Why you need to give your customers social proof

How many times have you heard stories of
online purchases that have gone wrong? It's these customer experiences that can
lead to the wrong conclusion about your business, products and services
rapidly.

But exactly how should we establish trust in our brand
particularly when many of our customers discover us through social networking first?

Apart from running a consistent social
media strategy, incorporating social proof to your posting plan can help
achieve this.

When we see social proof examples on social
media whether we're searching (or not) for a particular service or product, we
are more inclined to believe that brand because others have shown that they do.

Think about when a customer comes to your social
media news feeds for the first time.

If they see customer testimonials and
case studies, proof of client work and relationships (behind the scene style
posts and stories are ideal for this) and even reposted customer feedback and
testimonials, you're already giving them reasons to trust in your brand and
your brand's experience.

Another great way to showcase your products through social proof is to consider user-generated content where your page shares images received from customers using your products. Again, this highlights you have customers who believe in your product or service and brands enough to share their experiences online too, and for that reason becomes an incredibly effective opportunity to persuade viewers to follow your page and become a customer too.

In Australia, 68 per cent of consumers read
online reviews or blogs to find out what others think about products or
services of great interest (2021 Yellow Social Media Report).

So like a business, it's important that we
give them the information that they are looking for easily to help them
with their decision-making.

But social proof is more than just a trust-building
exercise on social networking platforms. It is also an incredibly effective tool for
encouraging customer recognition and as a result building customer loyalty.

The more a company can show they
appreciate the thoughts and feedback of consumers, the more likely they are to
see return customers or customers turning out to be brand ambassadors.

And in a time where followers can be purchased
and imagery can be staged, it's these conversion-boosting benefits that
highlight precisely how important social proof is to consider as part of your
business' social networking strategy.