Ever been somewhere new where you have no idea what’s going on?
It could be a new country, or a new business or restaurant, or even a party where you don’t really know anyone.
Well, if you’re like most people, the first thing you do is take a look around and see what others are doing.
Because when we’re not sure what to do, how to do it, or even what’s really going on, we subconsciously rely on other people to show us the correct actions or behaviors in a given situation.
And this same principle applies to your business and marketing, which is why we’re covering the topic of the power of social proof, and I will give you 4 easy ways to start incorporating more proof into your business.
Social proof is one of the most psychologically profound consumer influencing factors; it basically just means that it’s important, and can also be really profitable as social proof helps increase conversions, and boost sales.
So what exactly is social proof?
Well, social proof involves showing your potential customers or clients how other people just like them have acted, and provides them with guidance and context for how they should act as well.
This can be done through the use of things like testimonials, reviews, endorsements, case studies, and even building up a large social media following which shows – at least on the surface – that your business is something worth paying attention to.
But don’t be put off if you don’t yet have stacks of testimonials or thousands of social media followers, as there are still ways to use and leverage social proof in your business.
So here are 5 easy ways to quickly level up your social proof game so you can prove to the world that you’ve really got something good to offer.
1. Always use positive social proof
When including social proof you always want to highlight the positive, and stay away from the negative.
So what this means is that rather than drawing attention to the number of people that didn’t do something, you want to instead focus on the people that did.
Sounds simple, but the effects are profound.
Focus on the positive and you’ll experience better conversions and more sales.
2. Use Pictures
A picture really does tell a thousand words.
And when it comes to social proof it may be even more than that, especially when you’re using testimonials.
Maybe it’s the fact that some unscrupulous companies make up testimonials, or maybe it’s just that we don’t relate as well to just seeing words on a page.
But whatever the case, you want to be sure to include a picture or even better, a video, of your happy customer whenever possible.
It humanizes the testimonial and adds an element of trust that words just can’t do alone.
3. Keep it relevant
Whenever you’re including social proof you want to be sure to keep it as relevant as possible.
This means using testimonials from customers that best match whoever it is you’re trying to attract, or using similar case studies or examples to the product or service you’re trying to promote.
As an example, if you’re selling personal training to help new moms get back in shape after pregnancy, it doesn’t make any sense to use a testimonial from a male bodybuilding client you helped get bigger and stronger.
Keep it relevant, or don’t use it at all.
4. Low social proof is a bad idea
If you haven’t yet reached a point where you’ve managed to build up a long list of happy customers – you haven’t been referenced, quoted, or interviewed, and you haven’t yet built up a community of followers or subscribers – have no fear!
You can start accumulating these beacons of social proof today and have an impressive resume of testimonials and references in the next couple weeks.
But until then, you need to understand that low social proof is worse than having no social proof at all.
So wait until you have at least a few testimonials before posting them on your website, or a thousand or so social media followers, before you draw attention to your page.
5. Easy sources of social proof
If you haven’t yet made building up social proof a key part of your businesses marketing strategy, don’t worry – now is as good a time as ever to get started.
By far the best place to start is by asking your previous customers or clients for testimonials.
If you’ve done a good job most will be more than happy to provide an endorsement, and some may even make a quick video for you which is even better.
Once that’s done, it’s time to look through your certifications, awards, or any associations you may be a part of that you could display on your websites home or about page.
After that, head over to social media and choose the one channel that your customers are most active on, and make interacting with them there a part of your daily routine.
When you combine all these you’ll quickly build up a powerful collection of social proof which is all but guaranteed to help build your business.
