How can social proof be used to improve conversion rates?
Ways to Use Social Proof to Improve Conversion Rates.
Social proof is a phenomenon that allows people to make decisions without thinking too much about it. It’s the reason why we join in a standing ovation at the theatre, or why we prefer to go to a busy restaurant even though there are two empty ones nearby. Using social proof effectively is one of the best ways to improve your conversion rate. (Searching in Google, “Video marketing mistakes“? Contact us today!)
Whether it’s a customer review, social media followers, or expert endorsements, there are many ways to incorporate social proof into your ecommerce marketing campaigns. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
1. Use Testimonials and Reviews.
A customer testimonial or review on your website can have a powerful impact on your conversion rates. For example, ComScore found that adding testimonials to a product page brought them an 84 percent increase in conversions.
2. Display Popular Products and Content.
When you display the most popular products and content on your site, it’s a great way to show potential customers that other people are interested in them. This type of social proof is also useful for cross-selling, as it helps to encourage visitors to purchase more items from your store.
3. Use Case Studies and Testimonials.
Business buyers tend to trust their peers more than a business owner or salesperson, so case studies and testimonials are important for B2B marketers. These types of content are based on real-life experience and include direct quotes from clients.
4. Use User-Generated Content.
Having customers create content that showcases your brand is another powerful form of social proof. For example, Shoedazzle, an American online fashion subscription service, encouraged their clients to produce short review videos that helped them catapult sales.
5. Respond to Reviewers.
Providing responses to customer reviews is a great way to show other shoppers that you care about their experiences with your business. Over 55% of reviewers expect a response within one business day, so be sure to reply to their comments as quickly as possible.
6. Share Positive Customer Feedback.
A simple mention from a satisfied customer on social media can have a huge impact on your conversion rates. Notion, a project management software company, took to Twitter to share a customer’s tweet about how pleased they were with their new product.
These kinds of positive feedback are often more likely to be seen and retweeted than negative customer comments. For this reason, it’s important to take the time to genuinely respond to customer reviews and comments.
7. Implement A/B Testing and Social Proof.
It’s essential to design experiments that use different types of social proof to see which works best for your e-commerce site. This can be done by placing your social proof at different locations on your website and comparing the results to find out which placements generate the highest conversions.
A good solution for incorporating social proof is one that allows you to easily create and place social content on your e-commerce website. Fortunately, there are a number of tools that allow you to do this with no coding required.