Social proof is a relatively simple concept. Essentially, social proof is evidence that your business is successful. It is not boasting to your audience that your conversion rates are high and that you made a whopping ROI this year. It is about leveraging the experiences and opinion of those who have tried and enjoyed your product or service.
Why is this important? Customers want to know that they’re getting the best value for their money. They want to know that the businesses that they engage with align with their own values and beliefs. They want to know that they will be acknowledged and respected as a paying customer.
You can tell your audience directly that your business is worth engaging with. However, with so many other businesses vying for their attention with their own marketing strategies and tactics, it can be hard for customers to know who to trust. Instead, it is better to let your customers do some of your marketing for you. In fact, almost 92 percent of consumers surveyed in a Nielsen study reported that they trust user-generated, non-paid brand recommendations over other forms of advertising. (Nielsen)
Social proof is a way of letting potential customers know that your business is worthwhile. The proof itself comes from reviews, testimonials, social proof, and word-of-mouth marketing. When your audience sees that others value and appreciate your businesses, they are more likely to engage.
Types of Social Proof
Reviews
Reviews are short pieces of text written by your customers. In a review, a customer typically describes their experience with your business and shares their opinion on the product or service they used. Many reviews feature a rating system, from 1-5 or 1-10.
To get more reviews, you can ask for them. Add a review option to your product or service webpages. If you have a new customer or a customer that makes repeated purchases, you can ask for a review in your emails.
Remember to stay up to date with your online reviews. According to one survey, 42 percent of consumers only pay attention to reviews written within the previous two weeks. (BrightLocal)
Testimonials
According to BigCommerce, testimonials can help your business generate up to 62 percent more revenue from each customer.
Testimonials are similar to reviews. They are written and submitted by customers who have used your product or service. While testimonials and reviews are similar, testimonials differ in that they are generally longer and more descriptive, and are more focused on your business overall than a specific product or service you offer.
Testimonials can be a little bit harder to attain than reviews because they require more insight and effort. You may need to ask a customer for a testimonial. It is wise to ask for testimonials from long-standing, happy customers. If you have a good relationship with a customer, they might oblige you by writing a strong testimonial. Testimonials are worth seeking, because they are highly persuasive, especially for leads closer to the end of your marketing funnel.
Social Media Following and Activity
Another common type of social proof is your follower count and level of activity on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you can show your audience that you have a large follower base, made up of many loyal, engaged customers and leads, you demonstrate your popularity. Many potential customers will visit your social media sites to assess how active and popular you are online.
If you have a small follower count and little activity in recent months or even years, it shows that you are not very active, thus unlikely to be responsive and engaged with your customers. On the other hand, if you have a large follower count, and your pages feature lots of B2C interaction, it shows that you are in tune with your customers and ready to engage.
To use your social media channels as social proof for your businesses, post relevant content on a regular, consistent basis. A high follower count alone is not always a sign of success. Still, it goes a long way in boosting your visibility and showing your audience that you are on top of your game.
Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Word-of-mouth marketing refers to a type of social proof gained by fulfilling customer needs so well that they spread your brand awareness for you. This type of social proof can come in the form of reviews, but it also happens within people’s homes or when they talk to their friends over coffee. People will tell others about their experiences with your business, especially if your product or service relates to something important in their lives that they have been talking to others about.
Benefits of Social Proof
You can add power to your overall marketing campaign by adding social proof to your website, social media channels, and throughout your content. There are many benefits to social proof, such as:
- Greater trust from customers – nearly 88 percent of online users trust strangers’ reviews and recommendations as much as the opinions of people they know (SearchEngineLand)
- Edge over competitors – social proof can serve as a tiebreaker between you and a competitor when a potential customer is on the fence. If both businesses have a well-crafted campaign, with high-quality products and relevant content, then the quality of social proof can be a highly influential factor in a customer’s ultimate decision.
- Convenience – it is relatively easy to gather social proof, providing all of the other aspects of your campaign are of high quality, executed with diligence and care. Social proof only requires that you leverage your satisfied customers. Of course, you need to satisfy your customers before you can leverage social proof.
In today’s marketing climate, where customers are diligent in the search for brands and businesses that align with their own values and can openly demonstrate transparency and authenticity, social proof is a powerful marketing tool. Add it to your content across all of your channels to notice significant improvements in your engagement and conversion rates.
