5 Kinds of Powerful Social Proof That Earn Audience Trust

People trust other people — specifically, those who they perceive either as their peers, or as an authority on a particular topic.

From their best friend to their favorite Instagram influencer, there are select individuals that a person trusts when it comes to things like product recommendations.

Word of mouth is a powerful thing indeed.

If you can display strong “social proof” on your website and social media profiles, it's a lot easier to convince your audience to trust you.

Social proof comes in many forms.

Obviously, things like official industry certifications, good reviews, and customer testimonials are all things you can feature on your site.

But there are also other, less obvious ways to get the social proof you need to win consumer trust.

Things like real life case studies, mentions in popular media outlets, and a good word from the right influencer, can all give your customers confidence in your brand.

In a recent article at Quicksprout, Neil Patel offers some creative ways to prove your trustworthiness online.

Case studies

This is by far one of the most powerful types of social proof.

Why?

It tells a complete story (if done well).

And as you know, a success story is the best kind of story in this case.

With case studies, you get a holistic view of your customer’s journey. You get to learn:

what their life was like before they invested in you

what prompted the purchase decision

the obstacles they had on their way to a better outcome

how you helped them overcome these obstacles

the exact moment they experienced transformation

what life looks like in the aftermath of this transformation.

Does your case study need all these elements?

Yes.

It’s way more effective than simply having a customer say

I had a great experience working with Jane, and I highly recommend her.

There is a place for that kind of proof, and I’ll talk about that later.

Where should you display case studies?

They’re so powerful they can stand on their own. I always recommend having a separate page to feature your success stories.

Like this:

[image source: Quicksprout]

Here’s another example:

[image source: Quicksprout]

Ramit Sethi executes this kind of social proof perfectly in his GrowthLab:

[image source: Quicksprout]

While you can have these on a separate page, you should also include product- or service-specific case studies on your sales pages.

You can do it in a number of ways:

strategically embed video case studies into your sales page;

use case studies as a response to questions on your FAQ page;

condense the success story into a testimonial and have a “read more” link so prospects can access the full case study from your sales page.

These are just a few ideas.

Strength in numbers

You’ve likely seen this one used a lot.

It works.

The most common use of this type of social proof is to have social sharing buttons on your blog posts.

[image source: Quicksprout]

It tells people this is a quality blog post that should be read.

It has the same effect as comments.

Check out this post by Brian Dean:

[image source: Quicksprout]

It has 871 comments! Now, that’s social proof.

Here’s the thing though.

Be aware of negative social proof.

If you have zero comments and zero social shares on a post, you may want to keep it to yourself.

Most social sharing tools allow you to shut off displaying the share count if it doesn’t clear a certain threshold.

Some other ways you can show strength in numbers:

number of users

number of downloads for software, tools, or resources

number of subscribers

Displaying subscriber count is powerful proof.

Considering how important list-building is in business, if you have the right numbers, make use of them.

Endorsements from influencers

Influencers are people with massive authority in your niche.

Everyone knows them, likes them, and trusts their opinions.

Imagine getting an endorsement from one of the big players in your space. It can make your business.

How do you land such an endorsement?

Zone in on an influencer.

Get on their radar by engaging with their content.

Make contact via email.

Do something spectacular for them.

Ask for an endorsement.

I know, it’s easier said than done. But that’s the general path you need to take.

Don’t want to take this route?

You can also pay to play.

In other words, you can hire influencers to endorse your brand or products.

If you have the funds, it can be quite profitable.

It’s reported that for every $1 businesses spend on influencer marketing, they get $6.50 back. Those in the top 13% get $20 back.

[image source: Quicksprout]

Now, that’s what I call rock solid ROI.

After you’ve got your endorsements, you can display them on your website.

The Home page and About page are prime real estate for this kind of proof:

[image source: Quicksprout]

It tells website visitors you’re a big deal, and you’re worth listening to.

That’s what you want, right?

If someone prominent has praised you, show it off.

Media mentions

Have you ever seen logos of different publications splattered across some websites?

I’m sure you have. It’s commonly used.

Here’s an example:

[image source: Quicksprout]

It doesn’t have to be a formal media establishment like NBC News. It can be a popular website in your niche.

If you’ve ever been featured there (guest post, interview, etc.), you can place the logo on your website as a form of proof.

This is almost always displayed on the Home page.

Here’s a pro tip for landing media mentions.

Go to a site called HARO.

It’s a platform that connects reporters with sources. If you have expertise in an area, you can easily become a source.

On the website, click on “I’m a source.”

[image source: Quicksprout]

Here’s how it works.

[image source: Quicksprout]

And that’s it!

You have a means of connecting with reporters and getting those much-coveted media mentions.

Expert opinions

I get asked this question all the time:

“How can I display social proof on my website if I’m new to business and have no clients?”

That’s an excellent question.

I recognize many people may not have access to all these proof elements.

Endorsements, case studies, and testimonials are not always easy to acquire.

The simple solution?

Expert opinions.

Here’s how this works.

Let’s say you’re starting a blog on consumer psychology.

You haven’t worked in this space before, and you have no credentials.

While you work towards getting the necessary proof elements, you can feature quotes from experts in the consumer psychology field.

It tells people your topic is valid and there’s a track record of success in the industry.

It doesn’t have to be a personal testimony, and this expert doesn’t have to be connected to you.

As long as you credit them as the source of your quote, you’re good to go.