or Instagram account, but not both. Meta says a bundled subscription for both platforms will be available in the future.

The same announcement said businesses will also eventually be able to subscribe for Verified status on WhatsApp, however, this is not yet available in Australia.

More information about Meta Verified for businesses is available from the Meta website here.