Social proof: People doing stuff because other people are doing stuff; it’s basic human nature, right? And online today, it is bigger than ever. Just think about it; everyone shops and spends their free time on social media, and almost everyone gets content recommendations from sites that they are already using.
In digital marketing, it has always played a role. For a business, positive reviews, glowing testimonials, and huge subscriber numbers feel like they are super important. But in today’s crazy, digital online world, it’s probably the most important thing that they can focus on. Everyone is online and has access to more content than ever.
Understanding Today’s Market
For modern businesses, convincing potential customers can be super hard. There are ads everywhere; it’s literally impossible to avoid, so consumers are constantly becoming numb to being marketed to. This is especially true if things sound too good to be true—it’s probably too good to be true in most situations! So, how do people decide what is real, and decide which one is better for them? Social proof helps, especially when there is all of that chaos and the constant bombardment of advertisements.
Seeing a lot of people already liking some product or service, it kind of creates a shortcut for people to assume something is OK. If tons of people follow TikTok, YouTube subscribers number and all that, that can impact someone’s perspective.
Showing Success: Different Ways
There are different ways that businesses can show off how trustworthy they are. “User-generated content,” which involves real customers talking about their own experience, is important! Having reviews on websites and all that; more positive than negatives, will always put websites in a good light for customers.
Getting endorsements from relevant partners and even influencers is important for some companies. It gives a real “vibe” that the company has the authority to offer a quality service. Of course, there is more to all of this, but let’s move on to the next point.
Leveraging Different Platforms
Depending on what is getting promoted, there might be a need to adapt social platforms, too. Visual platforms need visuals; if there is a product that looks bad, more people will not want to buy it. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok thrive on trending topics. Positive feedback should be highlighted on these platforms.
For music, businesses can get Spotify playlist followers or even just focus on generating streams to show music as quality. For writing or more professional content, LinkedIn, with its high number of businesses, or Twitter, given its ability to communicate news or opinions quickly and readily, might work just fine.
Being Real: It’s The Secret Sauce
Of course, the really simple solution to make social proof legitimate is just don’t “fake” it! Nothing ruins the reputation of a website faster than thousands, even millions, of fake comments! No business wants that! You need real customers genuinely impressed, not bots and fake accounts.
Making really great products will naturally cause more social proof. The more a product solves a need, the more the business will grow, and the higher the customer retention will be. Make real products that solve real problems, and support it with buying social interactions they will give you an initial jumpstart! Building good social proof will always beat “faking” it until you make it; it will be sustainable in the long run.
Conclusion
Using social proof is a good way to show how trusted a business is, but if done dishonestly, it may turn out to be even more harmful. Business owners must think about how they utilize these strategies, and consider short-term goals compared to how the business will look and operate in the future!
