Social Proof: The Secret Weapon for Growing Your Business

One of the biggest hurdles marketers face is this: consumers don’t trust businesses they don’t know. They’re mistrustful of advertising claims, and the harder your sales copy works to persuade them, the more turned off they are.

So how do savvy marketers get potential customers to absorb their messaging? That’s where social proof comes in.

What is the Impact of Social Proof in Marketing?

According to a Nielsen study, online reviews and recommendations from strangers are the second most trusted source of information for 70% of consumers. The only source people trust more is word-of-mouth from someone they know (which is also a form of social proof).

What Does Social Proof Mean in Marketing?

Social proof showcases the opinions and experiences of others to persuade potential customers to buy a product or service.

The most popular examples of social proof include customer reviews, testimonials, and numerical statements demonstrating how many people love your brand (like “Join 10,000 readers who enjoy our weekly newsletter”).

What is the Social Proof Strategy?

As a strategy, social proof taps into the basic human instinct to follow the actions of others, building trust and credibility and lowering barriers to purchasing online.

Brands usually try to display some social proof close to the call to action on any marketing piece to offer reassurance to potential buyers. However, it’s also effective to use social proof in a headline, or even build an entire marketing campaign around it.

How do you Use Social Proof in Marketing Strategy?

There are many different ways to use social proof in marketing, including:

• Testimonials: Invite satisfied customers to share statements you can display on your website, in advertising, or in social media posts.

• Reviews: If your website isn’t set up to collect customer reviews, include screenshots from an external review site like TrustPilot, Yelp, or Angi.

• Expert endorsements: Endorsements from experts in your field can help build credibility and trust with potential customers.

• Social media mentions: If you’ve been mentioned on social media, screencap the posts and share them.

• Sales data: Displaying your sales numbers can help to show potential customers that a product or service is popular and in demand.

Why Trust Us? I’ve been creating effective marketing materials for 30 years — for my own small businesses, and for clients through my agency, Main Street Marketing Mix.

Tips for Using Social Proof in Your Marketing

Social proof is a powerful tool, but it is essential to use it correctly. If used too heavily, social proof can backfire and make potential customers feel like they are being manipulated. It is vital to use social proof in a way that is genuine and authentic.

Here are some tips for using social proof in marketing:

• Use a variety of social proof tactics. Using a mix will help to create a more comprehensive and persuasive case for your product or service.

• Make sure your social proof is authentic. Potential customers can spot fake social proof a mile away. So make sure your testimonials, reviews, and other social proof are genuine and from real people.

• Use social proof at the right time. Social proof can appear at any stage of the marketing funnel. However, it is particularly effective at the top of the funnel when potential customers are learning about your brand. It’s also wise to place social proof near your call to action to overcome resistance.

• Track your results. Keep track of what is working and what is not. This information can help refine your social proof strategy and get better results.

Where to Use Social Proof

Once you’ve collected some testimonials, reviews, or endorsements, you can sprinkle them throughout your marketing efforts. Here are some examples of good spots to show off your social proof:

• Mailing list sign-up form

• On your website pages

• Social media posts

• Welcome email

• Written content

• Videos

• Podcasts

Get Started with Social Proof

Ready to begin using social proof in your marketing? Start by gathering your sales data, reviews, endorsements, testimonials, or social media mentions. Then, use them to create powerful statements and graphics.

Build those statements and graphics into your website, schedule them as social media posts, and include them in your email campaigns. Email is one of the most powerful ways to reach potential customers, and beehiiv makes it easy to create beautiful, branded newsletters and email campaigns to showcase your social proof and other marketing strategies. Get started with social proof today at beehiiv.