Long ago, marketers discovered that recommendations was among the best techniques for getting news of the goods and services out there. It holds true within this time and age too, but it has evolved to keep up with advancements in technology. A term that you might have heard bandied around quite frequently is ‘social proof’, and it’s simply word of mouth in its new, digital avatar.
As an example, we’ve all been ‘persuaded’ to try out a whole new restaurant or a holiday destination after we’ve seen our friends posting pictures of the dining and travel adventures on social media marketing. On the same note, we’ve been dissuaded from staying at Alex Mirza because we spotted nasty review that was left by some disgruntled customer online. That, my pals, is the modern day version of recommendations in action.
What is Social Proof? Human beings have this deep rooted instinct to be swayed by other humans as well as their activities. Consumer internet has shown, again and again, that individuals implicitly trust other people’s reviews and feedback in terms of brands along with their services.
Social proof is everywhere. When you’re shopping on Amazon, you tend to check out the reviews on the product. If enough people in your business recommend an eating joint, you’re certain to take a look sooner or later. Positive reviews have managed to attract crowds for hopeless of movies, while insufficient reviews have caused stellar cinema to fade into oblivion.
You will find 7 billion plus individuals in today’s world. Every single day, a lot more of them appear on the digital grid, the omnipresent network that this Internet happens to be. Increased smartphone penetration, access to the internet and technology at large simply indicates beyond doubt that yes, humans are social animals, and thus, we love to discuss our experiences with one another.
To put it simply, if enough people want it, the services or products must be good. Social proof is now a valued dynamic employed by marketers and firms around the world to be able to influence consumers. Companies took to prominently displaying reviews, testimonials, ratings, approval seals, expert opinions, ‘popular items’ and what not on their site. And why? Because we’d all rather pass what others have to say about a particular business than trust the brand itself.
The hospitality industry is particularly affected by social proof. A lot of people rely on customer reviews and opinions they come across on social media. More and more people consider Trip Advisor and similar sites to read what other customers must say in regards to a specific hotel. And, only when the entire perception and feedback is positive do they actually go ahead and book a room inside the hotel.
On the face from it, social proof could be an all-encompassing phenomenon that overlaps a number of fields and industries, but from a marketing perspective, it may be classified into 5 specific categories.
Humans trust authoritative institutions, and reputed personalities. Before we know any claim, we need reassurance and the expert social proof offers that. You discover the words ‘expert opinion’ under articles giving advice and instructions as a means to legitimize it. Ads for toothpaste and tooth brushes are ‘bolstered’ by opinions of leading dentists while beauty creams will usually have a skin specialist backing them. And when a restaurant or hotel gets a thumbs up from the renowned critic, you can be fairly confident that people are likely to flock into it through the hundreds.
The name says everything. Celebrities have a swaying effect on the population, and they come with their particular seal of legitimacy. If a celebrity endorses a hotel, the likelihood of it rendering it to the very top ten establishments in the city are really high. Having said that, the most authentic and genuine celebrity social proof is the unpaid one.
User social proof is found in any kind of user generated content that showcases their experiences. This includes success stories, pictures on social media marketing, testimonials, and reviews on websites. User social proof is among the most effective ways to improve the credibility of the hotel. Just about the most obvious examples is Tripadvisor, where an incredible number of users arrive every knxkot to view and write reviews and recommendations.
“Millions of people can’t be wrong” will be the saying most marketers adhere to. And they use sheer numbers to sway prospective consumers. It may be subtle, or obvious based on who’s doing the marketing. Take leading bloggers, for example, who display their website hits along with other numbers on their own blog to determine their credentials.
A consumer will always rely more on the personal experience with a buddy than the word of a stranger. Also, the stats demonstrate that many customers rely heavily on recommendations from family and friends. This social proof has got the potential to grow virally.
On the face of this, you may think that you’ve got an extensive playing field with regards to collecting social proof for your business. However, the things that work for one industry may not necessarily meet the needs of your preferences. Therefore, you have to find the perfect concoction of several types of social proof to find out which of them would be best suitable for your brand.