Social Proof is the art of driving conversions. As a concept, it is as old as marketing. As far as digital marketing is concerned, the skills of employing social proof as an aesthetic element of your marketing strategy can be very beneficial for your brand/business in attracting potential leads and thus growing your business.
This advertisement above is a good example of how social proof can be used to showcase user satisfaction and trust in your brand. Sprinkling customer testimonials and reviews all over your advertisement allows you to create a great first and a long-lasting impression.
Social Proof: What Is It?
In a nutshell, when you provide evidence from your customers itself about the quality of your products and services, then that evidence is your social proof. So, basically social proof is a form of informational social influence marketing technique.
Social Proof is actually a social phenomenon, majorly a psychological one, based on the fact that people conform to other people’s opinions and feedback under the assumption that those actions reflective of the socially accepted notions and behaviour. This phenomenon is a major driver behind people making any decision, including the purchasing decision.
Social Proof: How Does It Work?
Marketers use social proof to ease up the minds of worried users and customers which finally results in customers making the purchase decision in your favor, thereby optimizing your conversion rates. In fact, 70% of online customers refer to product reviews before making any purchase.
People are highly influenced by the decisions and habits of their fellow mates. Researches show that consumers make their purchase decisions based more on emotions rather than logic. Social proof reinforces the trust of people in the brand and drives their purchase decision in your favor.
If you’re a business website then embedding real-time social media feeds is a great way to showcase social proof on your website. Adding social proof provides your audience with the reassurance that guides them throughout their engagement journey on your website thus helping them make an informed decision and driving them to the point of becoming a potential customer/client.
The basic goal behind showcasing social proof on your website or in your advertisement is showing people that other people are happily using your products and services and so should you. And this trick actually works!
Types Of Social Proof That You Can Embed On Your Website
If done right, embedding social proof on your website can help you boost your conversion rates and sales. It builds trust and reassures your users that they are making the right purchase. Discovering and sharing social proof for your brand can help you maximize your brand’s overall influence and multiply its discovery rate.
Social Proof can be displayed in different ways on your website. Here are the different types of social proof that you can embed on your website. Come, let’s have a look at those.
1. Ratings/ Reviews
User-generated reviews and ratings are probably the most powerful form of social proof that you can present to your website visitors using the reviews widget as your authenticity card. These are the opinion of your genuine users and hence your aspiring customers resonate more with these user-generated reviews/ratings.
Now, these reviews can be both positive and negative. While you can proudly flaunt your positive reviews on your website as your social proof, the negative reviews shouldn’t be left unattended. Although you don’t display them on your website, you must always respond to them in a constructive way for they show you the shortcomings which need to be improved from your end.
Also Read: Embed Yelp Reviews Widget On Website
2. User-Generated Images/ Videos
User-generated images and videos are the most visually appealing and engaging form of social proof. You can easily discover user-generated images and videos from social media platforms. They are abundantly present on social media as user-generated social media posts.
In fact, the best way to display user-generated images and videos as your social proof is by either embedding them on your website or displaying them on a social wall in some event or as digital signage. Either way, displaying user-generated image/video as social proof to your audience helps you build a strong brand image and generate user trust in your brand.
3. Testimonials
These are one of the most direct and straightforward forms of social proof a brand can offer its users to generate social trust. These are one of the most trusted forms of social proof as they have defined objectivity. Testimonials are generated by actual clients that have actually used your products and are genuinely happy with it.
The fact that testimonials are written by authentic users and influencers and not by the brand itself enhances its reliability factor. When you sprinkle testimonials throughout your website, you basically increase your chances of being seen more. Generally, video testimonials are the most preferred form of testimonials, followed by image testimonials and at last the text only testimonials.
4. Case Studies
Showcasing the success stories of your brand and its applications by various clients by displaying case studies on your official website and blogging websites is a great way to incur curiosity about your brand among your users.
Case studies are a great idea. Not just because you display success stories with your happy clients but also because you display how you are a solution to multiple problems, and that too, the best one. Case studies allow you to display the versatility of your products and services by showcasing a variety of different customers.
5. Social Shares
It is the simplest way to show how influential your social media presence is, to your website visitors. It is a great way to embed social proof on your website. The more you flaunt your social influence to your website visitors, the more it grows.
It helps you to boost users’ trust in your brand by showing them how connected you are and the multiple touchpoints through which you connect with your customers. This way you can parade the immense social media following your brand has and well people engage with your brand. Overall, it helps you to display social proof.
Conclusion…
If you are a business with an online presence through an e-commerce website and you wish to display social proof on your website. You might be confused about what kind of social proof would work for your website. Well, the best way to clarify this confusion is by challenging yourself to visit your website as a visitor.
Figure out what kind of social proof you would want to see which will help you drive you over the edge and make the purchase finally. That way you would understand better what would work for you better.
When embedded properly, the right kind of social proof could be a very powerful arsenal of your marketing strategy to earn user trust and potential leads thereby growing your business and brand value.
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Display Social Proof And Earn User Trust