Social proof: What is it, how it works, and how to use it to increase sales

Social proof. We’re all told to use it, but what really is it?  And is it effective?

Social proof is based on the idea of normative social influence. Which essentially, is the behaviour of people conforming to be accepted in society. 

So when you are browsing someone’s services page or a landing page and you see a testimonial from an industry expert saying, “oh my gosh, this tool is so amazing”, that’s social proof. Or social proof could look like a a pic of a smiling face and a quote from someone’s past client saying how fantastic that person was to work with. It could even be a social media screenshot of someone saying this course helped them to book 10 new clients. 

Basically, social proof is borrowing influence from people who have used your service or bought your product to encourage other potential customers to do the same. 

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And if you’re wondering how much social proof could encourage potential clients, HubSpot actually says that…

“88% of consumers trust user reviews, as much as they would trust personal recommendations”

That’s so powerful! Because it means that your social proof can actually convert a cold audience who may never have worked with you before or even heard of you. 

It’s also been found that the average consumer reads 10 online reviews before making a purchase decision. And that for 50% of all consumers, their very next step after reading a positive review is to actually go and visit that company’s website. 

As you can see, social proof, not only builds trust, but it also compels people to go and learn more. 

I also want to reiterate that there are so many different types of social proof that you can use, it’s not just a testimonial. 

Social proof can be:

• a formal testimonial from a client
• a case study of a past client
• a review of your service or product
• a social media screenshot of what people are saying about you and your offer
• a “featured in” banner to showcase what your work has been included in and podcast you’ve been on 
• data and numbers of the clients you’ve worked with or the projects you’ve completed

Once you’ve got an idea of the social proof you want to use on your website, you need to make sure you use it strategically. Social proof shouldn’t just be used anywhere and everywhere. And you definitely don’t want to replace other important aspects of your website with it. Rather, social proof should be used to support an argument. Because social proof is supporting copy. 

For example, if you’re writing your bio, you want to support any points you make by including a testimonial where a past client speaks about how amazing you are and how helpful you are as a coach. Or if you are wanting to support a point you’re making about the outcome or the transformation that your offer creates for someone, then you will want to include a piece of social proof that actually supports that argument.

Your testimonials need to appear at exactly the right part of the argument

Joanna Weeb (an absolute expert of all things copywriting) talks about how your testimonials shouldn’t just pop up wherever your website designer wants to add a speech bubble. They need to be strategically placed to support your copy, not just pieces of copy in quotation marks. She also recommends that wherever you have a call to action, you include social proof that shows people exactly what the transformation is that your offer gives.

Not all social proof is created equal

For your testimonials to be considered credible, they need to include the person’s photo, full name and profession, as well as an example of what you’ve done for them. People will better recall a testimonial if you include a picture and they will be more likely to remember the association between the testimonial and your service or product. Including high profile client logos can also be a great selling tool for your offer. This is because having these kind of logos that your readers will recognise, will further add credibility to your social proof.

No matter the type, anywhere you include social proof on your website, you’re going to draw your reader’s attention to.

I’d love to hear your thoughts

Thanks for reading this post! I hope you found it valuable. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Comment down below and let me know what you found most helpful or surprising about including social proof in your website copy!