Using Online Reviews as Social Proof
It’s a cold evening in a new town, and you’re looking for a place to eat. You’re looking for a place to eat. You come across two restaurants – one is close to full and the other is almost empty.
Which one do you choose?
Chances are that you’ll go to the one that’s close to full.
This is social proof. Science describes it as a psychological phenomenon where we look to the opinions of others and additional “signals” to help us make decisions. It’s a powerful persuasion tool you can use, to influence potential customers who are trying to make a buying decision. That’s where an online review comes in.
Today, instead of walking around a new town especially on a cold evening, customers would rarely go to a restaurant without checking the online reviews of local restaurants first.
Social proof builds trust
People trust other people more than they trust your marketing team. No matter how amazing your content creator is, or what arguments you’re using on your landing page, your potential customers will still believe others more. In fact, 75% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Social proof simplifies decision making
Let’s go back to the restaurant example, have you ran out of time to read reviews so you just looked at the star rating and amount of reviews instead to make your decision? Star ratings are particularly important as they’re easy to see at a glance. And, if the restaurant had hundreds of reviews while its competitors only have a handful, which one would you choose? Chances are you’ll go for the one with the most good reviews.
Social proof ads credibility
It’s hard to convince others to try your product or service without any proof of how it’s helped others. Enter in the online review that states how your product or service has helped them and this instantly adds credibility to what your marketing is saying.
It’s easy to use social proof in your marketing you just need your customers to write reviews. Our review system makes it easy to ask for and build up the amount of reviews you have through the automated review system. You can ask them to share their experiences through an email, SMS or even a review request card.
Overall, it’s extremely important for your business to appear trustworthy with today’s purchasing behaviour. Implementing social proof especially through online reviews is the quickest and easiest way of building your reputation.
Studio Thoughts
This is one of the many amazing benefits of having one of these listings. You’re getting FREE ad on the first page of Google.
The example below shows a search for a cat sitter in Christchurch. The top results are Google Ads, and then in a box with the Google Map are the Google My Business listings showing reviews and key contact information in actionable formats (meaning you can click through to the website, or on a mobile click to call the business instantly).
But just like any other marketing channel, it might not be the perfect fit for your brand.
If you're wanting to target a younger demographic 25-35, Instagram has a better engagement rate for that age group than Facebook, which generally results in higher quality leads to a website. If you're a product based company, you can also create shoppable images which a person can purchase directly from on Instagram :- making it even easier for the end user.