Social proof not only is crucial for a business’ reputation and long-term sustainability but mastering it can also play a huge role in short-term revenue.
Bad social proof is also just as problematic, as Coca-Cola found out after Cristiano Ronaldo removed their glass bottles from a EURO 2020 press conference and then encouraged fans to drink water.
Consequently, their shares dropped by $5 billion, practically overnight. This is the definition of a PR nightmare.
People seem to follow the majority, particularly when their idols or favourite people take a strong stance towards a brand (either positive or negative).
Here are the top 5 tips you can use for leveraging social proof on your website, helping to significantly increase your revenue.
1. ‘Featured In’
Showing what publications you’ve been featured in can demonstrate the authority of a brand that was previously unknown to some users. This may not be dramatically influential for large businesses, but for smaller organisations; this may have substantial impact.
Jessica Ulloa, Community Manager at MyPerfectResume, says, “Before accepting a partnership offer, especially a guest-post offer from a blogger or writer, I first look into their social media profiles, websites, and/or blogs to check out their work. When I find a site that showcases a writer’s features or partnerships in important and valuable outlets, then I have more trust that they would do a great job as my partners”.
Insidebodybuilding.com does this well, clearly showing that their team has been published on the biggest fitness publications in their niche (Muscle and fitness, Generation Iron), as well as top UK newspapers.
Barbend.com also utilizes this strategy but with coloured logos — it may be worth testing a plain logo colour vs a brighter one; which can convert differently depending on the niche (perhaps also determined by the level of professionalism needed in web design to close the sale. Colourful logos may come across as less professional to some users).
One tip to add a second layer of social proof with this tactic is to add image links on the logos, so users can see the actual URL where your brand is mentioned.
2. Facebook Like Box
People generally respect and follow popular people in an instant. This is why it’s so much more difficult to get your first 100 fans on Facebook, but then as you grow, the easier it is for people to hit the like button.
If you have a strong social following, don’t hide this on your website. One of the best ways to build trust is to post regularly on social media, attract good engagement and most importantly have a huge following.
Putting a like box in your sidebar with your follower count, can make a notable difference to a person’s first impression. Although you may want to put this on hold, until you have a following worth showing off.
3. About Author Box
So many bloggers want to keep their identity private and hidden online, and although there’s nothing inherently wrong with that — it may not be optimal for social proof.
Giving a human feel to your website, where readers can connect with an individual and understand their background and qualifications can really help to build trust.
Nathan Gotch does a good job of this, keeping his ‘about author’ box short and to the point — yet it quickly demonstrates his wealth of experience and expertise in the field of SEO.
He also has a link to his twitter page, which adds even more trust, ensuring he’s actually a real person with a substantial following.
4. Video Content
There’s a reason why eye contact is important in person — it conveys confidence and trust. When someone avoids eye contact it can be a sign of dishonesty or weakness.
The same is true when it comes to blogging, if someone adds video content to their website, it creates that emotional connection of meeting someone and consequently the visitor is more likely to experience positive emotions connected to that person.
To rake in high volumes of sales — emotional connections are crucial.
Neil Patel, one of the most prestigious online marketers, has been focusing a lot more on video content in recent years, not just as a way to diversify (optimizing for YouTube traffic), but also to create greater rapport with his followers. As a general rule, if Neil is doing it, so should you.
5. Ambassadors / Sponsored Athletes
Having high profile influencers promote your product/website is a powerful tactic that can drive your sales through the roof.
Interestingly, when we see adverts of famous people endorsing brands, most of us know they probably don’t even use the product themselves. However, the fact their name is associated with the brand itself, is enough to produce high levels of social proof (conveying success).
In some cases, the individual can actually be seen using a product regularly (on social channels), causing fans to hop on the bandwagon. However, you don’t need to necessarily fork out big bucks for a celeb endorsement; but just someone who is successful in the niche. This may be more affordable than most realise if you reach out to the right person.
Myprotein does this well, securing Simeon Panda as their sponsored athlete, and is often used in their ads and promos on the site. Simeon Panda may not be well-known to the average person, but in the bodybuilding space, he’s a big fish, due to his incredible muscularity and natural status.
Note: When hiring ambassadors or sponsoring athletes, you will want to do some detailed homework on each individual to ensure their personality is steadfast, professional and reliable. All it takes is one scandal, and your sales may just plummet. The only saving grace in such a situation will be to fire them, although this may still leave a bad taste in the mouth.
Summary
Social proof is essential for maximizing conversions online, where consumers are more skeptical than ever, due to financial burdens and more frequently appearing scams.
If you can prove to them that your brand is successful, sales will follow. This shouldn’t be faked either, as the average consumer is becoming wiser to ingenuity.
Instead, subtly displaying where you’ve been featured, your social following, your ambassadors or simply speaking to your readers via video — will all do wonders for your bottom line.
