Social proof means that an individual will seek to copy or emulate the “acceptable” behavior of another individual that is undergoing a similar situation. This phenomenon also occurs when individuals in a group setting seek to conform their behavior to everyone else around them. When it comes to marketing your business, social proof is used to make people feel comfortable in their purchasing decisions. Because social proof is so powerful, businesses all over the world strive to get reviews and testimonials from happy customers. Learn how to influence potential buyers with reviews and testimonies from others who have used your products and services.
But what exactly is social proof?
Imagine that you’re browsing through Amazon, and you’re looking for a new coffee table. You look through the hundreds of coffee tables that are offered through Amazon and you find a style and size that fits your needs.
You sort through these coffee tables and eventually you land on two coffee tables that you absolutely love:
- One of these tables has a rating of three out of five stars and 24 reviews.
- The other table has a rating of four out of five stars with over 300 reviews.
Which would you choose? It’s a decision that almost doesn’t need any further deliberation. You know exactly which table you’re going to get.
