Marketing is very psychological. We are always trying to get in the heads of our target consumers and dreaming up campaigns that will resonate with them.

Social proof is a psychological form of marketing. It can do incredible things for your brand including brand awareness and landing sales.

When done strategically, social proof can convince your target consumers that they should purchase your products or services.

In this post, we will cut to the chase and cover everything you need to know about social proof and how you can start utilizing it immediately. 

What is Social Proof?

Social proof is gathering and showcasing a third-parties content about their experience with your brand. People tend to be more likely to purchase after seeing that their peer has purchased an item.

Social proof resonates with consumers because consumers don’t trust brands. They’re always looking for a third-party brand recommendation and these types of recommendations are called social proof. It’s proof that your products or services serve a purpose for consumers just like them.

Consumers are savvy and they want proof that their purchase will be a good experience and the proof you can give them is social proof.

The Benefits of Social Proof

These third-party endorsements carry a lot of weight including:

• It’s an authentic way for target consumers to learn about your brand
• It can be utilized on social media and in email marketing
• It sways customers to purchase from your brand
• Social proof builds brand trust

The Different Types of Social Proof

Social proof can come in many forms if you know where to look for it. Here are some examples and assets that you may already have that you can leverage as social proof.

• Work with influencers
• Gather UGC
• Ask customers for testimonial quotes
• Case studies
• Reviews
• Earned social media mentions
• Consumer spotlights
• Adding customers’ logos to the website

How to Source Social Proof

First, make a plan to never miss organic mentions of your brand that you can utilize as social proof. You can read all about social media listening here.

Aside from organic social proof, you can tap into your audience. You can email your customers and ask them to share a testimonial. If you want to get really deep with this, you can ask your customers to participate in a case study that you publish on your site and promote on social.

Influencers are another avenue to earn social proof. Don’t just rely on their organic reach, use influencer-generated content in paid ads.

There are also review sites that you can tap into and you can extract reviews from there to incorporate into all of your marketing efforts.

Utilizing the Social Proof You Earn

A lot of social proof doesn’t reach your target audience without a little help. So it’s not only your job to gather social proof, it’s also your job to get it out into the world. A few strategies include:

• Use social proof content in your paid social ads
• Incorporate social proof into your email marketing efforts
• Display social proof on your website

How do you utilize social proof in your marketing strategy? We would love to read your tips and tricks in the comments below!