Humans are herd animals. When we find ourselves uncertain of how best to behave, or around people that we perceive to be like us, we make decisions by copying the actions of others.
It’s the phenomenon of social proof. This mental shortcut is driven by the belief that those around us know more than we do. Rather than individually processing the vast amount of information now at our fingertips, we copy others to speed up our decision-making. Studies show this behaviour is predictable too. If something is popular with others, we assume it will be good for us too, even if that’s not the case.
When designing brand experiences, the lesson for marketers is this: focus less on persuading people that your product or service is good and focus more on showing them that others think so. Here are five ways you can put this approach into practice.
1. Messaging
When you control the copy, put popularity front and centre. If you’re the market leader in your segment, don’t shy away from saying so. When you can’t rely on market share, be creative, or better still, funny. Your message could form the basis of a creative concept, or be used in content, signage and collateral.
2. Reviews and testimonials
Sharing customer feedback is one of the simplest ways to show social proof. Satisfaction surveys, star ratings, NPS scores, reviews and testimonials all serve to remove uncertainty and reassure prospective buyers. Within a brand experience, you’ll use these quick references at scale to demonstrate reliability.
3. Case studies
For more complex or risky decisions, we look to others for more detail to uncover similarities between their situation and ours. Case studies have deeper storytelling potential than top-level reviews, focusing on one customer and explaining their challenge, your solution and the outcomes of your work together.
4. Ambassadors
Social proof is more powerful when it comes from those perceived as especially knowledgeable. Subject matter experts and key opinion leaders may rely on professional qualifications, while celebrities and influencers lean on lived experience, but all can influence buyer behaviour – whether paid, owned or earned.
5. External endorsements
We often follow the actions of groups as well as individuals. Media firms, industry associations, commercial researchers and regulatory bodies all rely on accuracy for their reputation or revenue, and social proof is more potent when being accurate is more important.
Want to talk about embedding social proof into your brand experiences? Drop us a line, we’d love to talk.