With the growing number of startups and established businesses, owners and online marketers alike are devising strategies to gain the attention of potential customers. The competition is stiffer nowadays, more than ever. The solution: social proof.
You have an amazing product, topnotch service and an engaging website. But people seemingly doubt your credibility. They don’t trust you enough to invest their time and resources.
Before clients commit and spend money on your offering, they take time to know your product thru other people’s reviews and testimonials.
Consequently, online brands and retailers invest more on product reviews on their websites. Your potential customers must see that others enjoy using your product.
The Importance of Social Proof
Social proof is the notion that other people’s actions and decisions shape your own choices.
Unfortunately, several small and medium-sized business sites miss the opportunity to tap into the power of reviews and testimonials for online marketing.
The importance of social proof is the boost in product or service credibility. People also tend to trust online reviews before committing to a product. And it means better search engine optimization.
Client opinions are your source of personal experiences with your brand. It also strengthens your relationship with them.
Getting the Social Proof You Need
You can gather testimonials for onsite display. These personal accounts are not strictly limited to one-line statements.
- Push customers to post on your social media pages: Use relevant hashtags to observe customer replies to your products. It will be easier to respond to them. You have to tap into the power of Instagram as part of your strategy. Testimonials with visuals provide better representations of personal experiences than text alone.
- Send a survey for feedback from new clients: Each customer has something to say for and against your products. Give new customers time to use it and send them an email survey later. Ask them how good or bad your product has been for them. It will help you determine the strengths and weaknesses of your product or service. To gather more feedback, you can send them a gift or coupon for encouragement.
- Send influencers a free sample of your products: Influencers have large followings that depend on their recommendations. They have gathered enough trust and credibility online to sway people’s decisions on a whim. You may have to pay some of these influencers for their product reviews. Yet, the return on investment will be greater. The review may be thru an article, video, or Instagram photo. Permission to post their name on your site or social media page will also benefit your overall marketing strategy.
- Highlight reviews from your other sites to social media: If you product listings on other sites or sell them on online shops, you can feature reviews from those sites to your social media channels. Take note that some sites have rules in using testimonials they have gathered. Always check their terms and conditions before taking the next step.
Takeaways
The point is to take action to get the results you want. If you do not encourage your customers for a feedback, you simply will not get them. With a little prodding, many customers are more than willing to share some words about your products and services. You may not find all feedback to have 5-star ratings, but these are all useful insights to better your offerings. So harness the power of social proof as soon as possible.
Image courtesy of Giulia Forsythe
