We’re all familiar with the standard “best practices” for CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation). This includes using social proof, reducing form fields, and avoiding image sliders.
The first question is: does social proof work as well as we all assume? The second question is: why does it work? The third question is: what is the best way to implement social proof?
What is social proof?
The idea of social proof is that people will conform in order to fit in with those around them.
Testimonials from industry experts and well-known companies using a product are examples of social proof, which can be persuasive when making decisions about products.
2 experts on whether social proof really works
I got some opinions from some experts on advertising and growth about whether social proof is effective. Here’s what they said…
Social proof is an essential element of developing your landing page strategy. We buy products that make us feel good about ourselves and that improve our lives as customers. Testimonials, reviews, and trust icons that provide social proof help us make decisions, feel confident about our choices, and feel as though we are part of something larger.
The type of social proof you use can create different emotional responses. If you plan carefully, you can choose social proof that will trigger specific emotions that will influence how your customers feel about their purchase and your business.
Talia Wolf, GetUplift.co:
Because I’m always creating and testing new landing pages, I always make sure to include some form of social proof on them. This can be in the form of product reviews, testimonials, or even social media share buttons. It’s an easy decision for me to make.
The appeals that worked the best were those that utilized social proof. According to statistics, social proof is definitely worth the time and effort. For example, a study conducted by the Wall Street Journal found that the best way to convince customers to use fans instead of air conditioners in the summer is by appealing to their sense of social responsibility. The study found that consumers were more likely to be convinced to switch to fans when they were told that doing so would save them money, help the environment, and that their neighbors were already doing it.
Most people who switched to fans said they did so because their neighbors had them. This demonstrates how influential social proof can be, especially when it’s prominently featured on your main sales and landing pages.
Mat Carpenter, ShipYourEnemiesGlitter:
6 basic types of social proof (with examples)
There are six types of social proof you’ll see almost everywhere. Choose one to use as your baseline. The type you choose should be based on your specific industry and goal.
1. Case studies
This type of analysis delves deep into the data to see how the product or service you provided benefited the customer. This is especially useful for marketing B2B (Business to Business) software or agency services.
2. Testimonials
Current customers who are happy with the product or service giving simple and brief recommendations that can be applied in many different situations. These recommendations can be just as effective on a landing page for a free eBook as they can be on a page for a $49/month subscription.
Make sure that your testimonials are legitimate by including a picture, name, and company role for each person. This will make your testimonials more credible, and in turn, make your product or service more credible.
Social proof that is in the form of testimonials, whether they are in video or written form, is very effective and has helped to increase the conversion rates for my clients’ landing pages.
If you want to convince people that your offer is good, you need to show them some proof. The best way to do this is with some honest testimonials from real people, along with a picture of the person giving the testimonial. Try it out and see for yourself how well it works.
Raphael Paulin-Daigle, SplitBase.io:
3. Reviews
While testimonials focus on the customer’s experience, reviews provide a more objective account. Use reviews for products that are highly technical or in industries with many competitors.
Customers don’t need an invitation to review your product or service. Check forums and review websites regularly to see what people are saying about you. Look for opportunities to use positive reviews as landing page content.
4. Social media
Collect all of the positive feedback you can find about your product or service from social media. This kind of social proof is especially useful for B2C (Business to Consumer) products and services, but it can sometimes work for B2B as well.
On the Social Media Examiner conference landing page, they use social proof to show that a lot of people are talking about the event all year round.
5. Trust icons
While logos and icons may technically be examples of social proof, they are not very effective at conveying this information on social media platforms. This is due to the fact that these types of posts do not include any actual reviews or user feedback, but simply feature the names or logos of the publications. To rectify this issue, social media users should take inspiration from movie and book landing pages, which often feature short excerpts from reviews instead of just publication names or logos. This provides potential customers with actual information that they can use to make a purchasing decision, rather than simply relying on the name recognition of a particular publication.
6. Data / numbers
The numbers speak for themselves – combining different types of social proof creates a more holistic view of your product or service, demonstrating not only that people are buying it, but also that they’re enjoying it.
Buffer uses social proof in the form of “X customers served” to encourage conversions, as well as impressive numbers like blog readers and social followers.
12 Easy Ways to Use Social Proof in Your Marketing
1. Invite experts to take over your social media
An industry expert taking over your social media profiles can help you tap into their influence, as well as the positive association their followers have with anything they do (i.e. halo effect).
An example of this would be when an expert takes over your Instagram account to post educational content, tell Instagram Stories, or go live. People who know her would then likely have a more positive view of your brand due to her presence on your social media.
Such collaborations are often beneficial for both parties involved as the industry experts get to reach your audience.
2. Show appreciation for mentions
If you’re an ambitious business owner, then you’re always looking for ways to get your business noticed.One way to do this is to get mentioned in the press, by a big brand, or by an influencer in your industry. This is a great form of social proof that can help you attract more customers and grow your business.
There are many ways you can share social proof on social media. Here are some phrases we like to use:
- “Grateful for the mention”
- “Honored to be featured”
3. Share milestones
Another quick way to create social proof is to show gratitude for your user or follower milestones. thanking the people who have helped you achieve that.
Here are some of the milestones you can celebrate with your audience:
- Reaching X users
- Reaching X customers
- Reaching X downloads of your app
- Reaching X followers on your social media profile
- Anniversaries
4. Experiment with (micro) influencer marketing
Influencer marketing can be a cheaper alternative to getting celebrity social proof.
The idea is that since these people have a smaller but more engaged following, their word carries more weight This is more common on Instagram. Brands often sponsor micro-influencers to promote their products. Micro-influencers are people with strong social media influence in a specific area, but who are not celebrities.
When people see social media influencers using a particular product, they often see the same properties in the product that they see in the influencer.
5. Explore having brand ambassadors
Selecting social media ambassadors who are experts in their field, celebrities, or passionate users provides a mix of social proof that can be beneficial to your business.
If you are an ambassador for a company, you might show your badge on your social media profile and include any hashtags the company uses in your posts.
6. Curate user-generated content
We love user-generated content on Instagram. It’s also great for generating user social proof.
You can increase your brand’s visibility on social media by using a branded hashtag or by reposting users’ social media posts.
7. Reach the friends of your Facebook Page fans with Facebook ads
One way to use social ads effectively is to target Facebook ads at the friends of people who have already liked your page. This is a good way to reach a similar audience who would be interested in the same products.
When you are defining your target audience in the Facebook Ads Manager, select “Friends of people who like your page” under “Connection Type.”
Facebook will use your friends’ opinions as a way to show that your opinion is correct.
8. Use social proof on your ad copy
Another way to use social proof in your ads is to include it in the copy of your ad. You could choose among the various types of social proof:
- Expert social proof: Feature an expert recommending your product
- Celebrity social proof: Feature a celebrity or micro-influencer endorsing your product
- The wisdom of the crowd: Mention the number of customers you have
9. Encourage customers to leave a good rating on your Facebook Page
If you are a local business, you can enable ratings and reviews on your Facebook Page. Good ratings and reviews are a great way to show potential customers that other people have had a positive experience with your business.
If you’re looking for somewhere new to check out, Facebook has a feature where you can search for local businesses with high ratings and reviews. Having a good rating on your Facebook Page will help you get a better ranking in the search results.
Here’re a few tips on asking customers for reviews:
- Ask in person
- Reach out to repeat customers
- Add a prompt to your surveys
- Offer incentives or hold a contest
- Spotlight customers who give reviews
10. Get verified
There are three social media platforms where you can get verified and receive a blue checkmark on your bio. These platforms are Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
The blue checkmark next to a user’s bio on social media platforms is a form of certification or social proof. This means that the platform has deemed the user to be popular, influential, or interesting enough to be awarded the checkmark. This is usually reserved for celebrities and top brands.
If you verify your account or Page, you would not only gain credibility and respect from the community, but you would also gain access to new features that are reserved for verified accounts or Pages only.
11. Be responsive
If you want to encourage people to message you on Facebook or Twitter, you can tell them how responsive you are and when the best time to message you is.
Here’s how you can set it up for Facebook and Twitter:
- Facebook: Go to your Page settings and select the “Messaging” tab. Scroll down to “Response Assistant” and choose the response time that best represents how fast you reply to messages. You can also set it to update automatically.
- Twitter: Go to this direct link: https://business.twitter.com/i/settings/support and click on “Add business feature”. To show that your account provides support, you’ll need to accept direct messages from anyone. Once that’s done, you can set your most responsive hours and customize a welcome message when they direct message you.
12. Display social share count
The more social shares an article has, the more likely people are to read and think highly of it. This is because social proof shows the wisdom of the crowd.
A low social share count can have the opposite effect. People might think that the article is not good enough, even if it was very well-written. To counter this, you could use a tool like Social Warfare, which displays share buttons, but hides the share counts until the article has received a certain number of shares.
How have you been using social proof in your marketing?
There are many ways that social proof can be used in marketing. All are effective to some degree and the right social proof used at the right time is usually very effective.
Related posts:
