The power of Social Proof

April 28, 2022

What is Social Proof?

Social proof is the concept that people follow the actions and make decisions based on other people. What we see others purchase affects what we purchase, where we see people going has an impact on where we decide to go.

How we live, what we buy, where we choose to go is all influenced by the opinions and actions of other people. It’s not always a bad thing, because it makes life easier for us.

E.g. If someone purchases a TV that you want to purchase, and leaves a bad product review, you probably won’t purchase it. This saves you time and money.

Google, Social media ratings, reviews, comments, likes, and shares are all social proofs we see online daily.

Using Social Proof to increase conversions

Over the last few years, especially once the pandemic hit, there has been a huge shift online. More and more people have traded going into shops to purchase products online. The tricky part is, you can’t physically touch or test the product or service you purchase online – until it arrives of course. Therefore, it is extremely important to use social proof for your eCommerce store. Incorporating social proof across social media platforms, website and on your online store can turn window shoppers into confident buyers.

Different types of social proof

There are a wide variety of social proofs, you need to find what works best for your business. Some customers turn to traditional sources for social proof while others, especially millennials turn to celebrity endorsements, social media and online reviews.

Here are some social proofs that can help you increase your sales:

1. Enable reviews and ratings on your Facebook account as well as Google.

2. Publish customer feedback on social media

Customer endorsements are longer forms of feedback that can be used on social media platforms and even added to your website.

3. Add customer testimonials to your online store’s home page.

Your home page is the first thing customers see when they land on your website. This is the best place to showcase customer testimonials. You can get creative and add images to make it fit in with your brand.

4. Share media articles to your social media platforms and to your website.

Media recognition and coverage can be important as unsure potential customers could be convinced to purchase a product or service from you just because a valid media source mentioned your brand. Share these stories on social media and have a dedicated page on your website such as a blog or newsroom to showcase these stories.

5. Show product ratings in your online store

Potential customers refer to your product page and tend to read rating from other customers. To give customers ease you can include the below social proofs on your product pages:

Show the number of people who have purchased a specific product
Include ratings as well as reviews from previous customers
Display pictures of the product from social media on your product page.

Show product ratings in your online store

6. Celebrity or Influencer endorsements

If you have the budget for influencers and celebrities, send them a PR Box and get them to share their feedback to their social media platforms.

Influencers have thousands to millions of followers and are hugely supported by millennials online. Some influencers focus on beauty, some fitness, and others travel so when choosing one ensure it is someone who can relate to your brand and has an audience similar to that of yours. They must be trustworthy and not involved in any controversial matters.