Drive Sales With Social Proof
What is up you savages?! I don’t talk about social media a whole lot, I know. But today, we are going to touch on how important it really is. And, with Meta (Facebook) being kicked OUT of the EU (can you imagine being KICKED OUT of a continent???), different platforms are going to be the go to, very soon. So, I want to talk about how to Drive Sales With Social Proof.
And in all honesty, this article is directed MORE towards SOCIAL PROOF. Like testimonials, reviews and yes, some social media posting.
So, if you’ve EVER used a customer review or testimonial in your marketing materials, you’ve enlisted the power of SOCIAL PROOF.
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Drip is a marketing automation platform built for Ecommerce — utilizing email, SMS and tight 3rd-party integrations to help businesses drive revenue.
Now this stuff isn’t new or novel (like Corona lol); we all tend to listen to one another and, at the end of the day, people are more willing to trust (and try) a brand when others share their experience. That’s why social proof is such a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal — it helps you break through the noise and turn a curious shopper into a buyer. Let’s be honest, THAT IS what we want. Am I right y’all?
What’s more, you can enlist social proof throughout or at any phase in the customer journey. Make it a part of your win-back and re-engagement strategy, invite your VIPs to try a staff favorite, and welcome your new subscribers with raves about your best sellers.
Related Reading: Best Email Marketing Services — All You Need To Know
There are a million (yep, I counted each & every one!) ways to use social proof in your marketing materials. Here is just a few:
Customer love = not-so-humble-brags.
Your audience is on social media and tagging you in photos, stories, and posts. Use those! That user-generated content (UGC) is THE MOST AUTHENTIC content you can share, and it gives your other followers a chance to see real customers using (and loving) your products.
Tip the scales on your emails.
Are you trying to up-sell, cross-sell, or get that abandoned cart over the finish line? Use a testimonial in your email about the product your customer has been eye-balling. Link to the product page for easy click-thru or give them an option to add it to their cart immediately. You can also add that info to your abandoned cart automation.
Showcase your love letters.
Long before your customer gets to a product page, they’re out there gathering info that will influence their decision to buy or not. Incorporating social proof on your core web and shopping pages builds trust and excitement early. Customers heavily traffic homepages and product pages, and showcasing your rave reviews there helps boost the believability of your product claims.
Get real with real people.
Take your social proof to the next level with testimonials, customer showcases, and case studies that put a face to the people who are using and loving your products IRL. Pictures, videos, and personal anecdotes broaden your reach and relatability.
Ask your customers how they found you, why they love you, and what keeps them coming back; details, storytelling, and depth engender trust with those curious about your product offerings. Offer discount or even free product for their help. Why not? A happy customer is a customer that will WANT others to enjoy the same great service and/or products they did.
Get your besties on board.
Word-of-mouth is the most potent marketing channel you can’t measure. What you can do, though, is encourage your customers to share and then reward them for doing so.
A brand ambassador or referral program is a win-win: you foster loyalty with your VIPs by rewarding them for spreading the love, and they bring in their community (who are likely VIPs in the making). What’s essential in building a referral program is that it is easy for your customers to use and seems worth it; Parade’s send-a-pair program featured below covers both those bases.
Influencer marketing is social proof, too.
Influencer marketing gives you access to new customer communities via an endorsement from an opinion they trust.
When working with influencers, you want them to love your product and be able to speak candidly and authentically on why. You can personalize their campaign with trackable referral codes or SMS opt-in numbers that also help you build your subscriber list. You can then send curated content and product suggestions to this segment of customers.
Tell it far and wide!
There are many ways to build and utilize social proof in your marketing once you seek feedback from your customers. Bringing it into your marketing will impact your bottom line, so get started! Remember, you work hard for your customers, and they love you for a reason. Shout it from the rooftops for all to hear, and so everyone can find you.
Ready to get started? Try Drip’s email and text message marketing tools for free. They make it easy to run sophisticated, multi-channel ecommerce marketing campaigns that drive more sales today. They offer a FREE TRAIL so you can see, first hand, just how well their platform performs. You can’t loose with Drip. Give them a try TODAY!
