YouTube’s New Verification Rules and What They Mean for Brands

With the growth in the amount of online platforms being increasingly used for business related purposes, there have been changes in how content is delivered. These platforms have begun to be more regulated and set to operate at varying standards. The level at which you operate has also caused for there to be distinctions between levels of functions based business size and scope of coverage.  One such platform that has been around for some time is YouTube. It is a video content sharing platform that has been traditionally used for entertainment but, has in its later years of operation begun delivering corporate information. Many account holders have channels that they use to upload material that is later subscribed to by persons who wish to follow their content. YouTube is one of the most famously used applications that persons access with a reported one hundred twenty million users per hour. This has a very large potential market reach for brands that are seeking to use digital content to engage its users. In order to grow you profile and move to a next level in social media content delivery, there are a series of new rules set by YouTube that your brand has to follow in order to get verified. 

​Improve Following
The required number to be considered for verification is one hundred thousand followers; this means that brand holders have to be very deliberate to target this figure to stay in the running for verification. Being constantly active on the platform is important but it doesn’t amount to much if persons are not subscribing to your account to be consistent members.  Whether it means enhancing your content, becoming more engaging or hiring a PR team to help with your profile strategy, it is important to note that the numbers “count”. YouTube’s rule is that if persons are interest in being verified then they have to have the magic number before applying for the stamp.  

Be Original
Once a brand gets a little fame and seems to be getting to the top there are persons who try to capitalize on that. On many occasions accounts are cloned which gives platform users the impression that they are following their true interests. Some persons even go a step further to use the fake account as a hub to solicit personal information from persons for purposes of fraudulent transactions. With online scamming become more frequent, this has been a common problem that has made it difficult for brands to be verified.  With the rules by YouTube factoring in how genuine your brand is, it is important that influencers protect the authenticity and credibility of their account.

Full Profile
For verification to take place your profile information cannot be incomplete. Persons subscribing to you channel must have access to information that tells them exactly who or what they are dealing with. The holder of the account has to ensure that this particular rule covers all of these requirements. It has to be a public profile, be original, have a channel icon, have actual content and be active on the channel.
YouTube is a very large platform with many account holders auditioning to get to the top. The reason to get a verification badge from a branding perspective is important, because it offers a lot of benefits that are enjoyed only by verified accounts holders. The rules that have been implemented by the platform allows for users to have a structure to follow while safeguarding the interests of the platform’s owners and clients. The verification rules are also guidelines to get you on your way to becoming one of the many brand influencers. 

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