Social proof on a website is a marketing tool that increases trust in a company. Factors that influence the client’s choice unconsciously motivate the target audience to turn to this particular contractor.
What types of social proof should be used on the site, how to collect it and integrate it into the site structure? Let’s figure it out together.
Social proof for the company and product
When making a purchase decision, the client goes through several stages: awareness of the problem, choice of product, choice of company. By analyzing the site, the target audience is looking for confirmation that: this company has already provided similar services, the clients are satisfied, so I should call here.
A distinction must be made between evidence that relates to the product and evidence that adds credibility to the company.
Social proof for the company:
- Customer reviews about the company itself (thank you and letters of recommendation)
- Logos of clients and suppliers with whom the company works
- Company experience, number of services provided, company mission and values
General statistics for all services
- The number of clients who contact the company repeatedly or on recommendation
- Company ratings and awards, specialist diplomas, licenses to provide services
- Blocks with expert opinions, useful articles and tips
- General portfolio of the company
- Photos of the office, team, director, sales manager, production, transport, warehouse, photos of famous clients.
Social proof for a product/service:
- Customer reviews for this service/product (written, audio reviews and video reviews)
- Client cases with results and figures
- Experience of specialists providing a particular service, their education and expertise
- Statistics for a particular service
- Client guarantees
- Documentation for a specific product (quality certificates, warranty card)
- Portfolio of work in a specific area of activity
- Photos of clients who bought a service/product, photos of completed work
- Photos or videos about specialists
If the company is just entering the market and you don’t have social proof, you don’t need to write fictitious reviews. Social proof in marketing is real facts about a company, the result of its long-term work.
Online success starts with choosing a hosting! Always choose the best VPS provider.
Show on the website live photographs and documents that the client receives during cooperation. Think over the manager’s speech, principles of work, show one day in the life of the company.
Reviews as one of the main tools of trust
Customer reviews can be written, in the format of audio recordings and video messages, or screenshots from social networks.
The main rule is that the review must be real and inspire confidence. To do this, add to your review a photo of the client, a link to his social network, photographs of the use of the product/service, the date of cooperation, city, social status or position of the buyer.
Review objectives:
- close objections of the target audience (if the product is expensive, the client tells how they gave him a discount or provided him with an installment plan)
- show specific benefits from cooperation (material, temporary).
Information collection, design and structure
Recent marketing trends have shown that case studies are gradually replacing regular reviews from websites. If previously cases were collected by those who provide complex and expensive services, now this is done by every second business that decides to go online.
Let’s consider the standard case structure:
- title (contains the client’s benefit or problem, in a simplified version reveals the essence of the service provided)
- description of the client’s situation/problem (when he contacted him, what problem needed to be solved)
- company actions (what they did, in what time frame)
- results (what we achieved for the client)
To enhance the effect, cases are supplemented with client reviews, real photographs, videos, and screenshots.
How social proof triggers work:
- The client must recognize himself (if a person chooses a budget kitchen, but the case describes a premium segment, the target audience will not be inspired)
- The client must know his problem
- The case must be plausible in terms of timing, results, and contain real documentation.
Place cases in a separate block or use the case as the main proof of the words said on the site (we solve specific customer problems: transfer case, we give real guarantees: transfer case). Place the most important cases on a separate screen of the site, add a capture form or button to them. Remember your goal is not to praise your company, but to show how you can help a client and motivate him to take a targeted action.
Conclusions
Trust is easily one of the most important factors when it comes to converting customers. If consumers don’t trust your business, there’s no way to give you their hard-earned money. Much of your marketing should be focused on finding ways to build genuine relationships with your audience—and integrating social proof is undoubtedly one of the best ways to do this.
At the end of the day, customers trust people, not brands, so use this to your advantage by using social proof as a marketing strategy to build trust.