It’s Friday evening and you’re out on the town with your friends. The main street is lined with bars and nightclubs. Some have a line outside, some look empty. Night clubs and bars limit entry and making patrons wait in line. The visual of others waiting to get in increases the perception of the venue’s popularity.
Social proof, also known as informational social influence, is a psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others reflect correct behavior for a given situation. Social proof is about inspiring trust. Simply, it influences people's decisions on how they should behave.
Social Proof exists because we group together in a society and because humans are pack animals. Social proof is a concept as old as marketing itself—think of the testimonials in ads. Social proof is based on the idea of normative social influence, which states that people will conform in order to be liked by, similar to or accepted by the influencer (or society).
Marketers and brands should care because customers are now more informed and knowledgeable than ever.
One study found that 50% of shoppers use their smartphones while shopping in stores to research products before they purchase. And according to YouGov, 78 percent of consumers in the United States read reviews before making a purchase decision.
Today the very nature of the Internet, being such a social environment, has resulted in social proof becoming by far the greatest force when it comes to buying decisions.
Just look at Yelp. The user site Yelp is designed to help people living in cities to find interesting and fun places to eat, shop and drink - or awful places to avoid. Their business relies on user reviews to rate businesses, restaurants, bars. Yelp attracts approximately 145 million visitors monthly.
Here are six types of social proof and how you can utilize it for your business.
- Reviews: 88% of consumers read online reviews. If you happen to receive a negative review, don’t ignore it! Sometimes things go wrong, it’s how you handle it that matters. Ever hear, “it’s not what you said, it’s how you said it.” In regards to reviews, it’s also the ‘when.’ Make sure to respond immediately and even if you didn’t make a mistake, apologize and thank the reviewer for taking the time to tell you what he or she thinks.
- Case Studies: Also referred to as long form social proof, these are a data-driven, and in-depth analysis of the product or service. When you come across a happy customer and big success story, approach them for their input and details about why they are thrilled with your business.
- Landing Pages: reinforces your messaging and substantiates your claims. Incorporate into your calls-to-actions, like “Join our community of over 5,000 marketers.”
- Testimonials: By using social proof in the form of testimonials, reviews and trust icons you’re helping customers make a decision and feel confident about their choice. Positive comments about you, your company or product are social proof and proves there’s value in your product or service. Amazon, world’s largest online retailer, displays customer reviews and ratings on every product. Compelling narratives from customers can often lead to purchase!
- Social following: The rise of social media has increased the importance of social proof because feedback is more easily accessible than ever before. Gaining a strong, loyal and engaged audience on social media is definitely a tactic in gaining social proof. It’s online popularity, and it’s usually popular for a reason (or many reasons). The “wisdom of the crowds” social proof appeals to our sense of FOMO, or fear of missing out. Post often and give your audience a chance to be part of the conversation. Most importantly, listen.
- User submitted content: Last, but certainly not least - user generated content is at the essence of social proof. Marketers can take advantage of everyday social media users posting images and their opinion of a product, destination or service. And a smart and easy way to source this powerful social proof is with a social media content aggregator like ShareSpring.