Many factors influence a purchasing decision online and certainly social proof is an important factor among them.
So, what is social proof?
It is a marketing tactic where people are influenced by their peers to behave in a certain manner. It is a type of conformity and herd mentality. In simple terms, when people see other people taking action and benefitting from it, they tend to take the same action. It’s because of this reason social proof acts as a strong tool of persuasion for eCommerce websites.
Now that you know what is social proof, let’s see how this can be replicated on your site to build positive social proof and increase your conversion rates.
1. Use your customer ratings and reviews
Reviews are an integral and powerful part of social proof. While reviews go hand-in-hand with testimonials, reviews are the scoring part. Exhibiting the ratings and reviews of your potential customers is a great way to improve conversions. Add a plugin or widget to your site to encourage customers to review and rate your product or service. This not just acts as social proof, but also helps you gain valuable insight into your business.
2. High-level endorsements
Social proof from influencers and celebrities is an effective way of endorsing your product. High-level endorsements can bring your business overnight success. When an expert in your industry or someone more popular or presumed to be more knowledgeable, gives an opinion on your product, certainly prospective customers will copy their actions and purchase the same. Endorsements can be paid or natural. But, irrespective of the type of endorsement, when a celebrity or expert publicly approves of your product based on their personal experience, it can bring more ROI.
3. Question and Answers
The question and answer section is an example of strong social proof by the brand community. By answering the questions and doubts of your prospective customers, you can get valuable insight into your product or service. You can also let your existing customers answer the queries. You can also ask your web designing company to create a special space on your site for your community.
4. Storytelling
Storytelling is the most effective way to influence and persuade someone. A well-composed customer success story can provide lots of value for your products or services. You can use customer testimonials in an impressive story type. A story with photos works best. Psychologists say that a post or story accompanied by an image is 10 times more likely to gain attraction. So, invite your customers to narrate what was their problem, why they chose you, and how your product or service helped them overcome their problem.
5. Social Media Mentions
Social media has been and is a robust social proof element to be included on your site. Brag about your number of fans, followers, and social media mentions which can improve your conversion rate to a greater extent. With a positive social media mention from a satisfied customer, people believe that other people just like them have enjoyed your product or service. It will improve the reputation of your brand and bring your business in the long run.
Now you know what a powerful element of social proof is. With this, you can now try out the above social proof elements for yourself. With the help of your web designing company pick up the right type of social proof that will work best for your business and get it implemented on your website or landing page to get more conversions and more sales.
