Robert Caildini shares in his book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, that social proof is when “we view a behavior as more correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others performing it.”
So when we’re faced with a situation where we’re unsure what to do, we assume the people around us (influencers, celebrities, peers) have more knowledge about what is going on and it influences our decision based on theirs.
Why is it important?
Knowing this, it’s incredibly important for businesses and brands to use social proof when possible in their online marketing. If buyers are seeing that other people are using and enjoying your product and/or service, they’re more likely to buy from you.
Social proof can come in many different ways… Here are a few:
Reactions, likes, comments and shares
Social proof on social media posts includes reactions, likes, comments and/or shares. If your post has comments from buyers raving about your product or service, your potential buyers might feel more inclined to make a purchasing decision.
The same thing goes with people commenting that they’re interested in your product or service – people will see that and want to be included. They’re more likely to ask for more information as well!
User-generated content
This is one of the best ways to convince potential buyers to purchase. If they see real customers using your product or service and posting about it on social media, it’s better marketing than you could ever do yourself. Your potential customers want to see and hear from real people – not just you!
Social Proof Plug-In
There are programs and add ons that you can put on your website that shows potential buyers on the sales page when someone has made a recent purchase. A small popup will display in the bottom corner of your screen with the names of your buyers.
An example of this is “Proof” https://useproof.com/ or WPfomify https://wpfomify.com/
Testimonials
Testimonials are another great way to provide social proof. The best way to get testimonials is to…. ASK. You can ask for written or video testimonials. Video testimonials perform better – but both are very beneficial.
This allows you to shed some light on what your current clients are saying so that new buyers develop a deeper interest in your product or service.
Getting social proof on ads
If you’re running ads, this is a great place to embrace social proof. Remember how we said reactions and comments are beneficial?? They’re extra important here.
There are many ways you can get social proof on ads. You can run ads to your current customers. You can also run ads for engagement objectives to collect reactions and comments FIRST, and then run them as another objective.
