Copy strategies: Social proof

Social proof: the idea that we are influenced by others’ behaviors, thoughts, and actions.

Monkey see, monkey do. Sort of.

Essentially, social proof describes our tendency to look at what other people are doing and follow suit. The more people who do or say something, the more that something is considered acceptable, and the more likely we are to join that crowd.

For example, if we’re walking down the street and notice a crowd gathered on a corner gazing up at the sky, there’s a good chance we’ll take their cue and also look up at the sky. If our airplane lands and no one gets up to stand in the aisle, we’ll probably feel the urge to also stay seated. If a line at a retail store forms on the left side of the register, chances are we’ll join them instead of forming our own line on the right.

Social proof is not a hard-set rule. Someone may consciously decide not to follow others. Someone may ignore what’s up in the sky, stand in the airplane aisle, and make a line on the right side of the register all on their own. Nonetheless, social proof will inevitably influence a good portion of us.

It’s an important copywriting tool, and it’s so easy to implement that anyone can use it to boost conversions, leads, and engagement.

Social proof in copywriting

Let’s say I’m shopping for a new wetsuit to use while winter surfing. It needs to be flexible while also stopping me from becoming hypothermic. It needs to actually work. After determining the brands I want to investigate, I immediately start looking up reviews and ratings. Why? Because if a wetsuit works for other surfers, it’ll probably work for me. As I go to different brand websites to read testimonials on their home and product pages, I also see that some wetsuits have low stock. That means a lot of people are buying them, and if they’re popular choices, then they’re probably good wetsuits.

I end up purchasing the low-on-stock wetsuit that has an average review rating of 4.6 stars.

That’s me using social proof to guide my decisions. If this sounds familiar - looking at reviews and considering availability to make my decision - that’s because it probably is. Consumers everywhere use this type of social proof to influence their purchasing actions. They look at other peoples’ experiences, thoughts, and actions to help determine if something will benefit them.

So, copywriters need to make this social proof easily accessible and readily available.

Ways to use social proof in copy

There are multiple ways to leverage social proof on websites, in email campaigns, in social media posts, and across every other channel.

Here are my favorites:

• Display top testimonials & make them easily visible

  • Ex - put some on your website landing page!

• Highlight products as “most popular” or “top sellers”

• Share impressive numbers that demonstrate popularity with consumers

  • Ex - “one million copies sold worldwide”

  • Ex - “over 100,000 subscribers”

• Use case studies to show how your product benefitted someone who rep’s your target audience

• Display valid survey data that supports certain actions

  • Ex - “74% of people surveyed prefer virtual workout options like ours”

As always, there’s more to the whole social proof concept, but these strategies are a great place to start. Many marketers and copywriters use them…and yes, that statement itself is an example of social proof.

If you want to learn more about effective social proof, I go in-depth on an important caveat in this earlier post.

TL;DR

• Social proof is the idea that our actions and behaviors are influenced by the actions and behaviors of others

• Social proof can help increase conversions, leads, and engagement

• To use social proof in copywriting, display testimonials, highlight bestselling products, share impressive numbers that display popularity, use case studies, and display valid survey data.

Best,

Megan