We are surrounded by ploys and schemes that encourage us to put our name towards someone’s product or service in the form of product reviews, testimonials and case studies. Even making patrons queue outside a pub is a form of social proof, enticing passers-by to a more “popular” spot.

In fact, did you know that 98% of consumers read online reviews to learn about local businesses? 76% do this regularly. (BrightLocal)

So, without being too technical, there are actually different levels of social proof authority. You could seek endorsement from an industry expert, or it could be more powerful if you chose a celebrity. You could ask users to provide their own content for your marketing, or you could survey a crowd. Each one will persuade a different group within your audience, and work towards building trust in your brand.

If you’ve decided “we’d like a bit of that for our business”…

Here are a few things to bear in mind:

• Make it inviting, engaging and choose your words carefully.
• Consider incentives that engage the user to make a purchase.
• Decide what information needs to be collected and be concise.
• Design an intuitive process to collect their testimonial/review etc.
• Give opportunities to share your content across social media, or embed into their own website.

Whether your customers leave a review on Google, social media or their own website, you need to make sure that you are doing something about it! It could be reaching out through direct messaging to thank them, offering them a reward (as mentioned above) or even resharing or reposting their feedback. However you choose to do so, make sure that you do!

So, where should you be sharing this social proof in order to elevate your business?

This one is so straightforward, we almost didn’t write it!

You need to proudly display that social proof wherever your ideal client or prospect is likely to see it. That means social media, your website and any marketing materials such as leaflets or ebooks. The important takeaway here is that it’s crucial to get creative!

Hmmm.takeout…

There has never been a better time to get started, especially as a survey recently found that 85% of consumers expect to see 50-500 reviews per product. (Yotpo) So you’d better get your skates on!

If you’d like a bit of help, or you want to amp up your marketing, give us a call or book in direct.