What is Social Proof and How It Influences our Buying Behavior

In this article, you’ll learn what is social proof and how it affects consumer behavior.

What is the Social Proof?

What is referred to by psychologists as the follower effect or herd instinct is called social proof in marketing in good New German. The “evidence” refers to the fact that what all or many are doing will be fine. Social proof describes the human instinct to trust what we learn from the experiences of others.

Dr. Robert Cialdini, former professor of psychology and marketing at Arizona State University, researched the topic in depth. Cialdini says: by exploring what other people perceive to be good or right, we determine our own sense of right and wrong.

If our behavior is in line with the behavior of the majority, we perceive it as “right”. This increases our sense of security and we make fewer mistakes. It is only 5 percent of the people lead the way. 95 percent of people are copycats who are guided by the first 5 percent.

And how does that manifest itself in everyday life?

If a person looks up in the marketplace, everyone looks behind.
Street performers always put some coins from their own pockets in the violin case to encourage people to donate.
The owner of a nightclub supports the formation of a line in front of the club.

One of the most famous experiments to test social proof was developed by Solomon Asch in 1951. He used an eye test to try the conformity theory.

Ash tested 50 students divided into groups of eight. One of the eight students got two sheets of paper. One showed a line.

Seven of the students gave the “right” answer. The eighth student should have chosen the line on the second figure that matches the line on the other figure. Even though the correct answer was obvious, 75 percent of the participants gave an incorrect answer at least once their team said it. The two main reasons for these test results were:

1. The students wanted to belong.

2. They assumed that the other seven students had additional information that influenced the answer.

Why is social proof relevant?

You read and evaluate negative and positive experiences that other people have had when buying a product, for example. Therefore, we form an opinion about the product, brand, or company.

This exchange of information is important for lead generation. It influences purchasing decisions and provides insights into the relationship between the target group and the company.

In times of social media, influencers, and communities, traditional advertising has become outdated. The opinions of real people are perceived as more reliable and authentic, and the user feels addressed in a more personal way.

Social Proof in Online-Marketing

Buyers are learning too, and they have more choices to choose from. That’s why marketers have to be creative again and again to generate new leads and increase the conversion rate. It’s a tough business to bring products or services to customers.

Existing customers can help with this. Through reviews, they become products or brand ambassadors who increase the growth of new audiences.

Key social proof elements

Let’s look at some examples of social proof elements that can influence the popularity of your online store:

Assessing the number of followers, shares, and likes on social media
The number of downloads, subscriptions, or purchases made
The display of a visitor counter on the website
Information about the reliability of the company or the product
Expert interviews and opinions
Reviews and testimonials from celebrities, customers, or other authorities
Seals and certificates
Posting online reviews or star ratings

Negative Social Proof

Negative reviews enhance the credibility of online reviews on a website. Of course, only a small part should be negative, but it is a phenomenon that underlines the credibility of the business or product.

One of the best examples of customer testimonials is Amazon. Besides, the reviews on the platform are by no means consistently positive, but they do give an authentic picture.

Examples of social proof: customer ratings, seals of approval, influencers

The best social proof strategies you can implement for your business are:

References: If you have convinced a customer and he praises it, that is the best social proof you can have. Word of mouth still works best, online even more so.
Reviews: Potential new customers rely more on the opinions of other customers than on any company advertising. Not only your own website is used for this, if you make it possible, but also independent portals. Only quality and good service can encourage your customers to make good proofs.
Social Media Share: Social media shares are more important now than ever. Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have billions of users. They show how much your company is shared and frequented by many people. Companies that have few followers are considered inferior. However, if you already have thousands of followers, more will follow.
Expert assessments: Have your products or your company presented, evaluated, and sealed by experts. Purchasing decisions are often based on the opinion of experts. Experts are anyone who has followers.

Conclusion

70 percent of consumers trust recommendations from people they do not know. Testimonials and online reviews influence the purchasing decisions of 97 percent of consumers. Turns out 40 percent of users bought a product because it was promoted by an influencer.

These numbers speak for themselves and should inspire every entrepreneur to give it a try. There is no one right way. Use a mix of multiple social proof components to increase your sales. Social proofs, online reviews, and customer ratings have a big advantage: they are usually free of charge.