“Social proof” is a modern, digital age term, but the concept is one we all know. Back in the day we called it being a follower. Not like a ‘follower’ of today where you follow a story, a tweet, a Facebook page, but following along with everyone else’s actions and thoughts. Not making a decision based on your knowledge or knowledge that you garnered through research, but just following along because ‘everyone else is doing it’.
Today, it is better known as informational social influence. And although, doing it just because everyone else is can be a dangerous thing, it is something that has become, shall we say, a ‘social norm’.
What is social proof?
Social proof is a psychological and social phenomenon where people take on the actions of others in an attempt to reflect appropriate behavior in a given situation. Their behavior is driven by the assumption that the people around them possess more knowledge about a situation that is going on than they do themselves.
If we were discussing something like politics, being a follower is rarely a good quality. However, when keeping in context within the marketing world, this way of thinking can help with branding.
Social proof is important, whether we like it or not
Savvy marketers know that social proof is the number one marketing tactic that eases the minds of worried customers. Think about this: with the power of the internet, people have information at their fingertips in a matter of seconds. They can get this information faster and well before they would need to interact with a company’s sales force.
Sources indicate that 70% of Americans say that they look at online reviews before making a purchase. Nearly 63% of consumers indicate that they are more likely to purchase from a site if has product ratings and reviews. So whether we like ‘social proof’ or not, it is in a company’s best interest to utilize it.
Uses of social proof
There are many different ways in which social proof is used. Some ways are good and some are potentially troublesome. As with most campaigns, marketing comes down to the details and social proof is no different.
In a recent blog on kissmetrics.com regarding social proof, the author cited a wonderful example of how negative social proof can absolutely backfire.
The example came from a sign that was placed in the Arizona Petrified Forest as part of an experiment being done by researchers. The sign read, “Many past visitors have removed the petrified wood from the park, destroying the natural state of the Petrified Forest.” What the researchers found was that this type of sign encouraged people to take more wood from the forest, rather than deter them. By reading the sign, people felt more emboldened, thinking, “If others can steal, I can too.”
Obviously, this is not the type of social proof you want to use to sell your products or services. So you may be thinking to yourself, so what type of social proof works? All of it sounds shady and useless. Not so, if it is done correctly.
Social proof that works
Actual testimonials from customers with photos or video offer excellent social proof. Seeing a person using a product in a real world setting helps to sell products. It is important that the picture or video and the people in it look inviting.
People tend to trust product recommendations coming from real people, like industry experts or people they know, more so than a celebrity hocking a product. People are always more influenced by others who are similar to them. This is especially important when writing a case study.
It is important to remember that the person promoting the product really expresses their opinion, who they are and how the product or service helped. You don’t want them to say something like ‘great product or great service.’ It is too generic and people can’t relate to that. It sounds like a canned response. It is important to find people who truly represent what your ideal customer is.
Online reviews are another form of social proof that customers really trust. This can go either way. If there is an excessive amount of negative reviews of your product, you will lose potential customers before they pick up the phone, make it into your store or log in to the shopping section of your website.
It is also better to have no social proof, than low social proof. Just like having ‘likes’ on Facebook. If you aren’t shared a lot or liked a lot, this has people questioning whether you are trustworthy company, if your products are any good, or if your company is too new for people to have opinions.
6 Steps for Improving Social Proof
The fact is, whether we like it or not, social proof is a thing and it is here to stay. It can definitely make or break your business. Here are a few steps to help improve your social proof.
1. Begin a testimonials section of your website. It can be a closed section, meaning random people can’t add to the page, but the stories must be true. Start with asking some of your customers to contribute and see how you can grow it from there.
2. Same with social media. Ask some of your customers to rate you on your social channels. As people begin to see the reviews, others will join in.
3. Add counters or other sorts of numeric indicators of success to your site. If people see a high number of people have signed up for your newsletter, they’re more likely to sign up as well. Showing how many people have visited a product page can indicate popularity.
4. Write more case history articles and customer success stories. These can be published on your website, on your social media channels, in your internal newsletter, and especially on industry publication sites (and don’t forget the print versions!). Discuss adding them to your customer’s social channels and website as well.
*Remember to focus on your customer’s perspective so you can be seen as helping your customer be a hero, rather than trying to just talk yourself up. People see through that type of sales and marketing talk.
5. Improve your SEO. This might seem like it’s coming out of nowhere, but improving your SEO, specifically your keyword rankings for positive phrases and solutions-based phrases as well as increasing the number of backlinks to your site can influence social proof. The more people see your company, and see your company with positive associations, the more they will trust you. If you’re recommended by a website they trust, you have a foot in the door already.
6. If you do have negative reviews, address them but don’t delete them! A company with no negative feedback garners even more suspicion than a company with a small percentage. Use them as a true method to improvement.
In today’s overly-connected landscape, there’s no escaping the reach of social networks. Using them to your advantage is the modern marketer’s challenge and, hopefully, crowning achievement.