Social Proof

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It's Friday night and you're looking for a place to grab a drink. One bar has a line out the door. The other is empty. Which one do you think is better? This is social proof — one of the most powerful marketing forces coined by Robert Cialdini in his book Influence. 🧵:

First, a definition: Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others in an attempt to reflect correct behavior for a given situation. We look for cues in how other people behave to figure out the best and safest decision.

Social proof stems from the idea of normative social influence, which states that people will conform in order to be liked by, similar to, or accepted by others. It's also described as herd behavior. We're social creatures after all.

Because we're always working with incomplete information, we look to others to try to figure out what to do. Whether we're aware of it or not, social proof is everywhere. We constantly model the cues and behaviors of others to make decisions.

Before we get into some examples on how to use social proof, let me tell you about two studies.

Study #1 The Solomon Asch conformity experiment in 1951 Asch wanted to test the theory that people are likely to conform to the choice of the majority, even if the decision is clearly wrong.

Each group was shown images like the ones below. Students had to state which line (A, B, or C) matched the target line on the left. The correct answer is clearly C.

Asch divided everyone into groups of eight. But only one person in each group was actually being tested. The other seven ("the insiders") agreed beforehand to give the wrong answer, which the test participant had no idea about.

Each person had to state if line A, B, or C was most like the target line. The test participant went last each time. The insiders would all state the same wrong answer first, forcing the test participant to either think for themselves or conform.

In 12 tests, 75% of the test participants conformed and gave the wrong answer. In 6 other tests, the insiders gave the right answer, and the test participant gave the wrong answer less than 1% of the time.

This proved that the test participants knew what the right answer was, but chose to state the wrong answer to conform. When Asch asked the test participants why they conformed, they either: • Wanted to fit in • Believed the group was more informed or knew something they didn't

Study #2 A simple equation was written on the board, e.g. 11+12 = __ And then the room was asked to write down their answer on a piece of paper. Everyone but one person was an actor.

The test participant wrote down the correct answer: 23 Everyone else wrote down a wrong answer: 24 When the teacher asked the students to raise their hand if they got the answer 24, upon seeing that everyone else wrote that down, the test participant also raised his hand.

Both these studies are examples of how social proof can be used to trick people and psychologically manipulate them. BUT, it can also be a force for good. It's simply to show how powerful it is as a tool.

“When you say it, it’s marketing. When your customer says it, it’s social proof.” — @crestodina We are more likely to do something when presented with evidence that others have also done it.

"By using social proof in the form of testimonials, reviews and trust icons you’re helping customers make a decision, feel confident about their choice, and a part of something bigger." — @TaliaGw

Here are 15 ways you can implement social proof ↓

1. Testimonials Displaying quotes from happy customers is one of the most used forms of social proof online. To up your game, use high-res pictures of the person giving the quote. To really stand out, capture video testimonials. @testimonialto makes this a breeze.

2. Social share count Showing the raw number of social shares is a simple form of implementing social proof. People are more likely to read an article that has been shared by thousands. It gives more credibility and encourages even more shares.

3. Follower count Show the people how many fans, subscribers, or followers you have. If you got it, flaunt it. @tolta_co is a good solution for this.

4. Reviews According to the Pew Research Center, 82% of Americans read reviews before making a buying decision. If you own an e-commerce store, displaying customer reviews can increase the conversion rate by 207%. My wife and I look at Yelp reviews for everywhere we go.

5. Influencer endorsements People you pay attention to or admire can have a "halo effect" on products and services they recommend. If you trust them, then you can trust their recommendation.

6. Case studies Tell an in-depth story of how some of your customers use your product. This not only provides social proof, but also gives other prospective customers ideas on how to use your product or service.

7. Media mentions Did a recognized media outlet give you a positive endorsement? Let others know by featuring their logo in a classical “as seen in” showcase, or by quoting positive things they say.

8. Raw numbers The bigger and more specific the number, the better. “WordPress powers 40% of the internet.”

9. Real-time statistics Present real-time data to your visitors, such as “89 people are shopping right now,” or “The last purchase of this course was 7 minutes ago” to build trust and create a sense of urgency. @usefomo does exactly this.

10. Certifications If your company operates in regulated industries, add credibility to your website by demonstrating that your business meets the requirements of national or international standards organizations. e.g. ANSI, ISO, HIPAA, SOC 2

11. Trust icons Establish more credibility and legitimacy by displaying trust seals, security certificates, or association memberships.

12. Studies Expose your visitors to hard facts and numbers backed by research to leverage the expert social proof. e.g. @magicmind highlights peer-reviewed studies for all its ingredients.

13. Awards If you’ve won an award or been publicly honored by the media, show appreciation for such mentions on your social media channels. e.g. @eightsleep touts winning Time Best Inventions in 2018 and 2019.

14. Milestones Celebrate growth and the accomplishment of milestones with your audience, and thank them for helping you achieve them. This can be reaching a certain number of users, followers, downloads, or an anniversary. e.g. @tobi & @Shopify twitter.com/tobi/status/1095356310609113088?s=20

15. Competition Alex Lasky ran an experiment to see which type of messaging would best encourage others to save energy: • You can save $54 this month • You can save the planet • You can be a good citizen • Your neighbors are doing better than you Which do you think won?

The first three led to no increase in energy saving. The fourth message worked, leading to a 2 percent reduction in household energy usage.

I always feel silly saying this 🤷‍♂️ but if you enjoyed this thread, hit that follow button for more on marketing, growth, and persuasion. I also send an occasional newsletter on cutting-edge, comprehensive, and sometimes even crazy marketing ideas. swipefiles.com

Images created by: @foundbryan using @VisualCreatorKt If you are interested in creating visuals like this, get Visual Creator Kit or contact @foundbryan - his DMs are open. You can get Visual Creator Kit here: gumroad.com/l/visual-creator-kit-simple-figures

TLDR on social proof: Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others in an attempt to reflect correct behavior for a given situation. Basically, we look at what others do to help us make decisions.

Implement social proof: • Testimonials • Social share count • Follower count • Reviews • Influencer endorsements • Case studies • Media mentions • Raw numbers • Real-time statistics • Certifications • Trust icons • Studies • Awards • Milestones • Competition