People are social beings; they’ll want others to include them in their communities, listen to their recommendations and get their support. This concept applies to businesses and marketing as well but comes in different forms. In today’s online advertising climate, you’ll need more than ‘praising your own products and services’ on blogs and accounts you created.
A digital marketing agency in New York cites the following types of social proof to identify and leverage.
Wisdom of Friends
Instead of praising your company for its accomplishments and how wonderful your products are, let a potential customer’s friends do it for you. This concept uses the recommendation of a person’s inner circle to improve conversion rates and boost social proof of the advantages of choosing your brand. A potential customer will seek recommendations from someone they know and trust when they make a decision.
Recommendation of Strangers
In some cases, the wisdom of the crowd will influence and affect the behavior of your intended audience. However, you’ll need critical mass before this works to your advantage; a large number of testimonials and referrals from other people will bolster the effectiveness of this social proof. Use case studies, media mentions and personal quotes from previous customers on your pages. Doing so, legitimizes your claims and enables you to build authority in a niche.
Relatable People
When people see others who share similar likes, they are likely to listen to their recommendations. The most successful salespeople try to identify common ground before making a sales pitch. This establishes rapport and enables them to influence their decisions and elicit the appropriate response.
People You Look Up To
Industry leaders or celebrities have the influence to sway behavior and elicit a certain reaction from others. This is another form of social proof you can leverage and boost your conversion rates. Collaborate with people you look up to, to establish and build authority in a niche.
These are the types of social proof you can leverage to your advantage. Use this to build authority, reach a wider audience and boost your conversions.
