Adding social proof to your landing pages is a strategy that will help you boost your sales conversions. Social proof shows new customers that you are trustworthy and that other people have patronized your business in the past.
In this article, you will learn about different methods to add social proof to your landing pages.
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Contents
What’s Social Proof?
In marketing, social proof is a psychological idea that human beings take actions based on the actions of others.
No one wants to be the first to try that new restaurant in the street. However, if everyone is trying it, then it makes sense to check it out.
Humans are wired to do what other people are doing.
I have come across clients who ask for my social media page before they buy from me. Now, when they check my social media page, the key metrics they check for are the number of page likes or followers I have or sometimes the engagement I get.
Although these metrics can be easily manipulated to deceive the customer, as a business, this is what a handful of customers look out for, therefore, it only makes sense to give it to them.
Types Of Social Proof
Media and Press Coverage
Media outlets have built a reputation for providing news from around the world. Over time, people tend to give more credence to the information they get from big media platforms.
I have seen individuals having an argument over a particular product, football player, etc, then they do a Google search, see an article from a popular News platform, read the opinion of the writer and draw their conclusions; the argument ends, and everybody goes home.
Press coverage of your service or product can position your brand as an authority in the space you operate. It also has the potential to give you more reach as big media outlets have a larger audience.
When people see your brand featured in the media, they are more likely to trust and follow your brand.
Testimonials
Another element of social proof is testimonials from customers who have used your product or service. These testimonials could be in the form of a review on your Google business page, video testimonials you request from your customers or social media posts from customers who love your product.
A testimonial is proof that an actual human being has used your product and it worked for them.
For higher conversions, I recommend video testimonials. A headshot of a popular person who has used your product and what they have to say about your product also works like magic.
User ratings and reviews
When customers use your products or service, it’s best to have a feedback collection system where they can openly rate your product or service without interference from you. By interference, I mean, you have access to delete some ratings and approve some.
For this purpose, you can use Google Business or Trust Pilot to collect feedback and reviews from your customers.
This puts your brand in a good light as it shows you have nothing to hide and you are open to criticism.
Certifications or Trust badges
Certifications from government or private agencies displayed on your website or landing page are another way of implementing social proof. Assuming you sell supplements, a certification from the food and drug enforcement agency in your country adds more credibility to your brand. A certification or badge from a medical association in your country also adds credibility.
When you visit the websites of most digital marketing agencies, you tend to see certifications from Google, HubSpot, Meta, etc.
In whatever niche you service, there’s either a Government agency or private organisation that a certificate or badge from them adds more credibility to your brand.
Social Notifications
Have you visited a website where you see pop-up notifications showing you user activities like names and cities of people who just bought an item or the number of people currently on a page? These are forms of social proof using notifications.
Social notifications show users that activities are happening on the website and it gives them the extra nudge to take action.
Social notifications usually work better when combined with other forms of social proof or conversion optimisers.
How To Use Social Proof On Your Landing Page
Here are some great ways to implement social proof on your Landing pages and boost your conversions.
Add a video testimonial
Instead of using a headshot and text testimonial format, research has shown that video testimonials convert better because video conveys emotions and authenticity more than text. Customers also tend to trust videos more because it’s harder to fake.
It is easy to grab a picture of an unknown person, add a fake or different name and forge a testimonial, however, with videos, it is much harder to fake because you will need the permission of the customer to create a video.
People also remember video testimonials more than headshot/text testimonials.
Adding a video testimonial to your landing page is a must.
Add your brand ratings
Brand ratings are the overall feedback that you’ve gotten from customers who have patronised your products or services in the past. You can get this from your Google business profile or TrustPilot if you actively use any of these services.
It’s best to use your brand ratings only when you have achieved a 4-star rating or above. If you have not gotten up to a 4-star, you can leave this out of your landing page.
As stated earlier, social notifications work better when implemented with other social proof strategies.
If your landing page is built using WordPress, you can add a social notification to your landing page by installing a plugin called TrustPulse.
TrustPulse adds a user activity notification of your choosing at the bottom of your landing page. You can choose to show when a user signs up, purchases your product or how many users are currently on the landing page.
Include trust badges or certifications
If you have certifications from reputable organisations specific to the product or service you are promoting, it’s good to include them on your landing page.
Badges or certifications usually take up a small portion of the landing page. It doesn’t have to eat up a significant space in the design.
Mistakes To Avoid
Cluttering the page with too much Social Proof
Social proof is a good strategy to boost conversions on your landing page but it should be done with moderation. There are several types of social proof, and adding every single one of them is not ideal.
Also, the kind of social proof you should add depends on the product or service you are promoting. If you are a marketing agency trying to advertise your Google AdWords services, adding a social notification indicating how many people have ordered your service might be bogus. Instead, you should go with certification badges, video testimonials and excerpts or images from a press release.
Hiring an inexperienced landing page designer
Unless you are building a simple drag-and-drop landing page, it’s best to hire an experienced web designer to build your landing page for you.
An experienced web designer knows where to add each social proof element. They also know how to make the elements appear more visually appealing using CSS.
Before you hire a web designer to design your landing page, request for previous jobs they have done.
Using fake or misleading testimonials
Some years back, I saw a Facebook advert for a tool used by digital marketers. I clicked on this advert and saw the headshot of a digital marketer I knew. The name used on the landing page wasn’t her real name so I knew immediately that it was a fake testimonial. I assumed that every other testimonial on the page was fake.
I took a screenshot of the testimonial and tagged the person whose image they used on the advert. She saw it and told them to take it down or they get sued. Now, other people saw her comments and this gave negative publicity to the brand. They had to make changes to the landing page.
Creating fake testimonials for your brand is easy but it hurts your brand eventually. It’s not something you want to do.
You can start gathering testimonials or reviews by reaching out to customers who have patronized your business in the past.
Using the same testimonial repeatedly
Repeated use of testimonials can decrease conversions. It’s best to keep gathering more testimonials, reviews, media publicity, and influencer collaborations so you can interchange them on new landing pages or reference them whenever you need.
In conclusion, adding a form of social proof to your landing page will boost your conversion rates if done correctly. By showcasing real customer testimonials, reviews, ratings or other forms of social proof, you can build trust, credibility and authority with your target audience, thereby increasing your sales and sign-ups.
It’s best to experiment with different types of social proof and placements for better results.
