Marketing :
Social Proof: Not What You May Think It Is
By: Dan Hoff @ ChannelReady
But what exactly is social proof? And, why is it important to my brand? And, what does it really have to do with my business success?
Today, the markets we all operate in are getting far more crowded and the competition is getting even more intense. And in order to successfully master marketing in this type of crowded marketplace, you must think like a customer.
But, in order to think like a customer, you need to be able to tap into their psyche. And you need to be able to fully understand what influences their perceptions. You need to understand what it is that guides their decision-making.
And at the heart of this topic is the notion of social proof.
I think that, as a marketer, I can safely say that, in large part, people occasionally act like sheep. Now, I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. It is simply a fact of our human nature. And whether intented or not, we do tend to flock together and make decisions based, at least in part, on what others are doing.
This idea of flocking together has been explained to be closely connected with the social proof theory.
The theory of social proof was first postulated by psychologist Robert Cialdini in his 1984 book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. This theory, simply stated, says that people look to the actions of their peers to make decisions in situations where they’re uncertain of how to act.
Now marketers who understand and fully embrace this concept of social proof have a powerful tool that can be used to their advantage. They can do this by bringing elements of this human psychological phenomenon into our engagement and promotion strategies.
“As customers we buy products that make us feel good about ourselves, products that change us and make us better,” conversion expert Talia Wolf writes. “By using social proof in the form of testimonials, reviews and trust icons you’re helping customers make a decision, feel confident about their choice, and a part of something bigger.”
In this instance, it’s essentially the act of borrowing third-party influence. Then using that to persuade potential customers towards your brand or products.
Leveraging Social Proof in Marketing
Today, social proof is a vast topic. You have probably seen countless discussions on the topic. And, as you may know, it consists of literally thousands of intricacies and individual theories. But it’s helpful to boil things down to a few salient, overarching points.
Sales and marketing consultant Lincoln Murphy believes there are three basic types of social proof:
Great! Now What?
Now that we understand what social proof is and where it came from, how can it best be used? If you want to develop a social proof strategy for your marketing efforts, it would probably be best to start with these elements.
And specifically, you should try some of these techniques:
1. Use Data and Real Numbers
There are several ways you can insert social proof into your marketing and engagement strategies. But in today’s climate, people respond best to facts, figures and statistics. The more data and numbers you can use, the more persuasive your efforts will be.
2. Use Visuals
The human brain is hardwired to like and respond to visuals. If you want to take your efforts to the next level, you should incorporate as much visual information into your marketing as possible. When it comes to your website, for example, including headshots of your customers next to their testimonials and reviews will pay dividends. It humanizes the numbers and ads even more credibility to what you are saying.
3. Leverage Social Media
Social media is the perfect medium for maximizing and amplifying social proof. If you can get your most satisfied customers to be organic advocates for your products by sharing, liking, promoting, you’ll gain a huge advantage. But, you need to make it easy for your customers to share on social media by providing them with shareworthy content and chances to engage with your brand on their favorite platforms.
Are You Using Social Proof?
Social proof isn’t something that you can control with 100 percent accuracy. There will always be some element of social proof that naturally arises in the marketplace. However, you have much more influence already than you realize.
As you develop and mature your marketing strategy, be on the lookout for ways to leverage social proof. Be alert to opportunities to tap into the sense of collectivism that humans, like sheep, are naturally drawn to. And ultimately, this will strengthen and amplify your brand message and energize your marketing efforts.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
For the past 25 years Dan Hoff, founder of Dan Hoff Marketing, has “lived” at the intersection of software, technology and marketing. Of those years, he has been an entrepreneur a senior business leader and marketing executive. Now Dan serves as a primary advisor and consultant helping emerging companies throughout the western U.S. to conquer the divide between digital and traditional marketing to find business success. Dan thrives on complicated problems, is an avid "growth hacker" and is not afraid to iterate to arrive at a full solution. This characteristic has been at the core of his success in local, regional, national and international marketing initiatives for some of the top names in technology and software.
