5 Tips to Incorporate Social Proof in Your 2021 Marketing Strategy

• Date: 20 January 2021
• reading time: 4 Minutes
• Blogger: Jolene Rutherford

Now that 2021 is well under way, the time is right to execute a better, more well-thought-out marketing strategy. Of course, everything you did before like social media marketing, email marketing, content creation, paid advertising – all of that should still be a part of your 2021 marketing plan. That said, what can you do differently, how can you take your marketing strategy to new heights and make it more effective than last year? One of the best solutions would be to build social proof for your brand and your digital presence.

Social proof has become an integral part of marketing and sales psychology in recent years, and it simply means that people are more likely to follow in the footsteps of others. What does this mean for you? If people see that others have already put their trust in your brand, then people will naturally gravitate towards your business. After all, the modern customer trusts their peers much more than fancy marketing.

So, to help maximize your marketing and sales in 2021, here are the five key tips on incorporating social proof into your online efforts.

Put customer reviews front and center

In the old days of digital marketing and web design, there was absolutely nothing wrong with putting customer reviews and testimonials on a separate page of your site. People would peruse your site and eventually check out what others have to say about your products or services, but nowadays the paradigm has shifted. People are nowadays much more interested in what your customers have to say than what you think they should see on your site, simply because it’s difficult to find a trustworthy brand with so many competitors on the global market.

If you want to stand out and earn the trust of newcomers, then you need to bump up your reviews and testimonials to the home page. The home page, and every landing page that people visit is where visitors will form an opinion of your brand. To capture their attention and show them you’re trustworthy, place the best reviews and testimonials front and center. This will build social proof immediately and incentivize the visitor to stick around.

Gather expert reviews and endorsements

People trust their peers, but they also trust certain unbiased individuals in the industry whom they perceive to be the foremost authorities in the field. One of the best ways to get people to trust you and to drive traffic to your website and social media is to partner up with influencers in your industry, but also to get experts to review your products, services, and your brand as a whole. Getting words of praise by such experts could skyrocket your brand in the eyes of your audience.

You can find the best influencers for your brand by implementing data science into your marketing strategy. By collecting and organizing relevant industry data, you will be able to find the best influencers that perfectly match your brand’s values, mission, and vision. You can then reach out for a few sponsored posts that will turn the attention of the social media world to your brand.

Use a dedicated website CRO tool

Your website is your most valuable asset in the modern online world, so it is imperative to use your site to build as much social proof as possible. Aside from using reviews, leveraging user-generated content and displaying trust badges (more on both in a minute), you should also integrate a dedicated tool that will help with conversion rate optimization.

Having the right CRO tool on your website will allow you to customize the notifications your visitors see and capture their attention. As they’re perusing your site, small corner popups will appear telling them that others have bought a product, signed up for a free trial, downloaded a free eBook, and more. These little cues will quickly build up social proof and validate the visitor’s decision to buy something from a brand they don’t know. It’s a simple, automated way to get people onboard and help them make the right decision.

Showcase customer photos and videos

There has been a lot of talk about user-generated content in recent years, and it has only been gaining traction with time. Nowadays, you can’t have an effective marketing strategy or generate qualified leads without leveraging the photos and videos of your previous customers enjoying your products or services.

On your social media pages, you should regularly publish user-generated content and tag your previous customers (with their explicit consent) to show your audience that these are real, satisfied customers. You should do the same on your website, sprinkling these photos and videos throughout the site, and especially on your product pages to incentivize the newcomers to make a purchase.

Display your trust badges and certifications

On a final note, remember that potential customers and returning ones want to see that the authorities in the industry are putting their trust in your brand. Security companies, compliance and government institutions, shipping companies and couriers, manufacturers – all of these can choose to have their badges and logos displayed on your site to build trust and loyalty with the consumers. Be sure to display all relevant trust badges throughout your site along with your promises and guarantees to make it easier for the visitor to become a loyal customer and brand advocate.

Wrapping up

Social proof is a vital part of marketing psychology, and it should be a vital part of your digital marketing strategy in 2021. With these tips in mind, you should have no problem getting more customers to your doorstep and securing your brand’s reputation in the years to come.

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• Blogger: Jolene Rutherford
• Marketing Specialist - turned blogger at Technivorz
• Jolene Rutheford is a writer with a degree in marketing, currently writing for technivorz.com. After getting a marketing degree she has worked with startups on business and marketing development. Today Jolene lives and works in Sydney, where she has returned after graduating from college in the US and working in Asia as a marketing specialist. Interested in media and social media, digital marketing and new technology trends. Loves sharing content that can help and inform people.
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