You can now boost your Instagram profile (and confidence?) by getting that influencer-sought blue little star next to your name!
That's right: Meta has opened up for us 'regular' people to blue-ribbon ourselves.
There's a catch:
ALL you have to do is pay $20 per month.
So, let's break down why they did that, and evaluate if this is something for you.
Ding ding ding, cash coming in
Obviously, this is a new cash cow for Meta. A smart one.
The blue star has previously been awarded to users with a big following who's become a 'public person'.
Instagram has been programming our brains for the past years to associate this little blue badge with celebrity status to make sure we are actually following the true person behind the brand, and not some fake or fan account.
Seeing the verification next to a user name sparks our curiosity and sends an impulse to check the account out closer and to potentially follow it. It's neuroscience. Or, neuromarketing in this case.
Therefore, it doesn't come to my surprise that so many are now willing to pay to get it.
But is it worth the money?
Well, that's up to you to decide.
In my opinion, it's not. I choose other ways to spend those $20 per month. Or $240 per year.
But that's me.
This is how I reasoned:
Now that the blue batch is available for every person, its to-be increased presence will shift meaning; from influencer/celebrity-status to just ...a real person. Do I need it to prove to my followers that I am real?
No. (No fake accounts in my name, impersonating me, has been created. Yet.)
Will not having it stop me from building a brand? Will I be taken more seriously if I have the badge? Will I make more money? Will I be more successful?
No.
No.
Nope.
No.
Will it boost my ego?
Yes.
Do I need to boost my ego?
No.
Ugh, that was a lot of No:s for a Yes-saying person. A whole year of No-supply gone in one blog post.
Anyway, as of today, I did not find reason to pay to get the badge.
But how about in the future?
Scarcity creates value
When our brains are wired to associate a visual with something exclusive, we want it more. Branding 101.
Scarcity creates value.
Economy 101.
But what if something that was exclusively awarded to the few selected is now handed out to whoever wants it?
It becomes less exclusive.
Sure, it will spark a curiosity: we'll look at the user name and think 'oh, wow, let's see if this person is actually a famous person, or if she/he/them/it is paying for the badge' by clicking and checking out the following count.
With time, however, our brains will be reprogrammed. And the blue badge will become a normality. Less valuable, in our eyes. Because now, everyone can get it. And let's be honest, Meta was smart about the pricing. What's one more subscription of $20 per month!
My prediction
I think Meta is gonna milk this cow for as long as they can. (I mean why shouldn't they?)
So unless they pull back this new feature, the course will be:
A majority, or big portion of users have verified themselves and that means $240 per user per year in to Meta's account. (Let's say 1 million users verify themselves:
that means a yearly $240 000 000 more in cash flow.)
Not bad, Meta.
When the verification process has become a commonality, a health factor, and they see its application has halted; or maybe even plummets, Meta will open up for every one to do it for free, and later even make it mandatory. Just like the Two-factor authentication.
I sure am curious to see the outcome and development of this.
What's your opinion on the matter? Are you getting the badge or holding off? Let me know!
Love,
Gaby