Social proof is one of the most reliable forms of social media advertising today; much like reviews and recommendations, social proof is a brand’s way of promoting the customers who like, recommend and enjoy their product or service. Social proof is more powerful than any other type of social media marketing, as we have seen through the rise of influencers and user-generated content. In this article, we share with you how to naturally include social proof into your social media advertising, and the type of content most like to produce lead generation.
Online reviews
Especially in the beauty community, we have noticed a rise in review channels, where users analyse products and services, sharing their honest opinions of their business experience. Though we know some reviews end negatively, it's possible to leverage from the successful reviews, sharing the content on your social media platforms. Tagging the user is also powerful; no doubt they will share your posts, as well as encourage others to like the post as well. For eCommerce businesses, it’s essential to publicly welcome customers reviews, thus helping more users to create similar content.
Reviews also come in more traditional forms, such as Google reviews, Facebook feedback and Yelp ratings. It’s essential your customer knows about these avenues, especially for search-engine reliant industries, like restaurants, local shops, and trades.
Share tagged images, videos and stories
Instagram users love to tag brands, businesses and locations in their posts and stories. However, depending on the specific platform, other followers aren’t able to see the images or location tagged, and social proof is suddenly lost. Sharing what your followers have tagged you in is crucial; followers love to have their content shared, as they feel more connected to the brand. Additionally, potential customers want to see people like them enjoying the product or service, as this influences their buying decision making. This sharing process is called user-generated content and is particularly useful in the fashion, beauty and retail industries.
One aspect of including user-generated content in your social media advertising that is highly underrated, and often not spoken about, is how advantageous it is for your social media content creation. Essentially, someone else is doing the hard work for you, and all you need to do is share. Encouraging user-generated content not only encourages positive word of mouth by provides you with endless material for your platforms.
Likes and followers
Currently, we measure trends and popularity based on social media activity, how users respond to content through likes, shares and followers. When we produce content that is reshared significantly, received many likes, or gained many new followers, this demonstrates social proof in its most basic form. Encouraging social proof through likes, sharing and following is essential; we understand the importance of this style of marketing, but the user does need direction on how and where to do it.
Likes and followers rely on likeable content. To be able to make this approach work for your business, you need to have content that is appealing, shareable, and that will appeal to a broad audience. The better the content, the more they like it!
Are you losing out on potential Facebook and Instagram social proof marketing opportunities? Contact us at Social Status to help you tap into the most valuable content for your business today!
