Social proof refers to the psychological trigger where people adapt their behavior based on the actions of others in a given situation, usually to reach a conviction. It's a common bias that makes us believe that when a lot of people say something, then it must be true. It can be compared with the traditional analogous “mouth to mouth” of the past and that today is part of the digital activation process of companies and businesses.
In the era of digital influencers, we are experiencing the impressive impact that social proof can have on the exposure and acceptance of a brand.
Persuading someone is the goal of social proof. The term was coined by Robert Cialdini, the same author of the book “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion“. When you are browsing websites and landing pages and you find testimony from other customers and even from a sector expert you respect, That's social proof!
Social proof, when it comes to marketing as you have already noticed, depends a lot on influence and persuasion. It gives us the assurance that if one product or service is adding value to others, it is more likely to do so for us. You've probably been attracted to social proof in marketing at some point:
- Have you ever followed a recommendation from a friend or family member?
- Have you ever bought a product that was recommended by an expert?
- Or did you just make a decision based on the evaluations?
Contents
Toggle- How can social proof help your company?
- 1. Case studies or “cases”
- 2. Testimonies or Testimonies
- 3. Certification
- 4. Show your company's impact with data
- 5. Purchase reviews
- Conclusion
How can social proof help your company?
If well applied and planned, social proof helps increase conversion rates, convincing visitors and interested people that other people have already made the decision to buy from you and therefore should do the same.
It also helps brands scale their marketing. According to Nielsen Consulting, in North America and Europe the effectiveness of traditional digital advertising is decreasing, especially 66% of Americans do not perform any action based on mobile ads and 55% do not perform any action based on banner ads.
Above all, social proof offers companies the ability to market with authenticity and confidence, which will reach more people and motivate more actions than digital ads. It also helps you learn more about what your customers want and how to improve your product according to suggestions and improvements from themselves.
There are several ways to apply the strategy and in this article I will bring the main uses, including some practical tips for you to take advantage of the social proof in the best way!
1. Case studies or “cases”
This is a thorough and data-driven analysis of the product or service you have provided to a customer and have achieved good results. Use this if you are marketing products or services of higher added value, and can prove your efficiency in something already accomplished.
The best tip from experts is that you're your own success case, keeping in mind that if you say something, it's marketing. If your client talks, it's already a social test. This is reliable most of the time. But if you are your own success case, you can broaden your reach and at the same time bring visibility in such needed partnerships, in any business model.
Here at Nvx Digital, we seek to gather on a page of our website the main works performed in the creation and development of websites, one of our specialties. In the “Works” section we highlight projects that had repercussions with customers and also in the market, positioning brands and services.
2. Testimonies or Testimonies
This is the most common type of social proof and if well done, it brings good returns. Testimonials can be assessments of satisfied customers, consumers or partners that leave for a product, service or an entire company. In a deeper way, it is how they refer to the product or service for their colleagues or market.
Also known as “witnesses” the testimonies can be paid, for example, when a brand closes a publi (commercial partnership) with influencer. But they can be obtained in exchange for some advantage or bonuses, but the most indicated is that their satisfied customers should be motivated enough to testify, regardless of any external incentive.
One of the effects of social proof is to be able to transform uncertain visitors into faithful and convinced customers with few clicks, as they have access to the necessary validation. Genuine and authentic reviews can tell you much more about your company than any promotional video, as they show the value your product or service really brings and meet the expectations of your customers.
3. Certification
Certification is a form of social proof in which you get the official seal of approval from a reliable authority, company or organization in your sector.
As well as the social proof of the experts' opinion, this strategy is based on the fact that their business is qualified and recognized for acting in their niche.
You can get a degree or professional certificate in your area or use social platforms to validate your authenticity and authority. Digital professionals use, for example, Google certifications (which have a methodology for the approval of well-known specialists), to demonstrate that the very giants of the searches recommend their service, for learning and actions performed.
The gold tip here is: “Be verified by a reliable source”!
Confidence stamps
For those who work with e-commerce, adding reliable stamps to your virtual store can be a form of certification. By displaying trusted payment providers you work with, you claim that they have certified you as a legitimate company. In the same line, trusted badges displaying web security or the approval stamp of different social or legal organizations increase their reliability in the eyes of customers.
4. Show your company's impact with data
The numbers you conquer over time may be another form of social proof that passes a lot of credibility. Gather the most important data from your business to highlight on the website and also on social networks: number of customers served, number of invitations remaining, number of sales made from a strategy. Remember that all this brings a huge amount to those who act commercially.
Understand that often a single number can be worth more than a thousand words, and combining this type of social proof with another can further enhance its results. Try something like: “We had XX sales of product X and not only X people bought our product or service, but see how satisfied consumers recognize our brand.”
Brands can also use the data to fit (or reshape) in a positive way and align with current values and behaviors. You can also embed data into your home page of the site to explain why your brand is better than competitors!
5. Purchase reviews
Many companies have not yet become aware of the weight and importance of consumer views, customer assessments and consumers of certain products and services. They forget, for example, to check the reviews left on Google and that appear prominent when searching for something on the internet.
Try to set up your company page profile on Google and be attentive to the reviews, ranging from 1 to 5 stars and where users can comment positively or negatively. Monitor to offer improvements that bring a good shopping experience to everyone.
In marketplaces such as Amazon or Free Market or even on social networks of a brand, this kind of social proof where a buyer evaluates a particular product or exposes the service received, can make a difference between a successful sale or the escape of the interested party that arrived to you and will quickly click towards the competitor.
And there's no point in wanting to go away with negative evaluations. You may even delete unfavourable comments on your social networks, but on Google, for example and also on Amazon, it is impossible to delete purchase statements or experiences. Then you can answer or even use as feedback to adapt to the consumer market.
Conclusion
Social proof has different ways of being applied on a daily basis and here in this article I brought the main and most used by companies and digital marketing agencies. Each of them can be used to help you improve the conversion rate, have a positive relationship with your target audience and get more sales.
Some methods are definitely easier and faster to implement than others, and some will have to be built over time, so you should decide on which to focus first and build a complete list of social proof assets as you advance in your digital marketing strategies.
Needing to boost social proof on your website or marketing project? Talk to me here. At Nvx Digital we have a specialized and recognized team for 18 years in the market, to search for the best results.
