Many businesses have heard about social proof marketing, but aren’t really sure if it will help their business. In short, it will. Social proof marketing relies on one group, usually referred to as ‘the masses’, to influence the purchasing decisions of others.

If for example, all of your friends used a particular e-commerce site, you may also choose to use that one based on the positive experiences you’ve heard about. This is social proof and if you haven’t started using it yet in your business’ marketing efforts, there’s many reasons you should. The three biggest benefits it will bring to your business are listed below.

• Build trust and credibility: People are naturally inclined to believe other consumers than they are marketers and business owners. When potential leads see that many people are using your business or product, it builds trust in your company and makes you seem much more credible than if you had told them yourself that you were the best in the industry.
• Provides validation: People need a reason to buy something and that reason doesn’t always come to need or want. Sometimes, people make purchases simply to see what all the hype is about, or because someone else, such as a celebrity, purchased them. They want to achieve the same notoriety or are simply curious. Social proof provides this validation that others are using it, so they should, too.
• Simplifies decision-making: Customers will take a lot of things into consideration when making purchasing decisions. Do they need it? Will they use it? How will they use it? These are just a few questions. Social proof eliminates these questions, making the purchasing decision easier. They only need to consider that many others are getting use out of it, so they will, too.

These are just a few of the main benefits social marketing brings. Once you start incorporating social proof into your marketing, you’ll soon find there are so many more.

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What Businesses Should Use Social Proof in Their Marketing Efforts?

Social proof marketing relies on the influence of other people over your customer’s, and potential customer’s, purchasing decisions. This technical term really just refers to the idea that if lots of people are using your product or visiting your business, others are going to be more inclined to do so, as well.

When you put the term ‘marketing’ at the end of anything though, local business owners often think it doesn’t apply to them. After all, they may not be a major corporation or marketing firm, and the promotion tactics they’re using seem to be working so far. However, every business can benefit from social proof marketing, whether yours is a corner store, or a multi-million company.

Social proof marketing is really just another form of marketing. If you do any kind of marketing for your company at all, you should include social proof marketing, particularly when advertising your business online. All businesses rely on some form of advertising for their business, which means all businesses can use social proof marketing, too. Here are a few ways you can do it:

• Use real-time stats to show how many people are using your product or viewing your page.
• Collect customer testimonials to post on your business’ website.
• Collect third-party reviews.
• Utilize case studies, which are really just long, in-depth customer reviews.
• Get your business or product mentioned in the media, such as through your local television channel.
• Add a trust seal to your website, such as Verisign.
• Display certifications, awards, and badges from trusted industry associations and organizations.
• Integrate social media testimonials on your website.

These are just a few of the ways you can increase the amount of social proof your business has. They are effective when used by businesses of any size, and no matter what product or service you’re selling.