Social Proof - What Is It All About?
Do you know what really makes social proof - proof? Today social proof is no longer only about how many followers you may have on the various social networks. For this reason social proof today is much more than having many followers. Having more followers may be useful on a social network but it's not proof of anything anymore today.
Social Proof is More Than a Large Following
According to Entrepreneurs-journey they call it information social influence.
This proof is an effect caused by people to other people. This makes them do something. It could be reading a post, watching a video, signing up for email or buying a product. No doubt this proof causes them to do something when being influenced!
How Can You Prove Your Social Proof Today?
Images - Images speak volumes when it comes to proving something. People are generally visual and they love to see how and why. It's the old saying "Pictures paint a thousand words". Ryan Biddulph does this well on his blog today.
Testimonials - People rely on testimonials all the time before making purchases today both online and offline. Do you remember the last time you asked a friend for a recommendation for something? We do it all the time. According to David Melamed "The Function of a Testimonial is to Assure People They Won't Look Like A Fool By Trusting You." People defend their decision to trust you with the use of testimonials. They want to know others trusted you and that it worked out well for them.
Engagement - Engagement rates are key to having influence and leads to social proof. People love buying from those they trust and know.What better way then to engage with them! Engagement rates can be on social networks or right on your blog posts.
Engagements include likes, comments, replies and shares on the social networks or blog posts. (Reach is the percentage of people that actually see the posts). Your engagement rate is calculating what percentage of people who saw the post engaged with it.
Social Shares - People love landing on a page or blog post when there is a lot of social shares. It gives the impression of perceived value. I love using the Social Warfare plugin for this reason. It gives a count for each network and a total for all shares on a particular post or page. You can see the example below at Ms. Ileane's blog on one of my posts that keeps on getting shared.
Know What Others Are Saying About You
Use a social listening tool like Brand24 so you can stay on top of what others are saying about you. There have been several times I've been mentioned on posts and on social media that I was not aware of. You can go and engage on that post and if you were mentioned in a great way be sure to display that mention or citation on your website, your blog or on your social profiles.
Create Google alerts to see if there are other mentions on the web. (But Google Alerts do NOT show you social mentions.) It's important today to stay on top of these things as one can't be everywhere 24/7. Everywhere online has gotten much larger the past few years.
Show Off Your Social Proof
Sam Hurley does this the best! He does it on all of his social networks. You can see on the side how he adds his authority to his bio. And he often changes it as he gains more authority. The more places Sam is featured on the more he has to show on his bio.
Very smart! Likewise think about those places that you have been featured on or mentioned. Then add them to your social profiles or about page for social proof.
You can't share your social proof if you don't know you have any. Remember it's important to know what others are saying about you on social media and elsewhere.
Read what others have to say about Social Proof. Please Retweet your favorites right from here below!
Evidence from others that a brand is trusted! 😍 Psychology sells ... 90% of consumers are influenced to buy as a result of positive reviews! pic.twitter.com/10wNnGicrk
- Sam Hurley 😎💻😎 (@Sam___Hurley) June 4, 2017
Social proof is proof of concept. Positive 3rd party, customer or celebrity reviews wield powerful influence to drive purchase behavior.
- Rebekah Radice (@RebekahRadice) June 4, 2017
a must for all businesses. Seeing others experiences validates, creates desire (they have it, I want it) and reduces friction 😉🐨🙏
- Mike Kawula 🌴🐨🌴 (@MikeKawula) June 4, 2017
Lisa, authenticity with who you are. Valid experience, education & other credentials that support your social presence. Provide real proof!
- Jeff Sheehan (@jeffsheehan) June 4, 2017
SP is what people say about you
- Donna Merrill (@donna_tribe) June 5, 2017
What Social Proof Can Do For You
Adds Engagement - By having some social proof you may see more engagement on the social networks and at your blog or website. People like to engage with others that are engaging. Makes sense right? It's what I refer to as the "snowball effect" - the more social proof you have the more engagement you will get.
People Will Make Purchases - Indeed they will also make purchases from you if you can prove that an item or service will make their lives better in some way. They may read a testimonial about you or your services or products. People want to know others are buying or using your products or services.
Grow Your Audience More - Social proof will snowball once you begin to have traction with it. People love to engage with others who engage with them. No one wants to engage with someone who does not engage back. Be engaging everywhere and you will see the difference!
How To Get Your Social Proof
Of course you may be thinking "I don't have any social proof yet, not little ole me." It will take time but you can surely generate some social proof over time. No one starts out blogging or content marketing with instant social proof. (Not even Sam Hurley, sorry Sam!).
Ask for Reviews - People don't mind giving reviews or testimonials if you have done some great work for them.
Give Testimonials - Give others proof first! Don't wait for others to give you one. Be genuine, don't just give them for giving them. Give testimonials or reviews to your mentors.
Engage, Engage and Engage - I can't say that one enough. Answer people's questions on the social networks and on your blog. Respond to every comment. Help people with their problems and questions.
Keep your eyes and ears open - Listen on the web. Use a social listening tool to know what others are saying about you or your brand online.
Do you believe social proof is perceived or is it an actual indicator of a proof? I'd love to know more in the comments below on what you think social proof is!
