Facebook uses the blue tick verification badge to let the world know that your business profile is genuine and of interest to the public.

It is Facebook’s mark of approval that helps protect businesses against imitation, which could prove damaging.

While it is highly desirable, getting a blue tick is also very difficult to do.

For most businesses, getting a ‘grey tick’ verification marker is much easier, and we will cover that below. But for now, lets take a more in-depth look at the blue marker.

Getting a Blue Tick is No Joke

Facebook only applies the blue verification badge to brands, media organisations and public figures that are eligible. Eligibility is based on several factors but the most important one is public interest.

In short, if no one is interested in your company, Facebook won’t give you a blue tick.

Like many other things, Facebook is a little murky about its blue tick policies, but there are a few things we can be certain about.

You need to make sure that your profile is fully filled in. This includes:

  • A profile picture
  • A cover photo
  • A name that follows Facebook’s guidelines
  • Content posted to the account
  • ‘Follow’ enabled

Facebook have also issued guidance on the kinds of profiles that it awards blue ticks to. These groups include but are not limited to:

  • Popular Brand or Businesses
  • Journalists
  • Government Officials
  • Celebrities
  • Media
  • Entertainment
  • Sports Companies

If you or your business falls into one of these categories, then you are more likely to get a blue tick.

Facebook has closed the page that used to accept applications for a blue tick, probably because they received far too many requests.

Your best bet to apply is to click on ‘Report a Problem’ in the top right menu and then select ‘Something Isn’t Working’.  From here you will be able to send Facebook a message detailing why you think you should have a blue tick.

If they refuse or don’t get back to you, you can try doing some other things to get noticed.

Boost Facebook Likes

Facebook likes act at as a direct signal of your brand’s popularity. And it is probably the one that Facebook pay attention to the most.

The best way to increase your Facebook likes is to regularly publish high quality content. Make sure it is interesting to your target audience and solves their problems and the likes will start tumbling in.

Get Press Coverage

Another way to show Facebook you are famous is to get press coverage for your business.

Digital PR is great for businesses, not just getting them noticed on social media but also leading to more website referrals and sales.

How to Get a Grey Tick

While you are waiting for your blue tick and internet superstardom, you can always get a grey tick. This is a lot more straightforward.

  • On your business Facebook page, click settings at the top of the page.
  • In ‘General,’ click ‘Page Verification’.
  • Select ‘Verify this Page’ and then ‘Get Started’.
  • Enter a publicly listed phone number for your business plus your country and language.
  • Find the phone and press ‘Call Me Now’
  • Facebook will call you with a four-digit verification code. Input this number and press ‘Continue’.

You can also verify your business through documentation if you take a photo of a recent utility bill with your business name and address and sending this to Facebook.

Grey Tick Advantages

As well as increasing the credibility of your business, grey ticks serve several other functions on Facebook.

There is some evidence that verified pages rank higher in the Facebook search function and in Google’s search results as well.

It also can’t hurt your chances of getting more likes and interactions on Facebook if people know they are dealing with a real company.

You might just get some personal pride from knowing that you have got the grey tick – it is worth it for the minimum effort.