8 types of social proof: how to win the trust of the target audience

When we see a line of customers waiting for a meal at a restaurant, or a photo of a celebrity drinking a particular brand of coffee, we want to try it too.

Here's how social proof works: 83% of consumers say recommendations increase the likelihood of buying a product or service. You can get your audience's trust by:

✨ Expert's stamp of approval. Expert social proof is when an industry thought leader or influencer approves of your product. This could take the form of blogging, posting on social media, or being quoted or photographed as a product user.

✨ Celebrity endorsement. Celebrity social proof typically takes the form of a celebrity using a product and promoting it on social media or in public. This form of social proof is especially meaningful if the endorsement is unpaid.

✨ User testimonials. It's a vote of confidence in the product's value. All kinds of testimonials create positive feedback from actual users: a customer review on the business's website, a review on a third-party website, a star-based rating, or a full-blown case study.

✨ Business credentials. Businesses can promote credentials like how many customers it has, what well-known businesses are their customers, or the awards it has received. Solopreneurs might even use their education as a credential their customers should care about.

✨ Earned media. If the press has published any positive reporting about your brand, this earned media is a great way to build brand awareness, backlinks to your website, and social proof that your business is worth paying attention to.

✨ Social media shares. No business should undervalue the influence social media posts about your brand can have on potential customers. Enough positive shares of your content on social networks can be all the proof one needs to invest in your product or service.

✨ "Wisdom of the crowds". This social proof appeals to our sense of Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): when lots of people are using or buying a product, others want to follow suit.

✨ "Wisdom of your friends". This social proof refers to the phenomenon described previously: the recommendations from people we know and trust carry far more weight than other types of promotions or advertising.

❓ What type of social proof do you trust the most and why?