Remove Buyer Uncertainty with Social Proof

The human need to feel a sense of belonging is a compelling motivator. Here’s how it helps you in your marketing

“But mom, everybody else is going!”

“And if they all ran off the edge of a cliff, would you go along, too?”

We’ve all had that childhood exchange; part of growing up is learning to think for ourselves. What we didn’t know at the time was that mom was also teaching a valuable lesson about the power of social proof for good or bad designs.

This article explores constructive ways to use social proof in marketing communications.

What is Social Proof?

We need to make a basic distinction between social proof and factual proof, which I have written about in another article. Factual proof helps prospects to rationalize an emotional buying decision they’ve already made. Social proof gets them to make that decision.

The scientific foundation of social proof is “normative social influence.” Meaning, we naturally want to conform with a person or group we find influential so they will like us and accept us. Humans are social animals. We are driven by two fundamental desires, to seek pleasure and avoid pain. What makes social proof so powerful in persuasion is that it touches both motivators:

• Seeking pleasure: To have a sense of belonging with others is more than desirable, it’s physically and emotionally essential. To survive and to thrive we must cooperate and work together, and that means conforming to group norms. The reward for conformity is security and sharing in the benefits of group membership.
• Avoiding pain: For most people, being denied acceptance by a group we want to belong to is painful. Becoming an outcast – losing group acceptance and belonging – can be an even more unpleasant prospect. Between seeking pleasure and avoiding pain, most people will prioritize pain avoidance. When the pain versus pleasure balance is uncertainly close, if you don’t have social proof to tip the balance in pleasure’s favor then the safety reflex will win out and that is the end to your marketing appeal.

Although we cherish individualism, instinctively we know that to be alone in a group environment is to be at a social disadvantage, one so serious it compels us to change our personal and professional behaviors to match group expectations. For marketers, the importance of social proof is that it drives the prospect to act without the need for a present external motivation – our innate need to stay with the pack makes us change ourselves even when no one else is around.

Social Proof in Action

One of my favorite pieces of marketing copy is the classic two-page Wall Street Journal subscription sales letter, also known as “The Billion Dollar Sales Letter.” Its tone was low key. It made no big promises or claims. It offered no guarantees of success. It didn’t even offer a special subscription price, just the usual introductory rate.

What made it so effective was how it wove psychographics with social proof to create an itch that could only be scratched by subscribing to the Journal. It invited the reader to compare himself unfavorably to where he thought his professional counterparts must be, by contrasting two imaginary college graduates:

“They were very much alike, these two young men… filled with ambitious dreams for the future… Recently these men returned to their college for their 25th reunion. They were still very much alike… but there was a difference.”

The letter then goes on to describe how one of the two was the president of a company and the other was a lowly department manager underneath him. Success versus failure, in stark, relative terms.

Put yourself in the shoes of a frustrated low-to-middle level manager reading that letter. Can you imagine what he’s thinking? I can:

• “This describes me perfectly. I should be much further along in my career by now.”
• “I’d be embarrassed to be compared to a lot of my classmates today; I bet they’re all doing better than me. I wonder what they’d think if they saw me?”
• “What am I doing wrong, and how can I catch up?”

An oblique use of social proof – a hypothetical comparison of being left behind one’s peers that resonated with the gnawing worries, doubts, and fears of the legions of business professionals who responded by subscribing– made this letter a copywriting legend.

Social Proof Tools

Social proof comes in many forms. One way to uncover social proof opportunities is to look for emotional triggers. These can be perceived similarities with others, uncertainty about how others will react, what recognized experts or thought leaders are doing, and showing large numbers of people doing the same thing we want the reader to do. Here are five examples of social proof tools:

• Testimonials and customer reviews. “Nobody wants to be the first to try your product” is a major sales prospect resistance point. Credible, favorable testimonials and reviews from thrilled customers overcome that objection and foster confidence: about 7 of every 10 consumers today read testimonials and reviews as part of their buying decisions. Testimonials from relevant experts and celebrities can be especially effective as social proof.
• Case studies and white papers. A client success story is the ultimate testimonial and review. But while testimonials and reviews reinforce your marketing copy, case studies are separate pieces that show through the client’s successful experience how your product or service solves real-world problems. White papers supply deeper persuasive insights into the technology, features, and benefits.
• Certifications. Whether it’s a UL-listing, FDA approval, or compliance with HIPAA and HITECH Act requirements, showing that you have the approval of the government or a recognized standards organization is persuasive evidence showing trustworthiness to prospects.
• Suggestive data. “Billions and billions served.” Sometimes the elegance of simplicity is enough: For McDonald’s Restaurants, what better way to suggest to customers that they can trust you and that they can be sure of what they’ll receive than those four words?
• Social media. Depending on what you sell, your social media presence could be vital to your customer reach. Particularly for individuals in their 30s and younger, what they read about you and from you through social media is as important in forming their opinions as what they hear from their in-person friends.

Benefits of Using Social Proof

The value of social proof is in overcoming prospect uncertainty about whether to take that next step you want them to. To get them to act when their instincts telling them to stop.

When people are unsure of a choice before them, or even if they should turn back, they look around to others they trust for guidance on what they should do and how they should act. It’s true on the battlefield; it’s true at a party; and it’s true about buying decisions, especially first-time ones.

Having the right social proof available for reluctant or resistant prospects encourages them to step through your virtual shop doorway, because you’ve enlisted influential people and information to provide not only externally reinforced confidence but also a specific way to act on it. The five social proof tools above are not the only ones you can use. If you’d like to discuss more ways to use social media, then please leave a note in the comments below.