Increase Website Sales with Social Proof

By incorporating social proof onto our client’s product pages, we’ve achieved a massive boost in conversions anywhere up to 4x.

The main types of social proof we’ve been playing with are:

• Testimonials
• Product Reviews
• Influencers
• Social Follower Count
• PR Wins on Landing Pages

The psychological circuitry we’re taking advantage of is that people look to others for guidance when they’re uncertain. The secret to making this work is figuring out which customer uncertainty is at play and which social proof addresses it most effectively. We’ve seen some pretty massive uplifts in conversions when getting the balance right between the two — up to 300% +

On a typical night you’ll spend the better part of half an hour waiting for a table at Chez Chartier in Paris’ neuvième arrondissement. The queue spills out onto the busy pavement of the city’s famous theatre district. No doubt you’ve come across this same culinary phenomena in your own city. This is social proof. More modern equivalents might consist of SaaS companies using customer logos on their homepage and B2C brands getting influencers in their niche to unbox/review their product or by building up a strong, engaged following on Instagram to help give their brand social clout and credibility.

Social proof is fast becoming one of our go-to recommendations for any brand that hasn’t fully exhausted its potential. Let’s take a closer look at some of our methods:

Testimonials

If you’re a brand with existing customers, some of them might have engaged audiences of their own. Find these customers and if they appreciate the work that you’re doing, ask them to write you a testimonial. Leverage their credibility in your niche in order to boost conversions.

Sometimes they won’t have the time to write you a testimonial themselves. We’ve often found success preparing the copy for them and sending it through for them to verify/tweak ahead of publication. Another tip is to include a headshot. This makes the testimonial more impactful, memorable and less generic. People trust people.

Product Reviews

An estimated 90% of consumers will consult product reviews before making a purchase. If your website or app is weak in this respect, you’ll struggle to sell. How do you collect product reviews?

The easiest way? Survey your customers.

1. Send a post-purchase email asking them to leave a review of your product.
2. Design an incentive. Offering customers a promo code in exchange for leaving a review satisfies two objectives, (1) gathering customer reviews and (2) increasing your potential for sales.

Counter-intuitively, negative reviews can actually improve your conversions. When constructive feedback accompanies a sub-5 star review to the extent that it still recommends the product, this acts as a strong indicator of authenticity. Actively promote these types of reviews.

Influencers

Consumers rely on influencers for product recommendations and reviews — they’re much more likely to purchase a product that has been vouched for by an influencer. We recommend our clients do the following:

• Find out who the key influencers are in your niche. Create a shortlist, prioritize, reach out, offer them something of value.
• Allocate a % of your inventory to gift to people in your shortlist.
• Gently request they share/review your products with their audiences if they like them.

PR Wins on Landing Pages

You’ve seen it before, a company with a homepage overflowing with their customers’ logos. There’s a reason for this — they’re a powerful conversion tool.

• B2C — Display the logos of any top publications where you or your products have been featured.
• B2B — Display the logos of your most recognizable customers.

Social Follower Count

Consumers feel more comfortable buying from brands with (optionally) large, (necessarily) engaged social followings. “If 20k+ people love this brand, they must be worth following/supporting/buying from”.

To grow your audience on social media, start by really focusing in on one channel and aim for consistency. Produce valuable content on a regular and predictable basis, the rest will follow.

Some final thoughts. Make your social proof:

• Trustworthy: If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. 4.5-star reviews outperform 5-star reviews.
• Relevant: It should speak to your product/brand.
• Persuasive: Does it address a specific objection your customers might have?

Also, think strategically about where you position your social proof near to points of friction/objection on the website. Near price points, critical CTAs claims about your product benefits that might otherwise seem incredible.