Can Social Proof Help You Boost Sales? (Part 1)

There are many websites that sell products and offer services catering to just about every whim and fancy that one can imagine. Over the years, some have made a little money while others rake in the earnings at a very impressive rate. Many brands have been able to assert themselves as leaders in their respective niches and earned the trust, respect, and devotion of millions of customers.

Most of their customers end up having a great experience shopping on those websites and keep coming back time and time again, but what about new customers who come on the scene? How do they know that they can be as trustful and respectful of these brands like the loyal customers are? How can these brands, whether old or new, boost their sales by wooing new customers and even getting more sales from long-time customers?

It has been proven many times over that social proof by way of online customer reviews, testimonials, case studies, and other types of feedback can help to boost sales.

How Does Social Proof Drive Sales Up?

People are normally influenced by what others have to stay, especially when it concerns unfamiliar waters. Just think about it for a second. If you’re visiting a friend in a foreign country or even in a different state and you need to get a haircut, would you not ask your friend to recommend which barber salon to visit rather than randomly selecting one?

You would clearly ask your friend because you trust his opinion, especially if he has experienced the service from the one he recommends. That is a type of social proof, or “word of mouth”, which would influence your decision of which salon to visit. The same holds true for websites. For instance, many websites sell watches, but not all their products are of the same quality. Websites that include feedback from customers (about their experience with watches that they purchased from the site) will make you more confident, encouraging you to make a purchase if there are enough positive reviews posted there.

Are you starting to see how powerful social proof really is? In this three-part post, we’ll look at some ways that you can use it to boost sales for your website, starting with one of the easiest and most effective forms of social proof – customer testimonials on your page.

Customer Testimonials

When people do business with you, they always have something to say about their experience. Give them an avenue through which they can voice their pleasure or displeasure with your product or service by requesting testimonials from them that you can post on your website. Have a dedicated space on your site where they are posted after you receive them, and new customers can check them out right away.

You could include pictures of customers who have shared testimonials (with their permission, of course!) to make what is said even more credible. If they are below the fold, provide a link to the testimonials that potential customers can click on so that they can easily reach them. If you use Twitter and your customers tend to post feedback about your Brand on that social network, you can embed those tweets on your website.

If you are selling something that is new to the market, like an eBook or service, you could give away a few free copies and ask the recipients to give feedback on what they read, or you could offer your service free of charge to a few people, asking them to rate it and provide their comments. These testimonials will aid in boosting sales, and in the long run you will develop a happy and loyal clientele that continues to bring in revenue!

If you are interested in finding out more about how Power To Be Found can help you, visit our website or schedule a meeting at the link below!

https://calendly.com/jwalberg/15min