Sell More with Social Proof
Social proof is a term used by marketers that focuses on convincing someone of a product’s validity by showing the positive experiences from others. Reviews, testimonials, case studies, and sponsorships are just a few of the ways social proof can be used to sell more online.
Let’s take a look at how you can use social proof to get more sales from your online stores.
Testimonials
Every consumer likes to see unbiased reviews or testimonials from their peers. Your online stores can show the high-quality products, tout how great of a deal they are, and make it easy to purchase. Those are all key ingredients to the sale–but having a little reassurance from a third party can make all the difference.
All of your testimonials don’t have to be in the same place or about the same thing, either.
Testimonials are basically your previous customers’ answers to hypothetical questions/concerns from your future customers. You want to pair them up to have a virtual conversation, taking you out of the picture. You should have testimonials geared towards different objections that might come up during the sales process. Here are just a few common questions consumers have…do you have a quote from a current customer you can use to answer these?
- Is the quality good?
- Are the sizes as advertised?
- Is the order/payment/shipping process easy?
- Will I enjoy working with your company?
Use InkSoft’s testimonial component to really allow your customers to have a conversation with other customers, and you’ll start seeing much higher conversions on your site.
Trust Logos
Another way to help convince your visitors to make a purchase is through trust logos. These are the subtle logos of current or former contacts that have used your services or associated in some way with your business. They can be customers, suppliers, or any number of groups you associate with.
At a glance, they lend credibility to your company. Visitors think “hey, if these groups associate with these guys, I should to!”
At the very least, trust logos minimize the fear that your company hasn’t yet been proven. Beyond that, trust logos can actually help inspire urgency as your customer begins to feel FOMO (fear of missing out) and want to join the cool kids table.
Sponsorships
Similar to trust logos, sponsorships show that you are associated with recognizable companies that trust doing business with you (even if you don’t deliver services directly to these companies). Rarely will a company sponsor another company that it doesn’t trust.
Selling sponsorships and placing them on your site not only inspires trust, it generates revenue. Don’t miss out on the chance to sell sponsorships, especially for your local teams and clubs. Many local businesses need to get their name in front of the crowd, and would happily pay for sponsorships.
Ask and Receive
A question I get all the time is “how do I get good testimonials and reviews?” The answer is always the same: “ask!” Always ask for feedback on how you can improve–you’ll be surprised how much positive feedback you will gather. But you have to ask. You’ll certainly get unsolicited feedback from time to time, but it never hurts to ask.
Start with Service
Social proof really is a great way to stand out in the crowd and sell more. Of course, it will be difficult to get people to say something nice about you, associate with your business, or sponsor your campaigns if you don’t deliver an amazing customer experience.
Continue to focus on exceptional service and your customer base will continue to grow. That’s a recipe for success!
Take a look at InkSoft’s new testimonial feature in action and how you can start using it right away
