8 Powerful Social Proof Marketing Strategies to Transform your Business

What is social proof?

Social proof is the idea that humans are conditioned to copy the actions of other people. It can be seen from a very young age. Children will naturally get drawn to each other to play. Adults get peer pressured into doing things, sometimes even against their own will.

If you take a look at a group of friends, there’s a great likelihood that they all watch the same TV series, listen to the same music, and in some cases even have the same laughing style!

We cannot resist the urge to copy others because it helps us make decisions that are in line with society’s standards and expectations of us. It’s easier to be like a sheep and do what everybody else is doing than to be the outsider.

Of course, there are people who are independent thinkers and like to do things their way. But they represent the minority.

Example of social proof in marketing

Social proof is the foundation of many companies’ product development and marketing strategy. Apple is the perfect example.

Before the launch of new products, Apple stores usually get long queues outside – which conveniently gets covered by the media to show just how popular they are. Apple also uses tech influencers to hype its products.

As a result, iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks are among the most widely used devices in the world despite being more expensive than competing products. Most people own them simply because they’re cool and fashionable, and not because of their features.

Another great social proof example is Beats by Dre (now also owned by Apple). The company was co-founded by Dr. Dre, a famous rapper and record producer. They made sure to leverage his name and credibility as a music expert in their line of headphones.

When the company was just starting out, they gave a pair of headphones to famous musicians and athletes – who would then be seen wearing them on TV.

The headphones were featured in nearly every mainstream music video that came out at the time. Even athletes like LeBron James and Kevin Durant were spotted with them before games.

It didn’t take long before their demand soared. Everybody wanted a pair simply because their favorite celebrity also had them.

People will go out of their way to spend money on products and services that have the backing of social proof – to the point where price is not even a hindrance. They’ll even take loans if they have to. You can completely transform your business if you incorporate social proof in your digital marketing strategy.

8 social proof marketing strategies

1. Ratings and reviews

Did you know that nearly 70% of consumers read reviews before buying anything online? Reviews are 12 times more trusted than a business’ sales copies. People rely so much on them because they helps them make well-informed decisions.

If a product has many negative reviews, then they know not to waste any time on it. And if it has positive reviews, it’s the real deal. Positive reviews are a nod of approval from buyers of the past to future buyers who are contemplating a purchase.

There are many ways you can get reviews for your business. The easiest is simply by asking for them from customers. If you have a physical shop or office where people can walk into, you can also get a Google My Business page. Every time people visit you, Google will send them a request for a rating and review.

Make sure to respond to every review you get, whether positive or negative. That shows that you actually care about what your customers have to say.

2. Augment your online presence

The majority of consumers research products and services on the internet. If they keep stumbling upon your brand, then they will develop some familiarity with it.

Augmenting your online presence means being in all the places where your target audience might go looking for you.

If they decide to search on social media, your page should pop up. If they search on Google, your website should be among the top results. If they search on directories, your listing should be in the results.

And if they are researching specific questions related to what you do, your blog posts covering the topic should show up. Consumers are more likely to buy from brands that they recognize than the ones that they’re seeing for the first time.

Hubspot has perfected this approach. Although the company specializes in marketing automation software, whenever you Google anything related to marketing – even if it has nothing to do with automation software, you’re likely to come across an article from their blog. Hubspot is currently valued at over $20 billion, and this is one of their primary marketing tactics.

3. Social media contests

Contests are a fantastic way of getting people to engage with your brand. You can create a social media contest where your followers have to share your posts and use your hashtags to enter the draw to win a prize.

You get instant social proof when people are widely talking about your brand online. 83% of people say that word of mouth influences their decisions.

The more people you can get to participate in your contests, the greater your reach. For example, if 100 people who have around 500 followers each share your posts, then it would be seen by up to 50,000 people from their social networks. You can get many people to participate is by offering lucrative prizes.

A lot of internet users make their decisions based on social media recommendations. So not only will you be increasing your social proof, but you’re also likely to see a hike in your sales.

4. Get featured on popular publications

Your business will gain credibility points if it gets featured on well-known blogs, magazines, or media outlets. Nobody will doubt its legitimacy.

As mentioned before, most people do some online research prior to buying anything. Your best bet at winning them over is at that point of research. When they Google your name and come across articles written about you by authority publications, you instantly gain an upper hand over your competitors.

There are many ways to get featured on such publications. The easiest is perhaps through sponsored posts, although it can be quite expensive. If you have a limited marketing budget, a great alternative would be by signing up to be a contributor on various blogs in your niche.

Many entrepreneurship blogs have an open-door policy when it comes to guest contributions (including us). If you have plenty of experience in your field and are also a good writer, you could even get accepted on sites like Forbes and Inc. Magazine. Can you imagine the impact that would have on your business?

Another great way of getting featured is by doing interviews. You can sign up on Help a Reporter Out to get notified whenever journalists are looking for expert opinions on topics in your industry. If your interviews or quotes get published, you’ll get full accreditation in the story, including a backlink to your website.

5. Influencer marketing

According to Forbes, influencer marketing is growing faster than every other digital advertising model. That’s simply because it works better. Companies like Apple and Samsung and spending big on it because they understand the value of celebrity social proof.

If this is an approach you’d like to take for your business, make sure to only work with influencers who are in your niche and represent your core values. Their followers must consist of people who would see the value in products or services.

If your business is in the tech space, then only work with tech influencers. If you have a restaurant, then only work with local food reviewers.

You can find influencers through networks like GRIN and #paid, or by doing a manual search and sending outreach messages.

6. Start a referral program

Referral marketing, or affiliate marketing, is another great way of growing a brand by leveraging other people’s social networks. Web hosting companies have found great success with it.

For Example, Bluehost offers its affiliates around $100 per referral, which is an above-average commission rate. That encourages more people to sign up to the program and do everything in their power to promote it.

A huge advantage of referral marketing is that it has minimal costs since affiliates only get paid for the sales that they generate.

You can take the same approach as Bluehost and create a program with above-average commission rates to get many people to sign up.

Brands gain more credibility and social proof when other people are promoting them than when they are promoting themselves.

7. Cross promotion

Cross promotion involves partnering with other businesses that are in a different niche, however target similar customers, and then actively promoting each other.

For example, if you have a web design business, you can partner with digital marketing agencies. You’re not in direct competition with each other but target a similar clientele. Now all you’ll have to do is use your already established marketing channels to promote each other.

You can do so on social media, via blog posts, and even in person. Whenever they have clients who need web design services, they send them your way. And when you have clients who need marketing services, you send them their way. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Getting recommended to customers by an established business can help increase your credibility dramatically.

8. Host free webinars every month

Did you know that up to 40% of webinar attendees end up becoming business leads? Hosting webinars every month (or quarter) is a great way to drive attention to your business and potentially even get customers.

You can host them on any trendy and in-demand topics related to what you do. For example, if you are a social media consultant, you can host a webinar on “10 social media hacks to double your sales in 6 months or less”. Such a topic is likely to draw the attention of entrepreneurs and business owners, your targets.

Make sure to start advertising the event several weeks in advance. The more the attendees, the more social proof your business will get.

Once the webinar is done, you can break down the video and use it as content for your social media pages, website, and YouTube channel. Republishing it on different platforms will help in augmenting your brand’s online presence and spreading your content across the internet, which increases the chances of potential customers stumbling upon them.