Have you ever purchased a product after a recommendation from a friend? Maybe after reading a testimonial, Google review, or seeing an influencer talk about a product on Instagram? If you have, you’ve been influenced by social proof and you’ve shown exactly why it can be an amazing marketing tool for businesses.

So what is Social Proof?

Social proof is the psychological and social phenomenon in which people will follow the actions of the masses. We take recommendations from our social circle (friends, social media influencers, celebrities on social media, etc) to make our choices, such as products to purchase and other lifestyle behaviors.

Today, social media and the internet are more ingrained in people’s lives than ever before, and therefore have a huge impact on where consumers look for social proof. And in fact, we’ve reached the point where social proof is expected by consumers and website visitors. So many products are purchased online these days, which is why social proof is essential for online businesses.

Examples of Social Proof

Here are a few examples of social proof in action on my own website:

– Testimonial Slider

I’ve added a testimonial form to my website where buyers and clients can submit testimonials of my business and my products. I added these testimonials to a slider and displayed them directly on my home page– this way my website visitors can easily find them.

– Conversion Proof Widget

Conversion proof widgets have become increasingly popular with online businesses. I’ve added a conversion proof widget to my website when someone first enters my website using Popkit.

– User-generated content

I have a Showcase page where I visitors can see how other customers have used and customized my themes on their website.

A few OTHER ways you can get Social Proof

1. Testimonials – Gather testimonials from clients and display them in a slider on your homepage or Testimonials page

2. Conversion Social Proof – use a conversion toolkit like Popkit to verify purchases which adds credibility to your site

3. Reviews – Set up Google or Yelp reviews, or if you have a WooCommerce shop, enable those reviews in the settings!

4. Share business milestones – it’s okay to show off your success!! Gathering subscribers? Next to your newsletter, you might say, “2k and growing – Join thousands of others and subscribe!”

5. Repost mentions – if a brand, influencer, or friend has mentioned your business, make sure to repost and share on social media or your website

6. Social media following – I wish businesses didn’t rely on the number of social media followers as one of the ultimate measures of success, but follower count can be a form of social proof

7. Social share – add sharing icons to your pages and blog posts and display the number of shares

8. Curate user-generated content – share photos & examples of people using your product on your website or social media

Conclusion

Social proof comes in many ways and is absolutely essential to marketing your brand and online business. Whether you’re a small or new brand trying to boost sales and build up your credibility in the online world, I hope these ideas will help you get started with using social proof in your marketing!

If you aren’t using social proof, do yourself a favor and start now so that you can build trust with customers, boost sales, and grow your business.

How have you been using social proof? I’d love to hear from you!

* This post contains some affiliate links. This means I might make a commission if you choose to purchase the product through the link. I would never recommend any products I don’t love myself. I’m so grateful for your support!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *