Blue Check? Check! Get Verified & Gain Traction Online
Looking to get one of those coveted blue checks to appear next to your Twitter handle? Well, you’re in luck! This week, Twitter unveiled its new verification process. And this isn’t the only change to your brand’s online presence this week. With new business profiles on Snapchat, you have a new way to reach Gen Z (or the “Snapchat Generation” as the platform prefers to call it). Finally, enhancements to Google’s shopping functions are pushing discoverability for e-commerce brands – especially those on Shopify.
Photo by Twitter
Earn Your Check: Twitter Verification Is Back!
After a hiatus from accepting verification applications, Twitter is back with a new process to get your profile verified. If your account was already verified, you might need to check on your check – previously verified accounts might have lost that status if they don’t meet the updated verification policy requirements. To be verified, your account needs to be authentic (your real brand account), notable (which includes companies and brands), and active. You’ll also need a profile name, profile image, and a confirmed email address or phone number.
To get your very own blue verification badge, navigate to your account settings. The new application will be staggered out to all accounts over the next few weeks, so if you don’t see an option to apply you might need to check back another day. The application is only two steps. First, you’ll select what kind of account you have, such as “company, brand, or organization”. Then, you’ll need to prove your identity with a government-issued ID, email address on an official domain, or an official website that references your Twitter account. You’ll then receive a notification about your application when it’s reviewed!
What does this mean for Gainesville Businesses?
This tiny little icon is a great way of communicating your upstanding status at a glance. It also makes it difficult for anyone else to come along and pose as your business. Twitter users will have more confidence in interacting with verified accounts, giving you more chances to interact authentically through giveaways, DMs, and more. This 2-step process is so easy that we recommend it for every brand that’s active on Twitter!
Photo by Snapchat
Snapchat Snaps Back: Business Profiles Are Here To Stay
To reclaim relevance, Snapchat has taken a step away from disappearing content with public profiles for businesses. These profiles feel very similar to business profiles on other channels – your content won’t disappear after 24 hours and it’ll be discoverable by anyone on the platform. They’ll also deliver some Snapchat-specific engagement opportunities such as AR lenses, a daily story, and linked Shopify stores. Want to see what a public profile looks like? Here’s one for Snapchat Spectacles.
Start by creating a free business account on Snapchat, if you haven’t already. You won’t need to buy any Snapchat ads to get this going but you’ll see it mentioned along the way. Then you’ll need to create a public profile, including choosing a username that Snapchatters can use to find you. You’ll be able to use a Snapcode, your username, or Snapchat ads to attract subscribers.
What does this mean for Gainesville Businesses?
Snapchat has been around for a long time with relatively few new features. With this change and the previous launch of Spotlight, it seems like they’re changing trajectories to make their platform permanent-content friendly.
How can you benefit from this? Glad you asked. First off, follow the steps to create a public profile. Then populate that ghost town. Make sure you’ve got some content up on your page before promoting it anywhere. After that, you can display your Snapcode and username on other social media, in your place of business, or even on your marketing materials to drive traffic to your page. You can also use Snapchat ads or a geofilter displaying your username to get Snapchat users interested in your public profile.
Photo By Google
Shopping Small Just Got A Whole Lot Bigger
Google is leading the way to making more brands more discoverable online with a few new features aimed at leveling the e-commerce playing field. First up, an expanded partnership with Shopify allows businesses to make their products discoverable on Google. This is great news for a lot of small businesses that use Shopify to accomplish e-commerce, something a lot of consumer brands used to generate revenue during the pandemic. This step might bring in new long-distance sales and help convince some businesses to stay on Shopify post-pandemic.
Google has also been thinking about how we shop online and using those habits to make the process easier. A new integration allows Google Photos users to use Lens, an image-recognition technology, to search for products in their screenshots. Chrome will also be aiding our shopping habits with Cards on the new tab page that let us pick up our abandoned carts. In the near future, Google will allow users to link loyalty program accounts for specific brands with their Google account, meaning that they’ll be able to use discounts or points without leaving Google.
What does this mean for Gainesville Businesses?
As per usual, Google is looking at the trends from 2020 and pushing ahead with great new ideas and integrations. Our favorite new feature here has to be the Shopify partnership. We’re seeing this as a way to reach a national audience with just a few extra clicks. If you’re not selling physical products that can be shipped, it’s worth a quick brainstorm to see how you could engage in e-commerce. Drink kits, brand merchandise, or your restaurant’s special seasoning? These ideas may get more eyes on your brand with the newly enhanced discoverability.
Ok, now what?
Now that you’re up to date with the latest industry news, it’s time to invest in a team that specializes in all things social media and digital marketing. We can help! Liquid Creative is a full-service marketing agency ready to help your business operate to its fullest potential without missing a beat.
