We’re all used to seeing that little blue tick on celebrity Twitter accounts, but Twitter has just announced that it has created an online application process for any Twitter account to receive verified status. The point of the iconic blue tick is to allow people to identify key individuals and organisations on Twitter as authentic. They had always been granted to public figures who were deemed to be of public interest, but now local businesses could get one too.

“We want to make it even easier for people to find creators and influencers on Twitter so it makes sense for us to let people apply for verification,” said Tina Bhatnagar, Twitter’s vice president of User Services. “We hope opening up this application process results in more people finding great, high-quality accounts to follow, and for these creators and influencers to connect with a broader audience.”

What it could mean for your business

Blue ticks are still going to be carefully handed out. The application process requires elements such as a website, verified phone number, and a confirmed email address. This means that Twitter verification isn’t going to become worthless, it will retain its credibility.

As a result, if your business is granted the highly desired blue tick, Twitter users will see you as a credible and authentic account. It reinforces your professional image and tells users that you are a trustworthy business that is successful.

Also consider what you’d do if someone opened an account and began representing or commenting about your business in a derogatory way; verification will give you the credibility for anyone seeing this, and as unlikely as this is to happen, it has to some businesses previously so this could be an effective brand protection strategy.

How to apply

The application form will be rolled out globally over the next few days and more information can be found on the help centre (https://support.twitter.com/articles/20174631).

If you are not successful in your application, have a thorough read of the guidelines and make sure you’ve done everything you need to. You can then submit another request 30 days after the first application.

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