Social proof is a way of influencing other people and influencers when deciding whether to buy a product or service. In other words, when buying a product, the user is looking for social proof that the product is really good. An opinion leader, an expert in the field, a reputable company, a blogger, and other users can provide such evidence. Social proof methods are successfully used by Amazon.
There are several types of social proof, and each can be applied to increase sales in an online store or in any other business.
If users share the principles of one person, or they just like his work, then his opinion about the product or service will be irrefutable proof of quality. People need to hear the opinion of an authoritative person. An opinion leader can also include a company or government agency.
One of the ways to drive traffic to your site and increase sales can be by advertising with influencers. In return, you can offer your product as a gift with a further review. You can also just order an advertisement, but really cool experts with thousands and millions of followers will advertise a product if it is really worthy of attention. These people value their reputation.
Product ratings are still strong evidence of quality. The negative point is that buyers can give a bad rating for a long dispatch or, for example, for the fact that the consultant did not contact this very minute. If a product displays 1 or 2 stars, then it is automatically classified as substandard. This means that in addition to a good product, an online store should also have the best service. Despite all the negative aspects, the rating of goods increases the likelihood of a purchase several times.
Do you want to rehabilitate yourself in the eyes of your customers? Then read our article "How to Respond to a Bad Customer Review."
Many online stores publish trust marks on separate pages, for example, the site has an SSL certificate, which means that all of the user's payment information is safe.
The Prom.ua marketplace publishes the time the company has spent on the platform, which is also proof of the resource's reliability (after all, Prom itself declares this). Here you can also see product quality certificates, a sign of trust, and a company's response time. All of this is a type of social proof.
In online store created by SoloMono, you can display a separate block with reviews on the home page, where the last few customer reviews will be published. This creates the effect of high traffic on the site, even if there is none. A user who feels that there is demand in the online store and purchases are being made at the given moment, more willingly place an order.
This does not work as efficiently as the previous step, but it will still impact conversions. The realization that the product is popular and in demand inspires the user to make a purchase.
If a user arrives at your site and sees the company's activity on social networks, this is also social proof of reliability. In our online stores, you can connect a social media widget on the main page, where the group's cover and the number of subscribers will be displayed. You can also place social buttons under the products with the number of likes and reactions.
People will put more trust in resources with qualified employees. In an online store or on a site with services, you can create a page where all employees of the company or at least employees of the sales department will be represented. A link to your LinkedIn profile may also be provided as proof of data accuracy.
Another type of social proof is media mention. In company news on the site itself, you can publish mentions of your brand on any resources, blogs, social networks. Encourage users to share reviews on their pages in exchange for discounts, bonuses, gifts.
Twitter mentions. Of all the social networks, Twitter is worth highlighting separately. It's all about the speed of information dissemination, and in this social network it happens with lightning speed. A business or online store will benefit from creating an account and periodically posting news. Don't forget to add hashtags.
Next to each product, you can place a "Recommend" button so that users leave their reactions. How many people recommend this product will be indicated under the product card.
Most often, such dies can be found from the store itself, but the user reacts to them in a different way, since the same store is interested in selling goods.
As dice that can increase conversion, you can also make "demand for the product is growing", "hit of sales".
Collect the most popular products in a separate category and publish on the main page of the online store. It will be interesting for buyers to see which products are currently at their peak. This will push you to buy.
Don't forget to include a Google Analytics counter, which will also show website traffic and influence customer confidence.
When a brand participates in various social programs or charities, it inspires trust of users. This is what it looks like on the Starbucks website.
Having a profile photo in user reviews is more credible than anonymized, rated texts. This is how you strengthen your store's reputation.
Plus, people who want to claim your brand will be happy to upload photos and even share links to reviews of your products. The Rozetka store and AliExpress have succeeded in this.
Many successful brands have incorporated social proof into their marketing strategy as a community where users enjoy sharing product photos.
On the home page, you can also post user photos and a link to the community, such as Crocs (photo) or Starbucks.
To receive feedback, content managers and consultants must constantly work in the online store, and SMM specialists on social networks. Triggered and personalized email campaigns need to be run regularly to motivate customers to leave product reviews.
On Instagram, you can launch a drawing, a challenge, a competition with a branded hashtag. Motivate your followers to create custom content, share your account in stories.
On the site, enable the ability to leave not only a text review and rating, but also upload photos and add videos. Train your managers to respond correctly to all customer reviews, even the most negative ones. In any case, you must show your expertise and desire to resolve the situation in favor of the buyer. Do you want to create a “live” online store that will be tailored to the needs of your customers? Contact our programmers and they will develop individual solutions for your business.
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