In psychology, social proof is defined as follows: When people perceive that others are doing something, they will usually mimic this behavior. Learn how to use social proof to increase conversion rates in this article.
For instance, if there are two groups of people walking down the street together, one group will typically walk at a quicker pace than the other.
People who remain behind the faster group are more likely to join their side because it seems like a good idea to stay in the crowd. This theory was first described by Edward Thorndike in the 1920s and has been proven over and over again throughout history.
It makes sense- why would someone go against the grain?
When you’re trying to get someone to do something new or different, what is more effective – telling them they are wrong or showing them how many people have already done it?
Conversion experts use social proof effectively when creating landing pages or buying persuasion tools. They add pictures and statements that show how great an item or service is before adding it to promote engagement.
They also use testimonials and quotes from real-life cases where people used the product for success.
Luckily, you can implement some of these into your website or business! Read on to find out more.
What is social proof?
Social proof is using evidence (or ‘proof’) of whether or not something is working to determine if people will perform the same action.
Provide several testimonials to increase conversion rates
Including lots of references to your product or service can help prove that there are now others who feel it is worth buying. The easiest way to do this is to use online testimonial sites to gather them!
There are many free, easy-to-use test review websites where you can add your testimony or pick through the ones already added. By adding these reviews, you increase the social proof for your product!
Your landing page should include at least five examples of people talking about how they loved your product or service. If possible, create your example to improve the effect.
However, even if you don’t have any examples yet, you can still use social proof by writing an article or making a statement about the benefits of your product or service.
Include reviews to increase conversion rates
One of the most powerful proof styles that you can use is by including product or service reviews. People are heavily influenced by what other people think about a product, so if there are many positive comments for a particular one, then it will influence their decision whether or not to buy it.
By adding a review box or even writing your review, this article’s website will be able to link to the product’s landing page which has more information.
This way, users will know something about the product, they will perceive it as being more trustworthy, and therefore likely to work, along with having lots of positive feedback.
Interchangeable with our last topic, social proof works because we feel comfortable around things that are known to work, and thus may give the same feeling of comfort when shopping.
Appeal to their fears and doubts
When you’re trying to get someone to buy something, it makes sense to appeal to what they already know.
You can use this principle by motivating through potential benefits or rewards. For example, if you were asking someone to invest in your product or service, you could say “The market has spoken — people like X are using Y to achieve Z so we should do too.”
By emphasizing how successful others have been with your competitor’s product, you create social proof that encourages individuals to come along for the same ride.
This is especially powerful because you don’t need to tell everyone about all of the great things your product does – only one or two will matter to them. By highlighting these benefits for those who may be undecided, you increase conversion rates.
Link your landing page to other pages on your website
Another way to use social proof is to link your landing page to an existing element of your site. For example, if you’re trying to get people to join your membership platform, then why not link from the landing page to another part of your site that talks about how great the service is?
Adding links to other parts of your site creates a sense of credibility for the product or service being marketed.
Users will be drawn to the landing page because they may have heard good things about it before, but now there are also external references that make it seem more trustworthy.
Make the landing page visually appealing to increase conversion rates
While creating your landing page, make it look good! This means using appropriate fonts, and color schemes, and defining a theme or style that matches your product or service.
Landing pages with better-looking designs are more likely to stand out in comparison to those that are plain and simple.
It is important to ensure that the layout of the page includes only necessary elements. There should be enough space for you to include basic components such as “call to action” buttons, forms, etc. without having any empty spaces.
Avoid too much decoration because people will focus on this area instead of engaging with the content. Try sticking to neutral colors like white, gray, and light blue.
Make sure to keep an eye on the readability of the text as well. A nice natural flow of language is needed to appeal to everyone. Test yourself by reading through this article several times and see how easily you can comprehend what you learn.
Take some time to mix up the styles and layouts of the page to find one that is unique but also effective.
Test the landing page
A well-designed landing page with clear calls to action (CTAs) is important, but what makes or breaks your website’s success depends on something much more fundamental: how effectively you use psychology to persuade people to interact with you.
That means looking at everything from whether you include reward incentives such as free samples or testimonials to assessing risk by offering solutions that seem too good to be true or even if you can afford them. You want to give people reasons to believe in your products so that they do, which is why incorporating social proof into your landing pages is so crucial.
Social proof is when other people choose to take action because these actions make sense to them. For instance, if lots of other people have never tried one product before, then it seems like a sensible choice. Or if there are any reviews or comments about a product, this creates an impression that it works and is worth trying.
Landing pages use social proof extensively. They might ask you to read a review or tell you about some benefits, or they could suggest using a certain service through a link to the same company, etc.
By including social proof, you are letting people know that others have successfully used the product or service you are pitching, which gives their decisions a reason for being.
Whether you are asking people to join your mailing list, buy a product, or enter their email, most will shy away unless they feel like they have no options.
Link your landing page to social media to increase conversion rates
After you have done all of the hard work of designing your website, it is time to link your site to various platforms to spread the word!
Most online courses will release their launch week on both Facebook and YouTube, for example. By linking your website to these platforms, people can easily access your content.
By adding this detail to the marketing plan, you are letting the market find you. You cannot control how many people see your website, but you can control what services have linked to yours.
Landing pages do not require an account on any of these sites, so that is not a sticking point. Simply choose which ones make the most sense for your business and go from there.
Encourage commenting and sharing
When creating a landing page, one of the first things you should do is encourage people to comment and share your page. This can be done by using content that encourages interaction.
You could use pictures or illustrations to emphasize points. Make sure to include enough content so users don’t have to click out to add their comments or shares.
Interaction is a key part of social media marketing, and creating engaging content is a great way to draw in new visitors.