Do you offer a worthwhile product or service?
You know you do! But how can you convince the people in your target audience of its worth? That’s the purpose of marketing. It’s your job to prove your product’s worth.
There are all kinds of ways to prove that a product is good. Remember the old Coke vs. Pepsi taste tests? That’s one example of proof, but in these days of social media marketing, the most popular and impactful kind of proof is social proof.
What is social proof? Why does it matter? And — most importantly — how can you use it to come out ahead of your competitors and grab the lion’s share of your target audience?
What is Social Proof?
Social Proof is what happens when people talk positively about a product, service, company, or any other commodity. It can take multiple forms. For example:
online reviews, online ratings, social media mentions, professional certifications, and recommendations.
The idea behind social proof is that people are influenced by the behavior of others. Social proof provides evidence of the usefulness or validity of a thing – whatever that thing might be.
There are some psychological reasons that explain the effectiveness of social proof…
1. People appreciate transparency. One of the benefits of social proof is that it doesn’t come from a company — it comes from consumers of what the company makes or provides. That’s part of why people trust it. 2. People also have a need to feel that they belong. There’s a mental glitch known as the “Bandwagon Effect” that makes people more likely to support a cause or product when others do too.
3. FOMO (fear of missing out) is a real and powerful thing. When everybody else seems to be doing something, we want to do it.
4. Human beings are hard-wired to connect with stories. Since customer reviews and testimonials are short stories, it’s no wonder that we gravitate towards them.
Why Social Proof Matters
Social proof matters because social proof works. In fact, it’s extraordinarily effective because it does the work for you. People might not take your word for how good your products or services are, but they’ll take other people’s word for it.
Research shows that about 86% of all consumers — and 95% of consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 — read online reviews before buying a product. In fact, they read an average of 10 reviews before a purchase.
It’s also interesting to note that more consumers are getting savvy about reviews. The same study found that 40% of all of the consumers in 2018 only read reviews that were recent, meaning they were no more than 2 weeks old. That’s up from just 18% in 2017.
Tips for Using Social Proof in Your Marketing
How can you use social proof in your marketing? Here are some examples to get you started:
Tip #1 – Encourage and respond to reviews.
Reviews are still the most popular kind of social proof. As a business owner, you can encourage reviews by:
Putting a link to your Yelp or Google My Business page on your website, asking your social media followers for reviews, responding to reviews quickly and professionally, adding a rating scale to your website, or allowing people to post reviews of products there.
You may even want to put some of your online reviews on your website for people to see. You can also display your Yelp rating in your business.
Tip #2 – Get a Professional Seal of Approval
Not all social proof comes from consumers. Sometimes, it comes from a professional certification or acknowledgement of your product’s worth.
This type of social proof has been around for a long time. Decades ago, Good Housekeeping magazine offered its seal of approval to products. Today, you can get a professional seal of approval by applying for and receiving a professional certification or cultivating relationships with reporters to get press mentions.
Tip #3 – Tap into the Wisdom of the Crowd
You already know that FOMO is real. One way to tap into social proof is to take a page out of Netflix’s book. The streaming giant highlights popular TV shows and movies for streaming. They know that when people are talking about something, the ones who haven’t watched it yet won’t want to miss a chance to get in on the conversation.
You can accomplish that by highlighting your best-selling products or services on your website or social media.
Tip #4 – Influencer Marketing
Finally, you should consider using influencer marketing to get the social proof you need to boost sales. Influencer marketing focuses on getting recommendations and endorsements from influential people, often on social media.
Keep in mind that an influencer doesn’t have to be a celebrity. Most small business owners can’t afford a celebrity’s price for influencer marketing. What you can do is find people who have authority and “clout” in your niche or industry and get them to talk about your company.
