Your customers’ words are some of your best sales tools.
When people visit your website for the first time, they’re immediately looking for trust factors.
They want to know that you’re credible and that your product or service will bring them value.
(With the high volume of online scams, most website visitors assume that you’re NOT credible by default – it’s the job of trust factors, such as social proof on your website, to convince them otherwise).
Although we might try to deny it, we humans are incredibly influenced by each other.
Social proof has a big impact on our purchasing decisions, especially when we identify with the people we’re following.
Robert Cialdini, the author of the best-selling book Influence, writes: “We view a behaviour as more correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others performing it.”
This concept applies equally to B2B and B2C sales.
Whether it’s influencers promoting products on social media or corporate sponsorships at sporting events, social proof heavily influences people’s decisions.
But let’s move away from the morally ambiguous methods of brand deals and focus instead on your real customers.
You can leverage social proof as a powerful marketing tool by sharing the genuine experiences that your clients and customers have with your brand.
Every customer is potentially a great success story and transformation worth sharing – they came to you with a problem, and you were able to provide a solution.
Where most people will find this kind of social proof is on a testimonial on your Google Business profile and your website.
They’re an incredibly effective way to build your credibility, but often, they’re just snapshots of the customer’s whole experience.
What if your best customers could help attract more business?
Expand your testimonials into customer spotlights and case studies to make the most of social proof.
A customer spotlight allows you to share a real-life example of the value you can deliver.
By sharing your customer’s story, you’re showcasing their authentic experience.
When it comes to the trust factor, this kind of social proof is invaluable for somebody new to your brand.
There’s no fluff, or uncertain claims, just honest words from someone they can relate to.
A customer spotlight is also a wonderful way to create valuable content when you want to share fresh content from a new perspective.
The beauty of these kinds of posts is that they mostly write themselves too – you’re simply asking your customers questions, and their answers will make up most of the content.
Take a look at some of your recent testimonials – are there opportunities to expand on them to increase their impact?
I’ll bet there are!
Here are four questions to create customer spotlights and case studies for social proof:
- What was your situation like before working with us / buying from us? (ask about their challenges and what they were looking for)
- Why did you choose to work with us / buy from us? (find the one thing that got them over the line)
- What happened as a result? (find the specific transformational changes they experienced)
- What would you say to someone who’s sitting on the fence about working with us?
Ask these questions via email, phone or video (video is best!) and then publish the answers as a customer spotlight on your website and key sales pages.
You’ll be amazed at how this social proof improves conversion rates and sales on your website.
