Meta dropped some pretty crazy information this week, and it has the marketing world on FIRE.
You know the Meta Verified badges they rolled out recently, right? Where you can pay a monthly fee for that pretty blue checkmark beside your name, plus it gives you access to things like Business Support.
Well...
Meta announced this week that they are testing out a tiered option of Meta Verified ranging from $15 - $350 per month.
No, that last number is not a typo. The top tier is legit $350 PER MONTH.
There's a bunch of different things included in each tier, but what most people are freaking out about is "featured account" aspect. When the news was originally announced, a lot of people thought that meant you'd get better reach if you paid for a higher subscription. Meta has since confirmed that is NOT the case, that the new Meta Verified subscription will not increase reach, ranking, or distribution. Which is a relief! You can check out this summary for more details from one of my favourite creators, Brock Johnson.
Now for my hot take...
Do I think this is absolutely insane? Yes.
My initial thought was "well that's a great way to get people to STOP using Instagram."
But I'm not freaking out about it, and here's why...
First of all, it's only in testing phase and only in New Zealand, so it could be awhile before we see it here.
Second, a whole whack of marketers will be fighting Meta on this one, so I can see a digital protest happening that would hopefully make an impact.
Lastly, I've seen a big push on social media lately for small brands to support each other and I honestly think this will help combat things.
At the end of the day, it's in Meta's BEST INTEREST to deliver us content that we actually LIKE and that is how the algorithm is set up. I don't think it will matter if a brand is paying $350 a month. If I don't like their content, the algorithm won't show it to me.
Imagine what would happen if all of a sudden our news feeds were full of content we didn't really like all because those brands paid to get it in front of us...
We'd all stop using the app pretty quickly, wouldn't we?
Honestly, I'm thinking this is a GREAT opportunity for a new social media platform to swoop in and take us back to all the things we initially loved about Facebook & Instagram before Meta ruined it...
Just sayin'.
So, what does this mean for you?
Well, nothing right now. It's good to be aware of but nothing you need to freak out over.
I do think this highlights the importance of two things:
One, make sure you have an email list! You will want a list of your target audience that you own, should you ever move to a different platform or your reach plummets.
Two, focus on creating DYNAMITE content. What does that look like?
Speaking directly to the hearts of your target audience.
Captivating visuals.
More video.
Build a community around your brand.
Infuse personality into your brand so people connect with YOU. No amount of algorithm changes will affect things if your audience genuinely wants to hear from you.
At the end of the day, 💩 content is 💩 content, no matter how much money you put behind it.
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