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- 97% of consumers look for reviews before making an online purchase<\/li>\n
- 85% of consumers look specifically for negative reviews before buying<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Customers read anywhere from 1 \u2013 10 reviews before making a purchasing decision. These statistics are based on a survey of 1000 US consumers, but they give a good indication of how people feel about reviews.<\/p>\n
Third-party opinions about your products or services can positively or negatively influence other online buyers. People tend to believe that messages from the brands themselves are biased, but third party opinions are often seen as honest.<\/p>\n
Leveraging social proof<\/h2>\n
Considering the weight of reviews in online purchasing decisions, brands that can use social proof to their advantage<\/a> tend to see higher sales numbers. By showing the feedback from previous customers in the right light, you can encourage more consumers to make purchases as well.<\/p>\n
There are\u00a0a few main ways brands harness social proof<\/a>\u00a0without stepping over any lines.<\/p>\n
1. Customer reviews<\/h3>\n
Reviews give your customers an outlet to express their opinions. Unfortunately, it\u2019s difficult to control what they\u2019re going to say. But, giving customers a place to write reviews directly on your brand website helps make their comments more trustworthy. If people see that you\u2019re involved in the handling of reviews, they won\u2019t be seen as transparent and honest.<\/p>\n
Many ecommerce brands<\/a> do well with reviews by placing review sections at the bottom of every product page and sending customers a reminder to review products they purchase. When the reviews are placed directly on the page with the product or service, through a direct input system, page visitors are more likely to trust them.<\/p>\n
The downside to reviews is that they can be detrimental if you\u2019re getting consistently bad reviews. Find a way to manage the negative reviews; not necessarily by removing them, but by making sure there\u2019s a balance of positive to even it out.<\/p>\n
2. Third-party testimonials<\/h3>\n
Reviews are one thing, but a story showing how the item or service made a difference in the life of the customer is far more effective than a short review. Sometimes, these stories can be shared in the reviews themselves, but more often than not you\u2019ll have to ask for them. If you have repeat customers, you could ask them to share a story of how your brand affects them.<\/p>\n
At their core, testimonials are stories, which is why they connect so deeply to other consumers. Stories are more compelling than words alone, especially when they create a narrative that\u2019s relatable to others. If consumers can read a testimonial story and picture themselves in a similar situation, that\u2019s a compelling and powerful social proof for your company.<\/p>\n
3. Influencer marketing \/ affiliations<\/h3>\n
Sometimes, social proof comes in the form of outside input from people with a following of their own.\u00a0Influencers<\/a>\u00a0are common on social media, but there are also blog networks and writers<\/a> who have a following they can connect to. Their word and their opinions mean something to their followers, giving you an extra boost just by positive association. When someone talks about your brand, either through their own channels or through yours, they\u2019re influencing buying decisions.<\/p>\n
4. Followings and engagements<\/h3>\n
Speaking of followings\u2026 Your own social media accounts can be a place for social proof through stimulating engagement. If your social accounts are full of posts from you without any input from other sources (such as comments, shares, likes, responses, or posts tagging you), it\u2019s not a great look. Your brand can appear closed off.<\/p>\n
Getting your followers to engage with your content helps people feel more connected to and comfortable with your brand automatically. Once they see you engaging with your audience, people are more likely to think favorably of your brand and to bring those positive thoughts forward when they consider a purchase.<\/p>\n
5. User-generated content<\/h3>\n
Allowing people the opportunity to create messages around your brand or products, such as comments or stories, is a highly effective way of injecting social proof into your brand directly. You can take advantage of user-generated content by sharing customer stories or posts from social media (with permission), showcasing narrative comments from your page, or even highlighting third-party content creators who talk about you.<\/p>\n
Tip:\u00a0<\/strong>Pictures do wonders<\/a>\u00a0for increasing customer trust in social proof! Seeing\u00a0user-generated content<\/a>\u00a0with added pictures helps make the content more believable.<\/p>\n
Marketing for the long term<\/h2>\n
As with most online marketing strategies, you have to be willing to adapt and change as technology and opinions evolve. Currently, social proof is both valuable and generally accepted as okay. If either of these change in the future, it\u2019s up to you to adapt and make sure you\u2019re staying in the right.<\/p>\n
While you\u2019re staying in the right, you have to adapt your methods to keep up with current research about the effectiveness of social proof and which types can elicit the desired response from consumers. Reviews, influencers, and social followings may be useful tools right now, but they could quickly become outdated and lose their positive effect.<\/p>\n
When social proof turns from positive to negative, it does a lot of damage. Your marketing can backfire if you haven\u2019t built up and maintained a good outlet for your customers. Give people a variety of options to provide feedback and multiple opportunities for customer service to address problems as they arise, so they can end up with a positive word instead of a critique.<\/p>\n
The bottom line to making social proof sustainable for the long-term is providing something worth talking about in a positive way. Give your customers a reason to praise you by offering good products or services, focusing on customer satisfaction and a positive overall experience to turn them into your\u00a0brand advocates<\/a>. If you offer a good experience for the majority of your customers, they\u2019ll provide positive feedback that makes your\u00a0social proof\u00a0work. Without that key piece, it won\u2019t work.<\/p>\n
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