Social proof is considered one of the best tools that online business owners have to build trust and increase sales. But what exactly is this fundamental marketing principle and how can you use it to influence visitors and boost sales?
How Social Proof Works
Social proof is a psychological phenomenon, popularized by Dr. Robert Cialdini, describing our tendency to look to the actions or behavior of others for information. It is also known as informational social influence, confirming a shopper’s choice, assuring them that it is worth their time, money, and attention by using others as a guide. Why is social proof important?
The Importance of Social Proof
Whether you are aware of social proof or not, it has likely influenced your decisions, big or small, throughout life. Social proof captures people’s attention and makes them stop to check out a social media post because it has high engagement. It encourages them to try an unknown brand because of the good things others say about it. It is also why you follow a TV show that everyone seems to be raving about.
The numbers prove the effectiveness of using social proof: 71% of people are more likely to buy based on social media referrals. 91% of shoppers read at least one review before making a purchase. 80% of shoppers in the United States look for recommendations when buying. 54% of people have purchased a consumer product after seeing user-generated content about it. 63% of consumers indicated that they are more likely to buy from a website that has product ratings and reviews.
Types of Social Proof
Social proof can be created on any online platform where you have a presence, including your website and your preferred social media networks. It can vary in how it is manifested and can cover a wide range of actions across different channels from different groups of people.
1. The Wisdom of the Crowd
Measurable indicators of a brand’s popularity are a common type of social proof and can make potential customers feel confident in buying your products, or at least be more inclined to check out what you are selling.
For example, as a shopper, you are likely to evaluate an unfamiliar business based on the number of followers it has on any given social media account. A Facebook page with 115,000 likes is likely to seem more established than a page with 500 likes.
Other examples of social proof also include: the number of likes, comments, views, and shares on social media posts. Viewing numbers on live streams on Facebook or Instagram. Sharing the number of subscribers on your email list to encourage your audience to sign up.
2. User Experience
Consumers trust what others say online, and the praise received from peers can be your most effective selling tool.
In fact, about 70% of consumers in the United States seek opinions from independent review sites before making a purchase. These reviews will certainly affect purchasing decisions and can be the difference between a high bounce rate and a high conversion rate.
Ratings and reviews can be collected and displayed on your website, through an app, or on open forums like Yelp or Facebook or even Google. Both product reviews and general company ratings will benefit you, as customers will trust what their peers say.
3. Celebrity Endorsements
Celebrity endorsements can be tricky to achieve. Paid partnerships are not always seen as reliable as peer-derived endorsements, but they can be effective, especially when they are authentic.
Content shared publicly by influencers and celebrities serves as a source of endorsement. Smaller influencers, such as industry bloggers and complementary businesses within the same niche as yours, may have an overlap in audience, and these endorsements can be genuine, as long as the posts don’t look like a promotional pitch.
4.
Friend Recommendations
This social proof indicates that people see their friends approving of your product. For example, seeing a friend follow you on social media or use your product, such as through user-generated content.
Content posted by satisfied customers about your brand is considered social proof. This often takes the form of customers sharing posts that showcase their experience with your product or brand on their personal accounts. Customers may tag you or use your hashtag.
5. Testimonials
Testimonials serve as proof when a trusted person in your industry provides an endorsement. Consider acquiring a verified badge on TikTok and Instagram.
6. Experts
Social proof from experts refers to an expert in your field recommending your products or services, or publicly aligning with your brand. For example, an Instagram or TikTok story from an expert, or having someone as a guest on your Instagram Live.
Examples of Social Proof
Social proof is an undeniable marketing principle that all e-commerce sites should focus on in various ways. But how can you do this exactly?
1. Customer Reviews on Product Pages
The first and most common way is to display customer reviews. Try to collect and showcase reviews on individual product pages, landing pages, or “coming soon” pages, especially if you can get some reviews with images.
I know I’ve bought clothing before because the reviews convinced me. Seeing how great it looks on real people and hearing how much they loved it was enough to persuade me to buy.
2. Highlight Best-Selling Products on Category Pages
The second way to leverage social proof on your site is to highlight “best-selling” or “most popular” products on your category pages. Showcasing products as popular gives customers the confidence and satisfaction that they are making the best possible purchase.
3. Adding Trusted Buyer Tags to Customer Reviews
People are on the lookout for fake reviews when shopping online. If customers feel that reviews are fake, it can be off-putting and affect sales. You can build shoppers’ trust by adding “Trusted Buyer” tags to your reviews. The “Trusted Buyer” tag indicates that real customers have rated the product and recommended it.
4. Promoting User-Generated Content on Social Media
Social media is another ideal space to showcase social proof, as it can often be one of the first places people turn for social proof. You can do this by focusing on engagement-building campaigns rather than just sales-driven content. Many of your engagement-building campaigns can capture user-generated content in the form of product images that come directly from the users themselves.
5. Showcasing Customer Testimonials in Paid Marketing Campaigns
You can also use reviews as the centerpiece of ads in a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign. Using social proof this way is particularly effective in Facebook ads, Instagram ads, YouTube ads, and TikTok ads, where you have ample space for descriptions to do so.
6. Displaying Reviews in Email Marketing Campaigns
Email is another great place to use social proof to boost sales, especially with a group of subscribers who receive the email and are accustomed to the idea of buying from you.
Include encouraging customer reviews about specific products in your email design, along with an image of the product and even the customer’s name, if you have permission to do so. You could even choose a subject line like “See What Our Customers Are Saying” to grab attention and increase open rates.
7.
Showcase Case Studies About Your Product
Content marketing is an excellent way to build trust overall, and some strategies can help you gather and share more social proof.
You can use engagement-building techniques to increase social proof in actual blog posts. This includes inviting readers to leave comments by asking specific questions or opening the floor for them to ask you questions.
Case studies are another way to leverage customer success stories to attract a growing customer base. You can use one client or one story to create the proof that shows you can help other customers achieve the same thing.
Applications of Marketing Using Social Proof
There are many types of social proof, and many ways you can exploit it. This can be overwhelming, but fortunately, there are many great e-commerce tools that can help you with that.
1. Loox
Loox is a Shopify app that automatically sends emails to your customers requesting reviews, even offering discounts if they leave reviews with photos. It makes it easy to showcase user reviews (and photos!) in galleries that can be placed on any page of your store, including the homepage and product pages or a dedicated review page.
2. Fera
Fera is another review app for Shopify with customizable interfaces that look great on your site. You can import reviews from Facebook, Google, Etsy, and more in minutes. It also automatically requests reviews from customers and offers discounts or rewards for reviews.
3. PressKitBuilder
If you want to announce your site quickly, PressKitBuilder can help you with that. It helps you create a professional press kit for bloggers and journalists, making it easy for them to write about you.
It will also enable you to display the coverage and social proof you’ve already received on your site. This ensures that any media coverage you get has a more lasting life on your site as well, not just on the original media outlet where it appeared.
4. Social Media Icons by Zotabox
Do you want to increase the shares of your content and product pages by your customers? You can boost the shares your site receives by placing social media sharing buttons on your pages and images. The Social Media Icons app for Shopify by Zotabox is a great option.
There are also social sharing counters you can place on your content that show other users how many times your content has already been shared and encourage them to do the same.
The Power of Social Proof is Undeniable
Social proof is about selling through trust, reputation, and credibility. One of the key lessons many entrepreneurs learn quickly is that a happy customer can sell more than persuasive copy.
That’s what makes social proof special. The more value you provide to happy customers, the more willing they are to encourage others to give your business a chance.
Often, it’s about taking an honest look at your business – your past customers and your achievements and big wins – and finding ways to embody those moments in compelling digital marketing messages.
Do you have any social proof yet and wondering what to do? Learn how to build trust without sales.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Social Proof
What is an example of social proof?
An example of social proof is displaying customer reviews on your site. You can showcase text, video, or photo reviews on the product page, convincing people to explore specific products. Or you can publish testimonials on the product page to build trust and increase conversion rates.
What
What are the six types of social proof?
Social proof by the crowd, user experience, celebrity endorsement, friends’ opinions, testimonials, experts.
What is social proof in business?
Social proof in business is the affirmation that others have purchased and found value in your product or service.
Is social proof ethical?
Social proof is ethical when used correctly. Paying for fake positive reviews or doing anything to influence customer behavior is unethical. When a customer promotes or reviews your product of their own accord, social proof is ethical.
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