Most business owners think they have a great idea and product or service. But, how do you truly know? Is an increase in sales indicative of success? Or, is there something more?
Spoiler alert: There is. It’s called social proof.
Social proof is any kind of customer or user-related evidence that signifies your product or service is worth investing in. If you’re wondering whether your business has any social proof and how you can go about getting some, wonder no more. These social proof examples will help you inspire others to purchase from you in no time.
Contents
- Customer reviews
- User testimonials
- Case studies
- Expert approval
- Social media proof
- Subscriber stats
- Event registrations
- Certificates and awards
8 social proof examples (and how to get them)
Here are the best eight social proof examples you could use to grow your business’s online reputation. Plus, we’ll walk through how to obtain social proof for your business to build your brand’s credibility over time.
1. Customer reviews
Customer reviews are the bread and butter of your business and social proof. For those unaware, customer reviews are a form of feedback provided by those who have shopped at a particular establishment.
Customer reviews can range in length, from simple star ratings with no text to in-depth reviews with pictures or videos. Unlike many other forms of social proof, customer reviews are also found on a number of platforms, from Google Business Profile to Yelp, social media platforms, and more.
For example, if you look up Tire Pirates, you’ll see reviews for their business on Google, Facebook, Yelp, and others.
How to get customer reviews
Customer reviews can come naturally over time, but you shouldn’t wait and hope for this to happen. Instead, take the initiative and gently remind customers to leave feedback on whichever platform you prefer.
For example, you can send out an email to those who have recently purchased from your company and ask for them to review their purchase. You can take things a step further and provide a small discount for those who leave a review as well.
If you run a brick-and-mortar store, you can include a note about leaving feedback at the bottom of the receipt. Again, don’t hesitate to offer a small discount or coupon to those who leave feedback.
No matter which route you choose, remember to avoid being pushy about feedback. One reminder is enough, as any more than that could frustrate people into leaving a bad review. Also, respond to reviews when you can, whether they’re positive or negative. This shows you’re engaged and can influence others to visit your establishment.
2. User testimonials
User testimonials are written or recorded words of praise from one of your company’s customers. Unlike a customer review, user testimonials are typically more in-depth than a customer review, telling a story.
It’s worth noting user testimonials aren’t always longer than customer reviews, however. What mostly sets them apart from reviews is that they’re often prominently featured on a business site or page, with the quote and person’s name attached. Think of these as a shiny gold star on your homework, showing your business has made someone very happy.
How to drive user testimonials
If you have a recent customer who was especially thrilled to be working with you, simply ask if they’d be interested in being featured as a testimonial on your site.
Remember testimonials are a time investment from the customer, so it’s important to keep your request brief and the process as streamlined as possible. Mention a video testimonial, but also let the customer know a simple email interview would suffice as well.
You can also send an email to recent customers and ask if they’d like to provide in-depth feedback and be featured on your site. This gives customers a way to help you with a testimonial, while not requiring the same time investment as a video.
However you go about getting user testimonials, make sure you include a picture of the person and/or a logo from their business (if you’re in the B2B space).
3. Case studies
A case study is an in-depth look at one of your customers and how your company was able to help them from beginning to end. Much like other forms of social proof, a case study can come in either text or video formats. Or, both, as in the case of LocalIQ’s case study with Payless Hardware.
Typically, case studies will weave a narrative, starting with the customer’s challenges and how your product or service helped them. Oftentimes a case study will either focus on a customer where the success was huge, or where the challenge was especially unique.
A case study goes beyond a testimonial, allowing users further along on their buyer’s journey to get a more detailed look at the potential benefits of your products and services. In other words, testimonials are at the top or middle of your sales funnel, whereas a case study starts to be more at the bottom. When someone is watching or reading a case study, they’re aware of their problem and looking to purchase a solution.
How to create a case study
Much like a testimonial, a case study will only happen if you take the lead and ask one of your satisfied customers. And like a testimonial, it’s important to remember that this is a big time investment for your customers.
Unlike a testimonial, you need to be slightly more selective when choosing someone for a case study. Ideally, you want someone who saw a large, measurable benefit from partnering with your company.
Because of this, you also want concrete numbers you can pull for the case study. If you don’t have measurable success, at the very least pull some positive quotes from the customer and include those.
If a particular customer would make a great case study and isn’t willing to share their name, ask if they’d be open to doing a de-identified (a.k.a. “white-labeled”) case study. While not as effective as a regular case study, it’s still better than nothing.
4. Expert approval
Expert approval is any approval that comes from someone regarded as an expert in a particular field. For example, if your product is food-related and recommended by the FDA, or a popular nutrition influencer, this could qualify as expert approval.
For instance, the example above shows a number of awards and recognitions featured on this business’s home page, separate from their certifications or compliance awards.
Expert approval is a great trust builder with audiences, as it indicates your product or service is of utmost quality. Unlike any mandatory certifications or compliance in your industry, expert approval also shows you’re willing to go above and beyond—you don’t just settle for meeting standards.
How to get expert approval
Expert approval isn’t as easy to fish for as the previous forms of social proof mentioned here. Start by looking for anyone regarded as an expert in your industry. Then, politely contact them and share the story of your product. Ask if they’d be interested in sampling your product or service, or even demoing it, and go from there.
5. Social media proof
Any kind of social media proof, whether it’s through followers or the traction you get on a particular post, is often strong social proof. Again, this isn’t limited to just follower growth. If your posts are consistently shared or engaged with more often, this can provide great social proof that your branding is working, at the very least.
How to get social media proof
One of the most important things with your social media presence is to post consistently and engage with your audience. It’s not enough to simply share a post and leave. You need to respond to comments and interact.
Run tests and see which kinds of posts perform the best. Tweak the language and visuals you’re using, and keep iterating until you notice consistent engagement and growth.
đź—“ Our free copy-and-paste social media marketing calendar can help you stay on track with consistently posting and engaging your audience to gain more social proof!
6. Event registration
An uptick in event registration, whether it’s a webinar or in-person workshop, is a form of social proof and a positive signal your brand is getting more popular. And what’s a better form of social proof, than popularity?
If you haven’t run any previous events, don’t worry, you can still get valuable social proof.
- Collect feedback from event attendees afterward via a survey
- Poll attendees ahead of time and ask why they’re attending/excited to go
- Track social media interest in your event ahead of time and afterward
Collecting feedback and taking note of how your first event performs via the above methods will help you determine if your event was a success. Not only this, the above practices will also help you get a baseline of performance to compare future events to.
How to get more event registrations
Getting more event registrations is a lot like trying to increase traffic or sales—it requires promotional marketing efforts.
Promote your events on social media well in advance of the event. On top of this, look for any partnerships that make sense in your industry. If you’re featuring anyone outside your organization in an event, see if they’d be open to promoting the event on their channels as well.
Keep track of your event performance over time and look for trends. Are certain types of events performing better than others? If so, this likely indicates your audience wants more of this event type. However, this doesn’t mean neglecting other event types. You may just have to tweak the format of less popular events, or even promote them differently.
Survey your audience and see what kind of events appeal to them. Is there a certain type of workshop they’re clamoring for?
7. Email list performance
Boosts in your email list performance are a great sign that your brand is taking off and people like what you have to say.
Email list performance improvement can come in numerous forms:
- Growth in your email subscriber count
- A higher open rate
- Improved click-through rates
- Better conversions
Improvements to any of the above can signify your footprint is increasing and serve as great social proof. This is especially true if you notice consistent growth or improvement in any of the aforementioned areas, as it signifies the improvement wasn’t a one-off fluke with a single great email.
How to improve email marketing performance
There are a number of efforts you can take to improve your email list.
Start by assessing current email performance. Are people opening your emails? Clicking? Converting? If your emails aren’t performing well, you don’t want to grow your list yet. Run tests and see what makes a positive difference.
Once you’re happy with your email performance, start featuring email list sign-up banners prominently on your blog and homepage. Make sure your emails are more than just blatant promotion and offer helpful tips, coupons, and giveaways. This will further entice people to subscribe.
Finally, promote your email list on social media, teasing some of what your emails have to offer.
8. Certificates or compliance
While not directly tied to your customer base, any kind of earned certificate or compliance relevant to your industry is an indicator that your business is knowledgeable. And, featuring any certificates or notice of compliance on your site can serve as proof to others and help drive business.
Not only should certifications be featured on your site somewhere, but you should also celebrate these milestones on your social channels.
How to get certified within your industry
Beyond the necessary certificates and regulations in your industry, research what kind of additional qualifications you can add to your business.
For example, if you’re in any kind of online space, getting additional cybersecurity certifications can send positive trust signals to your audience.
Once you’ve found certifications that make sense, start researching what they entail and working toward them. While certifications are nice to have, don’t let them pull you away from other matters if you find yourself spread too thin!
Make bigger footprints with each social proof example you use
Social proof doesn’t happen overnight. It takes consistent effort and improvements across your business. As your business grows and you continue to satisfy customers in your space, using social proof in your marketing becomes more and more attainable.
If you’re looking to make even bigger footprints, faster, professional help can go a long way. Request a free demo and see how LocalIQ can help you build social proof and free you up to focus on improving your business.
