Social proof is one of the most powerful concepts in marketing. Even if you can't define it, you're certainly familiar with the idea. Think about it: when was the last time you opted for an empty restaurant over the busy one down the street?
Exactly.
When considering your marketing strategy, it pays to be familiar with the psychology of marketing. Even if some of it feels intuitive, it's something that often gets overlooked if it's not intentionally built into your marketing philosophy.
So how do you employ the concept of social proof in your online marketing efforts? Follow our guide and we'll explain and provide some examples to take your digital marketing to the next level!
What Exactly Is Social Proof?
The concept of social proof originated from studies of behavioural psychology before its use in marketing was clearly defined. It's the idea that we, as social creatures, are psychologically predisposed to conform to what others are doing if we aren't sure how to behave.
The correlation to marketing is that when we're uncertain of what service or product to choose, we look to others. It's in that moment of seeking guidance from others that you have the opportunity to capture a potential customer.
So, how do we do this?
Employing Social Proof in Marketing
There are a variety of ways that you can use the concept of social proof in your marketing strategy. There's no need to pick one - the more proof there is, the more convincing it will be.
Peer Advocacy
Social proof from peers is one of the most convincing forms of marketing. The strongest form of this is seeing or hearing about a product or service from neighbours and friends. This requires a degree of saturation in the market, but there are other ways to tap into it.
For example, if a website shows you what your social media friends have purchased or where they've shopped, you're likely to follow their lead.
Expert Endorsements
"Nine out of ten doctors recommend X" has become a bit of a cliché, but for good reason - if we believe that a majority of experts support a business, we're likely to trust them.
Getting expert reviews and endorsements on your advertisements can provide a big marketing boost.
One effective corollary to this is using badges and media logos on your landing page. These serve to show that your business is accredited and has the attention of respected media outlets, functioning in essentially the same way as expert endorsements.
User Reviews and Testimonials
Have you ever been viewing a product online when you found that it had no customer reviews? What did you do?
Many of us would skip the product while just one positive review would have given us enough confidence to consider it.
Getting and displaying user reviews can provide big benefits to your business. Putting testimonials from clients on your landing pages drums up confidence in your product.
Don't Miss Out on Conversions
The psychology of marketing has a lot of depth. Social proof is one of its concepts and knowing how to employ it is essential to your digital marketing strategy.
Don't miss out on potential customers! Contact us at Lift Strategies today for a free Discovery Session to see if we can help you optimise your online marketing efforts.
