Social Proof: The Most Effective Form Of Marketing

FACT: Having a product or service recommended by a friend or family member drives 83% more sales over any other form of advertising!

The power of social proof is not limited to just family and friends. Consider the power of a recommendation by an expert influencer. For example, Steve Jobs recommending the iPod back in 2001 led to the rise of MP4 players and a complete shift in how we consume music!

Influencer social proof can be formed by running affiliate marketing campaigns, where you work with an external influencer, to attract a targeted audience who would likely be interested in your products and services while following an expert on that particular topic.

An endorsement by a celebrity is especially meaningful if the endorsement is voluntary and unpaid. However even paid commendations by a celebrity have value – just think of George Clooney and his love for Nespresso. This long-running campaign has cemented the brand as a quality product used by George himself. Reaching out to likely ambassadors might be a valuable way of aligning your brand with their highly engaged audience and will translate into awareness and sales.

User social proof is when your clients provide positive feedback after using your product or service.

This can be done in the form of reviews or customer testimonials.

This User social proof is not to be confused with the “Wisdom of the crowds” type of social proof. Remember the rise of iTunes, which was endorsed by early adopters and musicians and now is widely considered the norm (like cd’s back in the nineties!). The proof is created as it is the social norm and is firmly concreted as the most reliable option currently.

The recommendations from people we know and trust carry far more weight than other types of promotions or advertising.

In this age we are all swamped and have limited time to do hours of in-depth research on all the options offered to us. So, a friendly endorsement can take the consumer from the awareness stage of making a purchasing decision, straight to the conversion stage skipping the consideration stage entirely. The consideration stage is where in the buyers’ journey, the consumer compares products against each other based on price, quality, quantity, and convenience – this is your chance to gain trust in your product or service.

Read more about how to create a buyers journey here. 

If you are not actively requesting reviews, social media likes, testimonials or case studies from your existing clients now might be a good time to start as this type of social proof is invaluable – or ask us how!