Skip to content Social proof is a concept that is as old as time. It has just begun to gain traction amongst online marketers as it explains a lot about the success of some online ventures and the failure of others.
To put it simply:
“Social proof in a social media context is the theory that accounts that have high follower numbers are trusted and followed more often”
It can be used to build trust in a social media environment for your business.
Social proof marketing is not new but often forgotten.
Peer pressure
One of the earliest influences on human development is something we have all experienced…” peer pressure”. When one person within your group of peers pressures you into doing something, you’re not so likely to do it.
When many people within your peer group are pressuring you to do something, you’re much more likely to do it. This will escalate as more people join in.
The world of social media is, as you’d guess, much like the real world. In a social media context, social proof comes into play when web users see that a large number of people already follow, like, share, or commented on a piece of content. The increased activity is seen as something desirable to join in on.
What video are you more likely to watch?
Another view of social proof is the idea that people will refer to the past actions of others when they’re unsure as to what they should do. When on YouTube, if someone isn’t sure they should comment on a video or not, a large number of comments will say to them “Yes, you definitely should.” No, or few, comments will say “No, not worth your time.”
The search below was for “social media advice,” who are you more likely to watch when you look at viewer numbers?
Let’s take a look at a more practical setting that we’re all familiar with… television. TV shows have been using social proof for decades.
Watch a sitcom with canned laughter, or laugh tracks, in the background. When you hear those people laughing you’re more prone to laugh as well, increasing your enjoyment of the show and the chance that you’ll watch it more often.
Examples of social proof
There are a number of excellent examples of social proof on this blog. I’ll summarize them in point form so you can quickly expand your knowledge here before clicking over:
- Facebook Sponsored stories rapidly increase exposure which leads to more likes, and even crossovers with other social platforms due to their recognition – even algorithms recognize social proof.
- A key guest blog on a relevant website can increase sales better than an article in the New York Times, or a spot on CNN.
- Klout is a successful social media tool that actually only measures your social proof.
- Yelp’s entire design is centered around social proof – higher star ratings and better comments are a result of customer reviews. You’re more likely to go when more people have given it a high rating – just like peer pressure.
- Bloggers have been promoting their number of subscribers for years. More subscribers = more trustworthy.
- Endorsements on your website from major news outlets a HUGE social proof. If your blog says “appeared on CNN, ABC, PBS, The Washington Post” along the bottom, expect your social proof to increase dramatically.
- Customer testimonials have been used in commercials for years. Some real, some fake – both are examples of social proof.
These are all more advanced forms of social proof. That most immediate one, and the one that people will see the most often and make the highest number of judgments on, is quite simply your follower numbers.
A low number of Twitter followers leads to few people taking you seriously. Few subscribers on YouTube leads to people thinking that your videos aren’t any good.
What aspects of social proof should you focus on for success?
We just spoke about your follower numbers as a key aspect of social proof, but what else do you need to think about?
Here are 5 points to consider:
1. Positive social proof is better than negative
Negative social proof is the type of bullying behavior that we all resent. To look at the most basic examples in the Twitter images below, which are you more likely to click on? You’ll never truly win people’s trust with negative social proof, just like those schoolyard bullies.
2. Money is less persuasive than social proof
A study in the Wall Street Journal showed that consumers were more likely to make decisions based on social proof than the potential of saving money.
The study, “Your neighbors are already doing it,” was more persuasive than “you’ll save $54/month” when it came to influencing consumer behavior!
3. Use pictures to make your social proof real
Social media is the perfect platform for building social proof as it gives you a nearly limitless number of ways to attach pictures to your social proof. You can post photos with calls to action that breed comments that lead to social trust. You can take comments, with the author’s permission, and post them to your website along with their photo. Your blog posts can be filled with images of success enjoyed by your products or services.
Check out this excellent tweet that shows a brand with a story to tell, and with a picture added for visual impact:
4. Your best social proof may be the stories you tell
Statistics are great for bored, sorry, board meetings, but they are hardly ever going to truly interest people on social media. A compelling story, from a customer with a positive experience, could be positive social proof that increases engagement more than any other thing you do. People understand stories, people relate to stories, and people are entertained by stories – statistics works and are often ignored.
For bonus points, get one of your customers to shoot a video:
5. Influencers: The friendly online bullies
As discussed in the point form notes above, nothing quite equals the positivity of having a respected leader say something positive about your products or services. Their behavior is able to “bully” their users with their positive influence. They’re much more likely to trust your product when someone they trust speaks of it positively.
Social media is an absolute dream for this type of social proof – no more paying celebrities for an expensive commercial, just cut right to the key influencers in your industry!
Social proof is more than an ego
Social proof is something as old as the human race itself, but social signals and social media have made it something tangible for modern marketers to use. Remember the next time you make a push to increase your followers that you’re not stroking your own ego, you’re trying to show the next person that finds your account that you are worth their time and trust.
It’s a proven fact that you should know what people are writing and discussing about your brand! And by that logic, online reputation management (ORM) is essential for both established and start-up businesses.
However, start-ups must get proactive about ORM because they are setting up their client base and maximizing the brand reach. Hence, it is essential to know the customer’s voice and test their pulse. In essence, ORM is all about knowing what the customers think about you, expect from you, and deliver the same.
There’s more to ORM than waking up
during a crisis! A successful ORM strategy is one that gets implemented on an
end-to-end basis, even when there’s no crisis. For this, it is essential for
start-ups to opt-in for an expert service provider. To know more about this,
you can get in touch with an ORM
company New York.
Start-ups have a limited budget. It
is essential to decide where to spend and why. Are you wondering about the
reasons to keep a consolidated budget for ORM? If yes, the following pointers
can help you decide better.
Your brand needs a social representation
If your brand is not on social media, you are missing out on a massive chunk of your customers. Also, when you are away from the essential social media channels, the users perceive that as reluctance from your brand.
Also, they don’t consider you ample competitive as compared to the brand available on social media. And this is enough for them to come to a conclusion, which gets stuck to your brand as a reputation. Make sure that you use ORM strategies to add value to your brand’s social representation.
Create a customer base that can support you during a crisis
A business crisis can happen anytime!
It can come in the form of your site getting hacked or someone trying to spoil
your brand name. Don’t wait to share your brand story, expecting new users will
appear magically to write in your favor. Exercise smart ORM tactics to get
featured in news articles and brand mentions online. It will help to create a
loyal customer base as you go along. And during a crisis, you will have your
loyal customers to bank on and fight the same.
People count on reviews
Today, several brands and start-ups are foraying into the market. There have been instances of websites selling counterfeit goods. People want to ensure that they are investing their money wisely and with an authentic brand offering.
For this, most people count on product and brand reviews. It makes sense that you welcome more reviews and highlight the positive ones. It will give customers the confidence to buy from your website.
You can get quality influencers
Today, people pay attention to social
influencers. Start-ups with consistent and smart ORM tactics can welcome
popular influencers to talk about their brand. Their brand can get featured in
guest blogs, and this will enhance their online reputation as well.
When your company is a start-up, you
perhaps need to work slightly more to become successful. Counting on the
correct ORM tactics is a smart move and will pay off in the long-run.