Within the last year, and more so the past few months, Instagram has been rolling out changes and additions to their platform. Many of which have been controversial. From a aggressive push to encourage creation of Reels, to the slowdown and ultimate reversal of Reels Bonuses, head of Instagram Adam Mosseri has switched up what it means to be an Instagram user with alarming regularity. The most recent addition is the blue checkmark verification becoming available to every user on Instagram.
What is the blue checkmark verification?
The blue checkmark verifies that a user is who they say they are on Instagram. In the past, it was a long process only attainable to celebrities, macro-influencers, and well-known individuals. It was a way to show that a user’s account was authentic, unique, and dare we say different from us regular folk. Now, it is possible and an easy process for anybody to have a blue checkmark grace their profile right alongside their username.
Our argument against the blue checkmark
The blue checkmark verification was once a process to verify specific users who had significant influence on audiences. This was a necessity because it was important to know that they were a reliable source. Now, that sense of reliability feels dampened due to anyone being able to attain it for a monthly subscription.
How you and your business can combat this
Whether you are the owner of a business, or your personal brand is your business, there are multiple ways you can combat this new ambivalent feeling surrounding the blue checkmark. First, building up your brand’s reputation. Follower count, engagement and consistent posting can all assist you with this goal. Explore our blog, The Importance of Content Marketing for PR and Marketing, for more tips on ways to amp up your business’ content marketing!
Once your brand has created a positive and reliable public image, you can look to investing in the blue checkmark. You want to rely on your product and service rather than a verification checkmark. If you feel that necessity to purchase it, we believe that backing up that verification with a feed that is consistently posting helpful content will create a sense of credibility that may be lacking with the new changes. With online platforms, it’s important to remain focused on your brand’s messaging and how you want to be perceived by your audience, rather than tools like the blue checkmark verification that attempt to push an image rather than authentically create one.
