Credibility can be one of the most important parts of building authenticity for your brand, allowing you to connect with the right clientele, in addition to allowing customers to build trust and confidence in your brand. We have listed five ways in which you can start social proofing your business today - but first we should start with what is social proofing.
Social proofing is a ‘psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others, to reflect the correct behaviour for a given situation’, according to Wikipedia.
Essentially, social proofing allows you to create an element of trust with your customers building the credibility of your brand and ultimately drawing new customers to you based on recommendations they trust.
So, lets dive into the five different ways you can start social proofing your business today:
1.Testimonials
Testimonials are a great way to let prospective customers know what current or previous clients have thought of your services. It can be a great insight into your work ethic, the quality of your product and the legitimacy of your business. These can be from current clients and/or brand advocates in the form of tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram comments, etc. When writing your testimonials make sure to give your testimony credit by signing off with who the client is, which will create a personalised connection with the prospective customer. If you can get written testimonials with an image of the customer or client or even better a video testimonial, this can add more authenticity to it.
2. Reviews
Alongside testimonials reviews are a great way to prove your credibility and legitimacy on other platforms, where customers will search for your brand. Platforms such as Yelp, Google Reviews and Trust Pilot are great platforms to begin with. If your business is within a niche market you may choose to use a specific review site tailored to your niche for example, if you provide beauty services, you may ask customers to leave a review of your services on Treatwell.
3. Social Media
Social media allows you to advertise and connect with potential customers and current clients in a personalised way. This can be done through documenting your milestones to show gratitude and the progress of your business to potential customers and current clients. An example of this can be done through allowing them to compete in fun competitions in collaboration with other brands and influencers, enhancing the social proof of your company.
4. Trust Icons or Accreditations
Utilising trust icons or industry accreditations on your website or other promotional content, shows the legitimacy and reliability of your business by being supported by your association with other reputable companies. When building your website think about adding trust icons onto the landing and checkout page to enhance the legitimacy and credibility of your business.
5. Awards
Being nominated for or winning business or industry awards is another great way of building social proof for your business. Entering awards can certainly make a difference to your overall brand perception, not only with your target audience but also with your competitors and peers. To ensure it works effectively for you, having a strategic plan in place for which awards will give you the level of exposure you need for your business is the best way to use it to your advantage and receive the kudos you deserve.
Conclusion
All five of these areas can build confidence, trust and credibility in your brand adding to the social proofing aspect of your business. If you'd like to learn more about implementing social proofing into your business or how to apply social proofing to your brand, book a FREE brand strategy call today to see how we can help you.
