Do you need some examples of social proof for your website?
Adding social proof to your WordPress site is a great way to boost conversions, build a bigger following, and increase sales in your eCommerce shop.
So in this post, we’ll show you some awesome examples of social proof to give you the inspiration you need to increase conversions.
What Is Social Proof?
So, what does social proof mean?
Social proof is the psychological phenomenon where people will follow the actions of others. They assume that those actions are aligned with ‘correct’ behavior and that it will lead to them being liked.
In other words, people tend to do what others before them have done. Pretty cool, right?
So why is social proof important? Well, marketers use social proof as a way to ease the minds of site visitors and encourage them to take action.
For example, you might use social proof on your WordPress forms to get people to sign up for your newsletter, download your freebie, request a consultation, or receive a coupon to use in your eCommerce shop.
There are several types of social proof you can use:
- Customer Social Proof
- Expert Social Proof
- Celebrity Social Proof
- Crowds Social Proof
- People Like You Social Proof
- Stamps of Approval Social Proof
- Influencer Social Proof
- Testimonials as Social Proof
Now let’s take a look at some examples of each type of social proof and how you can use them on your own small business website.
Social Proof Examples to Try
Asking yourself what is an example of social proof? There are several different types of social proof, and we’ve covered them in the list below.
1. Customer Social Proof
Using your current customers’ or users’ activity to convince new site visitors to take action is one of the greatest social proof tools and strategies. One of the best ways to do this is to add a case study or display a live feed of things happening on your website.
For example, OptinMonster does this using the social proof app TrustPulse.
When a potential customer visits their site, they show social proof notifications, powered by TrustPulse, at the bottom-left corner to increase their sales conversion rates.
Most of the time people are not sure if they can trust your website or not. However, when they see that someone has already purchased the same product, they feel more confident to buy your product without much hesitation. And this can increase your conversions by up to 15%.
Click here to get started with TrustPulse social notifications. You can also read our TrustPulse review if you’d like to check out of the awesome features.
2. Expert Social Proof
Expert social proof is when you use credible experts and authority figures in your field to encourage site visitors to convert.
And, since 84% of people trust online ratings and reviews as much as a personal recommendation, it makes sense that using customer reviews or an industry expert’s recommendation on your site will encourage visitors to take action.
Take a look at this social proof eCommerce example from the popular health company Nature Made. They display the fact that pharmacists recommend their vitamin and supplement brand above all other brands.
This is something that people are going to take seriously while making their final buying decision. After all, if the experts agree, site visitors will too. If you’ve got something to brag about with your product or service, do it!
3. Celebrity Social Proof
Celebrity social proof is when a famous person endorses your products and services in an attempt to convince people to take action on your site.
They are a fantastic tool because celebrity endorsements can go a long way when it comes to getting people to buy something or do something.
Check out this social proof example from Price. It’s designed to encourage site visitors to either book their next trip or sign up for exclusive offers using actress Kaley Cuoco in their ads.
This is probably one of the oldest forms of social proof and has been used by marketers in all industries and in all forms of media at some point or another.
People love to follow what their favorite celebrities are doing, and you’d be smart to tap into that if you could nab a celebrity recommendation.
4. Crowds Social Proof
One of the easiest to use types of social proof is the concept of crowds. In fact, many businesses use this on their email signup forms to get people to subscribe.
Here’s a social proof example where Basecamp mentions the number of people who signed up to use Basecamp the week before.
A higher number can make it more likely your site visitors will sign up. By showing people your existing customer base using concrete large numbers, you’re actually telling them that your product is worth it.
If you need another crowds social proof example, take a look at what Convince & Convert is doing on their site’s signup form on a form landing page:
Again, they show that thousands of people are already signed up for their email list and that you should sign up too.
5. People Like You Social Proof
We’re programmed to do what other people are doing, and especially if we can relate to those people. When people similar to you use a product or service, or sign up for an email newsletter, you might feel more inclined to do it too.
That’s why adding People Like You social proof to your forms can help get conversions, the way Proactiv did in the below social proof example.
Notice the pictures they use on their signup form. It shows everyday people experiencing the same problem you have, and the fact they have gotten positive results from using the products Proactiv offers as a solution. They clearly know their target audience and want to show you it could be you, too.
This type of marketing is great for convincing people that they can benefit from what you have to offer, just like others before them have. And it works great in an exit intent popup.
Here’s a great idea for using this: Do you share images of your customers on your Instagram feed?
If so, you can display that feed directly on your website using a social feed plugin like Smash Balloon. Their Social Wall Pro tool lets you combine multiple feeds in one place to display on your WordPress site.
On top of the many things that Social Wall Pro can help you with, using it to show your customer’s faces on your website is just another way to tap into using People Like You social proof!
Click here to get started with Social Wall Pro now.
6. Stamps of Approval Social Proof
Stamps of Approval are another social proof example that’s a great way to gain customers’ trust by adding an official stamp of approval to them.
For instance, Bills.com adds a few stamps of approval to their contact form. They add both the Better Business Bureau stamp and the VeriSign stamp of approval, which shows that the website is secure and uses a valid SSL certificate.
This is the perfect example of how you can use official stamps of approval to show site visitors that your site is secure and that you take WordPress security seriously. This also tells them that visitor data is safe while also showing awards your site or brand has received to build authority in your industry.
7. Influencer Social Proof
Similar to celebrity endorsements for social proof, influencer social proof is its own version of the popular marketing tactic. Influencer marketing involves paying for another social media account, usually a person with a large or niche following, to promote your products or services.
It’s a great way to get followers and customers that follow you if you’re recommended by an influencer they trust and admire. But before you dive head-first into influencer marketing, you’ll need to make sure you are on top of your social media game in case you get an influx of potential customers.
You might want to try having the influencer share links to a giveaway on your page…so you can grab interested people’s email addresses fast, while also having fun and running a contest on your WordPress website like we’ve shown below.
Click here to get started with RafflePress today.
8. Testimonials as Social Proof
Here’s a social proof example of using testimonials to build trust for a brand.
Having other people sharing their experiences is a fantastic way to boost sales.
These testimonials don’t have to be very long. Just simple recommendations for your product, service, or even free lead magnet from your happy customers. Notice how the name of the person and their title comes first before their testimonial. This builds credibility for the person before anyone even reads their testimonial.
it’s easy to ask customers for testimonials by displaying a targeted popup that only shows up for logged-in users with OptinMonster. Then, you know you’re only showing that popup to people who have purchased something from your site.
You can easily use this tactic to tap into the power of social proof with testimonials.
Click here to get started with OptinMonster today.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it! You now have some great social proof examples. So, you can start using social proof marketing on your website right away, and get more conversions than ever before.
And if you want some more tips for building a bigger email list, be sure to check out our helpful guide on growing your email list fast starting now.
So, what are you waiting for? Get started with the most powerful WordPress forms plugin today.
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