WhatsApp launches Meta Verified badges for small businesses in India

Meta, parent of instant messaging platform WhatsApp, on Thursday announced a slew of features for small businesses, which includes Meta-verified badges.

This announcement was part of the first WhatsApp Business Summit in India. It also signifies the social media platforms attempt to monetise WhatsApp in India. The platform boasts of a user base of over 500 million.

Sandhya Devanathan, VP, Meta in India, said, “The ubiquity and ease of WhatsApp places it at the centre of India’s transformation, helping businesses fuel compelling ideas and new models of growth. These features and programs, which we are announcing today, demonstrate our commitment to helping businesses maximize their value per dollar while providing exceptional customer experiences on WhatsApp.”

Meta Verified will now be available to all eligible small businesses in India using the WhatsApp Business app. With Meta Verified, businesses that choose to subscribe and demonstrate their authenticity will receive a verified badge, impersonation protection, account support, and premium features that help amplify their brand online and make it more efficient to chat with customers.

The same badge will appear on their WhatsApp Channels and Business pages, making it easy to share on social media and websites. 

In addition to Meta Verified, the company will also give small businesses ability to send customised messages to their customers – like appointment reminders, birthday greetings or even updates on a holiday sale. This new feature, available for a fee, gives businesses the ability to send personal messages with a customer’s name and customisable call-to-action buttons and will also enable them to schedule the day and time the messages are sent. 

As a part of its focus to reach out to small and medium enterprises, Meta also announced WhatsApp Bharat Yatra, a first-of-its-kind initiative where the company will go to tier II and III cities in India to provide on-ground, in-person training to small businesses.

Meta will train small businesses in setting up their WhatsApp Business accounts, creating catalogues, educating them on how to set up ads that click to WhatsApp, and much more.