How to Leverage Social Media Verification To Protect and Promote Your Brand

Social media is a powerful tool for brand promotion. The major powerhouses in this arena are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Billions of people around the world actively use social media daily for social and professional purposes.  These billions of users come from varying locations around the world and since many of its users are avid consumers, it is a very valuable tool for brand promotion. But sadly many brands are either unaware of or underutilizing this powerful tool and as a result they are missing out on its many benefits. Many for instance, fail to acknowledge and reap the rewards that come with verification on social media.
 
A verified social media account is authenticated as the true page or account of the named brand or individual. For many social media sites, verification comes after a process is completed.
 
 
Let Other Users Know You’re Verified
A great way to eliminate or reduce the impact of imposter social media accounts is by ensuring that your target audience knows that your account has been verified. For Instagram, verification is pretty obvious as the blue tick is unmistakable. But when verification is fresh, many may not really notice. A quick announcement post is all it takes. Once users know you’re verified, it will be easy for them to avoid imposters.
 
Reel in Those Other Social Media Pages
Link your newly verified social media account with your brand’s other social media pages. While verification on other platforms is not a requirement for verification on other social media platforms, it helps. When linked with a verified social media account, your other social media pages become more credible and seem more legitimate. This means that you are one step closer to verification on those platforms. It is important though to ensure that the linked pages are en sync with your brand’s ethos and personality and do not violate any of the terms and conditions connected to the social media platforms.
 
With a verified account you can successfully point out fake pages to your followers. If you accuse a user account of being an imposter account and your page itself hasn’t been verified, the public really has no way of determining whether you are being truthful. To make matters worse, the imposter account can also accuse you of doing the same. But if your account is verified, things will be different. You can use your verified status to ‘call out’ imposters successfully. This will help to guide your brand’s fans and supporters to your authentic page.
 
Post Content that Supports Your Brand Image
 Social media platforms allow users to, within guidelines, post content that reflects their ideas. This is essentially the core element of each user’s brand. Although many social media users are unaware of this, each post or liked or shared message contributes to the establishment of a brand that is associated with the account. 
 
Consistent Posts keep your followers engaged and reduces the chances that they’ll be drawn in by fake pages. If your audience is busy following your frequent relevant engaging posts they won’t have time to be swayed by imposters. Additionally, soon your audience will be able to detect ‘off’ content (content that doesn’t really fit your brand’s character) and by extension those fake or imposter accounts that may pop up from time to time. 
 
Support Posts and Accounts That Suit Your Brand Image
 This goes for both verified and unverified social media accounts. Ensure that the posts and pages you follow reflect the character you created for your brand. This helps to create solid reputation for your brand and pull in a wider follower base. Followers look for verified accounts that espouse the values, ideas and interests they have. A verified account that resonates with the target audience in this way will attract more attention.
 
The savvy social media user is able to masterfully manipulate social media features, such as verification to enhance and promote their brand.
 

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