Did you find yourself listening to Drake’s latest album or wearing a smartwatch because someone recommended it to you? Humans as social creatures are designed to look to other people for reference - be it for lifestyle, food, or important life decisions.
What is landing page social proof, then? It works on the very same principle.
According to the concept of normative social influence (or society), social proof is based on the idea that people will conform to be liked by, similar to, or approved by the influencer they respect.
Say you’re browsing a landing page and see a testimonial from an industry expert you respect (e.g., Kylie Jenner saying she uses XYZ product); that’s a landing page social proof. It’s social proof when you’re looking at a pricing page and notice that a major industry player is already using the technology.
Social proof can also present itself when you sign up for a demo because you saw how the product handled a similar company’s challenge.
In short, landing page social proof is a green signal for you because the recommendation comes from someone you trust or admire!
Entrepreneurs can understand the psychology of landing page social proof by dividing it up into four categories:
Similarity: Opportunists acquire information from a variety of sources and people to make decisions. Because humans are social beings, we are impacted greatly by thoughts, findings, and activities.
Uncertainty: People often look to social proof for guidance and help when they encounter unfamiliar situations.
Number: The more satisfied consumers are with a product or service before buying it, the more trust new customers have in it.
Expertise: Opinions and validation coming from more knowledgeable or experienced people are highly valued by prospective customers.
Understanding how to use landing page social proof will help you comprehend the “why” behind the incorporation of social proof into your landing page. To make this easier, let’s take a gander at some of the many benefits of using social proof on landing pages:
Trust building
Increasing credibility of one’s organization
Guide and affirm the customers’ buying decisions
There are six major sources of social proof on landing pages. If you plan on creating a social proof landing page, start by leveraging the sources you already have, and then work a little to acquire some more!
Crowds: For landing page social proof to work well, mention large numbers of people who provide social proof, e.g., “no. of people use the LeadGen Online Form Builder to get more leads.”
Friends: Conversions are more likely when you present social proof from friends of your website visitors, e.g., “50 of your friends like Apexure”.
Customers: Receiving social proof from your existing customers base, e.g., testimonials or case studies.
Celebrities: Social proof coming from celebrities or other influencers, e.g., stars who have bought your product or visited your establishment.
Experts: Your industry’s credible and esteemed experts make for good social proof, e.g., experts who exhibit the same behaviours that you want our visitors to.
Certifications: A trustworthy, 3rd party entity that certifies that you are a knowledgeable, high-quality source for, e.g., “USDA Certified Organic.”
Landing page social proof can be presented in a multitude of creative ways. If you are looking for ideas, here are powerful ways to display social proof on landing pages!
Testimonials can be written or video testimonials, and they usually include the following recommended items:
Comments and quotes – Landing page social proof can be acquired if you ask your clients and customers for commentary, feedback, and sections on their experience with your offer.
Names – By using the real terms of real people, you can help build credibility with your visitors. This increases the probability of you creating a good social proof landing page.
Pictures – Avoid using stock photos and instead utilize real images of real clients in your testimonials. Remember, a good social proof landing page can support your testimonial claims and make you appear more genuine and improve landing page UX.
Company and role – Visitors can better understand how your offer assists them in the field and at work by mentioning your testimonial subject’s actual job title and firm.
The use of personalized, unique testimonials is inviting for the new consumer, acting as a good social proof landing page.
There’s nothing like seeing proof of concept explained by real stats and customer data for yourself. We recommend you show off your previous successes to your visitors and share what you can do for them.
You can use case studies or test results to show proof of concept and increase the likelihood of acquiring landing page social proof.
Note the specific mention of case studies and personal reviews provided by the company. The endorsement provided by such clever marketing is direct and to the point. This is one of many great ways to create the perfect social proof landing page.
By mentioning case studies, the customer gets a sneak peek into the company’s working model. Not only does this create a sense of trustworthiness around the brand, but it also creates an indirect endorsement effect that are key in social proof landing pages!
Ratings, consumer comments, and rankings are all examples of review formats. A review, unlike a testimonial, is quantitative input from your consumers, such as a rating system or qualitative feedback from your customers, which discusses the benefits and drawbacks of your product or service offering versus the storytelling experience aspect.
In the example mentioned above, reviews and ratings help the new consumer create a comprehensive idea about your company. What better way than to present personal reviews and company feedback ratings!
These can come in the form of badges, seals, certifications, or even a link to your privacy policy.
Depending on your industry, choose your icons, badges, seals, and certs carefully. If tested out properly, trust icons can help flash a sense of security to audiences without using too many words.
Note the visible use of trusted brand logos. Not only does this increase trustworthiness of the brand in the eyes of the customer, but it also reassures them that the brand is as reliable as the ones endorsing it.
Although they may not be very in-your-face, the presence of a subtle “#1 Listswev Alternative ‘’ or any such certification becomes an automatic social proof of credibility. The presence of trusted brand logos make for excellent and guaranteed social proof.
This feature is particularly useful if you have a SaaS company or other offering that integrates with other tools.
Connecting your services to platforms that your visitors are already familiar with can be quite beneficial to them and reduce friction during the purchasing process.
The more integrations that are present for a brand, the higher will be the ease of transaction when it comes to conversions and purchases.
It becomes indirect social proof of its credibility once you see similar companies listed under an unfamiliar brand. Integrations are like oil - they grease the gears of online marketing by creating a sense of familiarity between the brand and the customer.
If you are a Saas company, integrations can prove extremely helpful in reducing the friction of an online transaction!
There’s a certain strength behind numbers and stats that can build credibility in a visitor’s mind. When they see tangible things like the number of users or downloads, several subscribers, or purchase counts, this can help your visitors understand the scope of your product adoption.
Take a note of the graphs being used to represent the company in numbers.
The data sets presented in the examples mentioned above make for excellent social proof of success.
If you have the budget, you can also leverage celebrity endorsements and influencers. This appeals to your audience’s emotional relationship to superstars and their attraction to influencers who are similar to them.
By putting Paris Hilton front and center, they have affirmed that this is a trustworthy product for a wealthy mogul, so you would be inclined to agree to it.
Watch how they draw your attention to the resident expert/celebrity in the field.
When your visitors consider your offer, social media proof might have a big impact on their minds. This is one technique to take advantage of the bandwagon effect.
You can utilize social media buttons with an automatic follower counter that displays how many people have shared your offer. Another alternative is to embed social media posts into your landing page, which will allow your visitors to see social connections.
In some cases, it might prove beneficial to present social media proof in a unique manner. Take Crown and Paw for example. Social media proof is presented on the page in the form of comments from users and customers alike.
Note the personalized touch given by adding their social media pictures as social proof.
Taking the angle of one person benefiting from an offer and then spinning it onto the user’s perspective is a way to use implied social proof.
For example, featuring a success story can nudge your audience to ask themselves how the same concept affects their life in the same way.
Witness the clever strategy put in place by Crown and Paw. For this page, implied social proof is in the form of a success story/customer reaction video.
There is no direct mention of an endorsement; the social proof is simply implied in certain cases.
Using statistics to demonstrate your legitimacy is akin to using activity social proof, but with numbers that reflect user volume and activity.
By showing how your current customers and users are benefitting from your offer, the proof of inactivity can speak for itself.
The “50%” catches everyone’s attention no matter what the context is. In addition to this, it also makes sure that the numbers speak for themselves.
Something as simple as including a physical address of your business, phone number, or other contact info can help to build credibility for your business.
This concept is based on the idea that people are naturally drawn to things that appear more local and relevant to their lives.
Note the clever use of bold numbers and eye-catching statistics. This will help you provide social proof on landing pages.
Providing one’s address and contact details as a brand gives the customer a materialistic tether to trust your brand. Giving one’s details usually equals legitimacy in the eyes of a new customer, hence acting as social proof in itself.
User-generated content (UGC) is text, videos, images, reviews, etc.—created by people rather than brands. And brands will often share UGC on their social media accounts, website, and other marketing channels.
Instagram is the principal channel for user-generated content (UGC) for many marketers. Users publish and share posts about your brand, bringing your products and services to the attention of their followers. Even better, you may share that material with your audience, increasing your credibility.
Unique user-generated content can help you create a special social proof landing page.
Assuring the consumers of their privacy is a great way to garner more conversions on your website and product.
The provision of a privacy policy and a TnC at the footer implies that the brand truly cares about its customer’s privacy and wishes to receive their consent for further transactions. This small gesture goes a long way in creating a sense of reassurance in the minds of the customers.
Take note of the constant reassurance provided to the consumer. This becomes social proof in and of itself.
It’s less about testing whether or not to include social proof and more about trying how and when you use social proof. Here are a few of the elements of social proof that you should constantly be optimizing:
The type of social proof - We suggest you try the six standard styles, the three new spins, and the dozens of other options available. Social proof works, but how you present it can be optimized for more lift.
The content of social proof - Don’t stop looking for social proof once you have filled the three testimonial slots on your landing page. Always be mining for it so that you can rotate the content and test for the best results.
Try testimonials that address objections - Usually, these include testimonials that talk about the benefits, testimonials that use your core keywords, and so on.
The placement of social proof - We’ve all seen the three testimonials at the bottom of the landing page design. Push back when your designer recommends hiding your social evidence away at the bottom every single time. You’d rather want to be designing for conversions.
Use social proof as supporting copy near a call to action or at a point of friction.
Make strategic use of social proof. Targeted marketing will help you convert better than general appreciation for your goods or service. Use the rest of the landing page to support the case you’re making and the tale you’re telling with your social evidence.
Use social proof to counter objections. What are the reasons someone might not convert? Try answering these questions on the go.
Use social proof to humanize your marketing. A one-line testimonial from John Smith is meaningless. Put names to faces, list companies, link to their Twitter pages, etc.
Don’t leave out the social and instead try to humanize your marketing with social proof! Please make a list of companies, connect to their Twitter pages, and so on. Don’t forget to include a social component.
Using social proof is like choosing a house. While a small 1 BHK might suffice your needs, a big family of 7 needs a bigger suburban house to fulfil theirs. Similarly, the social proof that you choose to use as a brand depends largely on your social marketing strategy and your foreseeable needs as a company.
This is why it becomes crucial to test the different kinds of social proof available for use. By doing so, you’d be at an advantage to determine what works well for your unique goals and objectives.
Trust Apexure to do this job for you. Take advantage of using landing page social proof in the most effective places that persuade your prospects to convert with our efficient services. Contact us today!
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Founder & CEO of Apexure, Waseem worked in London’s Financial Industry. He has worked on trading floors in BNP Paribas and Trafigura, developing complex business systems. Waseem loves working with Startups and combines data and design to create improved User Experiences. Read more
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