Social Proof & Why Do We Need It?
Are you an entrepreneur running your own business? Are you working the standard nine-to-five for a traditional employer? Do you earn a living doing something else that fits neither of those categories? Wherever you fall on the employment spectrum, your professional success probably depends in part upon selling products or services to customers, clients, members, guests, or patrons.
If so, you understand how vital it is to get the word out to your intended consumers, outshine your competitors, earn the trust of those whose business you win, and build upon that trust by delighting consumers with a referable experience. Doing so will cause them to become recurring customers for you and prompt them to recommend you to others.
Social proof is an integral part of this cycle. While social proof might feel like a trendy new catchphrase, the term has been around since the mid-80’s. The term social proof refers to the way people copy the behavior of others in situations in which they don’t feel confident about what to do or how to behave. It’s both a psychological phenomenon and a social one, and it has powerful applications in the business world.
According to the premise of social proof, consumers will be swayed by and conform to what influencers are doing or recommending. Why? To become similar to those influencers and accepted by society. What are some real-life examples?
Social proof at work is when you base your purchase decision on a testimonial from a respected leader in the field. Or when you’re browsing a software company’s website and see that an industry giant used this exact software to solve a problem you are currently facing. Or when you scroll to the bottom of every Amazon product description to read all the reviews. Those are examples of social proof commandeering influence from others to impact your decisions and behaviors.
Why is it important? And why do you need social proof?
1. To establish and strengthen your reputation
To impress consumers enough that they repeatedly choose to give you their business is high praise indeed given the quality and quantity of competitor’s offerings. To lend their voice and influence to refer others to you is the highest praise they can provide.
When a satisfied client leaves a written recommendation, putting their reputation on the line by supporting yours, it elevates your brand. You can maximize the impact testimonials and recommendations have on your business by making it easy for your customers to leave feedback.
Make sure you closely monitor the feedback, testimonials, and referrals. When you effectively use them, you are borrowing the influence of others to sway clients in your favor.
2. To breed confidence
You want to maximize every opportunity to convince consumers to choose you. A brief, well-written review can give potential customers confidence and assure them that you are the right choice for them in a highly competitive playing field. Reviews are more objective than recommendations or testimonials.
Be proactive in scouring the internet’s review sites and forums to see what others are saying about your business, course-correct when needed, and find supportive content you can use to promote yourself when you find those stellar reviews.
3. To build trust
If you’ve found yourself scrolling through a landing page to find a trusted logo to let you know you’re researching a reliable brand, you’re not alone. Seeing that a company belongs to the Better Business Bureau, or is endorsed by Better Homes and Gardens, or mentioned in Fortune magazine, gives consumers confidence that they are dealing with an entity associated with known and trusted names.
You’ll need to be thoughtful about the way you use these trusted names for optimal impact. For example, adding the Better Business Bureau logo to show you are a member is helpful. But posting some of the BBB reviews on your landing page is taking it to the next level. Fortune's mention is tremendous, but including rich content that respected publication shared about you to your website packs a more powerful punch.
4. To showcase your success
When your business experiences success, showcasing it in front of current and prospective clients can be an effective way to use social proof to your advantage. Pull out some data, some case studies, some numbers to toot your horn. Posting the number of years you’ve been in business, the number of social media followers you have, or the number of clients you’ve served can be visually influential.
Don’t be afraid to offer up examples of patrons, businesses, or communities your products or services have positively impacted. Be proud of the recurring business, the regular customers, the most successful among your client group, and spotlight your most meaningful metrics that show you are a winning choice.
5. To create a buzz
Using social media platforms and posts to create a buzz around your business, products, or services is perhaps the most common way to rely upon social proof to help grow brand recognition. Not everything that goes viral creates a positive business outcome, and posts don’t have to go viral to move the needle for you. Increased visibility and positive feedback about what you offer both go a long way in keeping your brand top of mind for consumers.
When someone tweets about how much they love your products, or posts Instagram stories about how delightful your customer service, how delicious your food, or how reasonable your prices, their praise can and should be captured and maximized.
While there are certainly times and situations that call for investing in paid marketing campaigns and catchy advertising slogans, using social proof to establish a strong reputation that breeds confidence and trust can yield long-lasting and robust results. Using social proof to showcase your success and build a buzz around your offerings can sway consumers to choose you over and over and recommend you to others.
Social proof is a powerful thread in the fabric of our society’s decision-making. Wise businesspeople know how crucial it is to take full advantage of using social proof to grow trusted and successful brands.