Five ways that you can use social proof to boost the bottom line.
Consumers are becoming more informed all the time, and with the power of the Internet at their fingertips, they can find out a huge amount of information about a business or product with just the click of a button. It’s no longer enough to simply bombard potential customers with a slick website and salesy promises – they want authentic, valid reasons to choose you, but not from you yourself, from other like-minded consumers whom they feel they can trust. This is ‘social proof’, and businesses taking steps to leverage it will quickly see potential customers turn into happy customers.
Here are our 5 ways to drive conversions through social proof:
Social proof is all about the combined wisdom of the crowd, so it makes sense that the bigger the crowd affiliating itself with you, the greater the influence of its wisdom on potential customers. So tell your customers how many fans you have on Facebook, or followers on Twitter. Tell them how many people subscribe to your newsletter, or how many orders you’ve processed. Display these figures proudly on your content, and let the growing size of your community contribute to the social proof driving conversions for your business!
‘Sharing is caring’, as we say, and by adding social sharing links to your site you’re demonstrating to your customers how much you care about what they think. Make it simple for customers to follow you, like you, tweet about you and share your content by including links and buttons on all of your pages – if it’s easy to do then there’s a better chance they’ll do it, thereby expanding the reach of your content and spreading positive social proof for your company.
Nearly 63% of consumers say they’re more likely to purchase from a site if it displays reviews and ratings, and understandably so; user-generated reviews make for extremely strong social proof. Allowing your current customers to provide an honest appraisal of your company fortifies trust in your brand, plus serves as a valuable source of feedback. Potential customers unable to find genuine reviews of your business may think you’ve something to hide…
If your business is affiliated with other outlets, provides services to other brands, or has been featured (positively!) in the media, tell your visitors. Small logos accompanied by an ‘As seen on…’ gets the message across in a simple and straightforward way, and leaves potential customers thinking, “Well, if it’s good enough for [brand], it’s good enough for me!”
… with maps showing the locations of customers around the world. Companies with distinctly US or European roots can find it challenging breaking out into the global marketplace, but displaying a map highlighting orders around the world in real time provides strong global appeal for those unsure about going international. If someone in Japan feels confident placing an order with you, why shouldn’t other customers?
- Don’t be afraid to brag about the size of your fan/follower base
- Make it easy for customers to find your social communities
- Implement a user review platform to nurture social proof about your brand
- Align yourself with other brand names
- Don’t forget international customers
The proof is in the pudding, so they say. Make the most of your social proof and start driving conversions today with the help of the eGuide! 6 tried and tested conversion strategies for ecommerce managers…
