10 Quick Tips How Big Brands Use Social Proof In Their Marketing
Social Proof marketing is proven strategy for eCommerce and retail websites. For example, adding reviews and testimonials to a product page has been shown to increase order values by an average of 31%. Similarly, creating live Social Proof by showing information about recent sales can generate up to 15% more conversions from the same amount of traffic. This article explains why Social Proof is so effective for digital marketing and shows you how the biggest brands use it to get more sales and sign-ups.
Social Proof is a psychological effect that causes us to imitate the people around us. Because of the effect, we often conform to the expectations and opinions of our peers without considering them rationally. It has a greater impact on our behaviour in situations where we are unsure about a decision or what to do.
E-commerce websites like Amazon and Ebay incorporate Social Proof into their product pages because it helps customers choose the best items without seeing or touching them. The fact that customer reviews are available for most items is one reason why Amazon converts four times more browsers than an average eCommerce website. Retail brands like Target and Next also use Social Proof to increase their conversion rate. In their case, the effect is used to reassure customers, provide user-generated content about their products, and reinforce the shopping context.
Big brands have an advantage when it comes to Social Proof marketing because they have more reviews and activity to display. However, smaller businesses can take advantage of the same effects using WebsitesToolz random review popups. Create manual reviews with photos and ratings as popups. Customise the design, display and triggers to show on a particular product page instead of embedding it on your homepage which may never get seen. This way WebsitesToolz random review popups gives any store small or big a way to build trust and show how popular their products are.
Social Proof marketing allows website designers to make valuable information available at a glance. It also means they can highlight the popularity of their products and the currency of their brand without seeming biased. Because of the credibility and prestige it conveys, Social Proof is an essential part of brand building. Here are 32 ways the biggest brands do it.
Used by: Intercom Best For: SaaS and services
According to 91.9% of business owners, the value of a business is strongly related to the reputation of its brand. However, brand management is not just about PR initiatives, it is also about the way a business presents testimonials and endorsements to its customers. Even market-leaders like Intercom use authoritative testimonials on their homepage to leverage Social Proof for potential customers.
Consumer reviews are an effective way to build trust in any product or a business. They are most effective if you can use images of real customers and, since 84% of people discount reviews older than 3 months, make sure they are as recent as possible. Must read post How to create awesome video testimonial popups with Websitestoolz.
Used by: Samsung Best for: Technology brands and retailers
Displaying the corporate logos of cutomers, ratings and reviewing agencies alongside an industry award gives you powerful brand authority. It is particularly important for products with new and disruptive features that customers are unable to judge online. In the example above, Samsung displays recent reviews and awards to show that its new television system has a real effect on the viewing experience.
This example, from kitchen appliances retailer Russell Hobbs, uses an award from Good Housekeeping to justify its premium pricing. Endorsements from recognised consumer services organizations like Good Housekeeping, Which or Trusted Reviews can have a dramatic effect on sales.
Used by: Sensodyne Best for: Medical and personal care products
When people feel like they don’t have enough information to make a sensible choice, Social Proof helps them to make decisions. That’s why brands like Sensodyne place such an emphasis on professional endorsements. In 2007, Sensodyne was challenged by the Advertising Standards Authority over a television advert which implied that medical professionals recommend the toothpaste for treating sensitive teeth. A similar complaint was made against Colgate due to a misleading claim that their product was endorsed by 80% of dentists. Regardless of these official complaints, professional endorsements provide such a significant advantage that companies like Colgate and Sensodyne are willing to risk public criticism. Must read post How to create awesome video testimonial popups with Websitestoolz
Used by: Marks and Spencer Best for: eCommerce and retail websites
According to a survey by the Spiegel Research Centre, 95% of customers say they read reviews before making a purchase. Because so few purchases take place without a customer checking the reviews, it makes sense to make them easily accessible from within the purchase funnel. By placing reviews above the fold on a product page, eCommerce and retail sites can create a more focused customer journey.
5. Creating a sense of Urgency or FOMO.
Used by: Booking Best for: Travel websites and luxury brands
Travel websites need customers to book as early as possible, so they often use FOMO notifications to highlight the limited availability of tickets. Alongside this, site like Booking.com highlight the number of people viewing an offer. WebsitesToolz page-view counter can be added into your website just by pasting a single line of code and thereafter you can customise and create unlimited popus and widgets with calls to action without even having to do any code changes on your website or online store. Choose from 24 different widgets from social proof conversion popups, product counters, sold conversion counters, modal email lead collectors, coutdown clock lead collectors, discount popups, Telephone capture popups, feedback widgets, hello bar pops and many more.
In this product collection, the bicycle shop Halfords displays the number of page views each item has received that day. Alongside the star ratings for each bike, this page view counter gives browsers an immediate sense of which are the most popular options.
6. Using Case Studies To build credibility & trust.
Used by: Braze Best for: Saas and technology retailers, leisure services
Copywriters are often told that customers care more about “benefits” than they do about “features”. One of the best ways to communicate the benefits of your product, especially if it’s hard to understand, is with use cases. Showing exactly how your product has helped a former client communicates both how it works and what it does. This form of Social Proof marketing is particularly effective if your case study matches your target customer. Because of that, case studies are a subtle way to sort your most promising leads from the rest.
Used by: Bulk Best for: Lifestyle brands
Brands with a clear target audience often appeal their customers’ sense of identity by making products feel exclusive. By associating a product with a particular celebrity, type of person, brands leverage our desire to belong to that group. Fashion retailers use the same effect by creating product collections for different kinds of customer, and the same principle makes targeted discounts more appealing.
Group membership is an important part of how we define ourselves, leading us to conform with similar people. Presenting a product as a way of participating in a group is a powerful form of Social Proof marketing that also helps to build your brand. Click Here to check this post 12 Best social proof popups to instantly boost sales 3X
Used by: Hotter Best for: eCommerce, retail and travel websites
Showing visitors that an item is being purchased regularly builds credibility for both the store and the product itself. It also creates a sense of urgency, because visitors don’t know if the item will sell out soon. Create awesome Social proof popups with WebsitesToolz. Click Here to check this post 12 Best social proof popups to instantly boost sales 3X must read.
“Recently sold” notifications (sometimes called “Sales Pops”) turn inert pages into active spaces, bringing your visitors into the here and now. By doing this, they recreate the immediacy of real-world shopping.
Used by: Walmart Best for: eCommerce, restaurants
Shoppers frequently encounter an unmanageable range of choices. The Paradox of Choice, which occurs when we have so many options it becomes difficult to choose, can be overwhelming. It can even prevent us from making a purchase. To avoid overwhelming customers, stores like Walmart create default options by tagging popular items. These tags help customers make sense of collections more easily, so the stores lose fewer sales to choice paralysis.
Whilst an item’s popularity might not seem relevant, it gives the browser valuable social context. For example, knowing what most people are willing to pay for an item gives a customer a benchmark to use.
10. Double up cart value with Upsell and Cross Sell Popups.
Used by: Tesco Best for: eCommerce and retail
Social Proof marketing can increase both your conversion rate and your average order value. E-commerce websites and supermarkets use “people also viewed” elements to provide more accurate product recommendations. These recommendations have added impact because they seem to be endorsed by other people. An alternative strategy is to use your website’s user date to create common product bundles. By bundling products into groups, you can display “People who bought this, also bought…” messages on your product and basket pages. Create awesome Upsell and Cross sell popups using WebsitesToolz Click Here to check this post 12 Best social proof popups to instantly boost sales 3X must read.
Adding “people also bought” bundles to your sales funnel has three major advantages:
- The Social Proof boosts your credibility and makes it more likely your customers will complete their purchases
- The message encourages customers to add more items to their basket – increasing your average order value.
- Even if the customer doesn’t make any of the additional suggested purchases immediately, the message will give them ideas for the weeks or months ahead.
Websites that combine Social Proof with their product bundles are likely to attract more returning customers and achieve a higher customer lifetime value.
Social Proof Marketing in 2021
Consumers are presented with a vast amount of promotional content, most of which they ignore. One of the best things about Social Proof marketing is that it promotes your products without appearing biased, meaning that Social Proof avoids the banner-blindness that affects adverts and other promotional content.
Reviews are so important that many of the biggest online brands use dedicated reputation management tools. Not only does this improve brand awareness, but it also increases customer satisfaction. Just knowing that you’re paying attention to your customers and responding to their feedback can lead to better reviews and more repeat customers. Because of that, Social Proof is one of the most important factors when it comes to reducing your acquisition costs.
WebsitesToolz is one of the most effective Social proof marketing tools. We turn your online visitors into customers with 24 different types of popup notifications with call to action ideal for every online business. You could create and display a stream of conversion notifications, product counter notifications, Video Popups, Phone number collectors, Linktree Popups, Countdown clock email id collectors, Modal lead collectors, Discount popus, Hello bar notifications, Text feedback popups and many more. You could easily integrate with all your favourite applications using webhooks or a service like Zapier.
Leveraging Social Proof
Proactive businesses will use positive social proof to their advantage. If you get a glowing review on Yelp or another website – or even if you receive a physical copy of it – display it somewhere on your website, perhaps on a dedicated reviews page. Ideally, you will provide a link to the original testimonial.If it’s a particularly good one, consider sharing it on one of your social media platforms – or all of them, whether Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Just be careful: You don’t want to overdo this and come across as arrogant or desperate. If the kind words are direct to your social media account, you might consider retweeting or sharing the message so your fans or followers see it too. Consider, also, incorporating different types of social proof into marketing. If you have a great score on Yelp, perhaps you might feature this prominently on your webpage or on advertising material. The same goes for how many Facebook likes or Twitter followers your business has. Social media provides a megaphone to individual customers unlike anything seen in the pre-digital age, allowing for a more impactful and louder form of social proof. Whether it’s positive or negative is up to you.
Why social proof works.
Studies show that people are more likely to do something when presented with evidence that others have done it. Social proof makes it more likely that people will patronize your business. Seeing other individuals – particularly like-minded ones that are in the same demographics – engaging with a business creates an immediate trust with people who are yet to be customers, and indicates your company provides quality service. After all, would that many people like be fans of something that didn’t? This is especially the case when social proof comes in the form of a review. An online first-hand testimony that extols the virtues of your business and helps supplement word of mouth recommendations. A positive review may well be the thing that pushes potential customers to part with their money. Many companies are now creating word-of-mouth marketing campaigns to supplement their online testimonials. A full regularly use online reviews to choose which local business to patronize, a number that is growing. By contrast, only 24 percent never use online reviews. Customers are inundated with choice in today’s world, and reviews can be a handy tool that lets them narrow their options.
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