#Infographic Applying the Social Proof Principle in digital marketing

Are you looking for effective marketing tactics and stumble upon the word Social Proof? And now you’re searching for ideas on how to use it for digital marketing?

You came to right article.

I’m going to share with you here what this principle is about, how it affects you and me, and how to apply it in a strong and subtle way.

Social Proof Definition

But what does the term social proof even mean?

In his book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert Cialdini clearly defined social proof.

He clarified: “It states that one means we use to determine what is correct is to find out what other people think is correct.”

“The principle of social proof says so: The greater the number of people who find any idea correct, the more idea will be correct.”

Social Proof In Action

A perfect example of how this principle has a powerful effect on us is when we check or search on Google what others think about a certain idea or product.

Let me share with you a true-story routine that I do as a consumer.

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Before I buy a beauty product that I saw at the mall or online, I check the reviews of beauty experts or makeup enthusiasts. I read their blogs from top to bottom. I watch their YouTube videos from start to end. All because I want to see if the beauty product that I’ve been eyeing is worth of my hard-earned money.

I believe that there’s no such thing as the perfect product. So if majority of the blogs and vlogs said they liked the product, this motivates me more to buy the product. However, if most of them said that they didn’t like the product, then that’s the end.

Do you also do the same thing when you want to purchase an expensive product and want the most out of every penny you spent?

Social proof is one of the reasons why there are reviews or comments section on different websites because they know that people’s thoughts can influence others to take action.

People give review in Amazon, Airbnb, Booking, YouTube, App Store, and even on Uber. All because as humans we want the security that we won’t make a spending mistake.

Social Proof Ideas For Marketing

If you’re looking for ideas on how you can apply social proof in your business and assure your audience that your product can help them, you can ask your current clients to leave a good review on your Facebook page or ask bloggers to give their honest review about your product.

However, if you want to go big and apply the social proof principle in your website, the best option is to make it visual for your audience. After all, we’re all about visuals in today’s digital age, one way to make social proof more effective is to visualize it.

Here are five ways, shown in this infographic by Visme, you can gain credibility using images that produce social proof – turning your current prospects into customers.