Social Proof

What is Social Proof? Well, social proof is a method of marketing, in which a business displays proof of customer purchase or satisfaction, in order to increase conversion. There are many methods under the social proof umbrella including but not limited to:

• Reviews or Testimonials

• Influencers and Endorsement

• Sharing User Generated Content

• Social Media Verification

• Highlighting Well-Known Clients

Social proof is very important to business, as 83% of consumers recommend brands that they follow on social media, and 95% of consumers read online reviews of a product or service before deciding to make a purchase.

But why does social proof work? Social proof works due to the psychological comfort we get by knowing that others have bought the product or service before us. There are many types of influencers that impact our comfort in different ways. Firstly, there is expert proof, in which an expert working in your industry recommends your product. This proof is a powerful persuader, as the main characteristic of this endorsement is that they are an “expert”, therefore their recommendation makes the consumer feel most well informed, and confident in their decision. There is also celebrity or influencer proof, which is persuasive, and people have a strong desire to copy celebrity behaviour in order to emulate their lifestyle. However, there are more down-to-Earth examples, including users/crowd proof, which demonstrates strong power to influence, as a large group of consumers are recommending the product or service, therefore the recommendation on such a large scale satisfies the consumer in knowing that the product is a safe choice.