10 ways to drive more social proof

Social Proof
10 WAYS TO DRIVE MORE
@markwschaefer
In the online world,
social proof is POWER.
In a world of overwhelming information
density, we’re starved for clues to help
us know who to trust, what to believe,
and what company can help us as
quickly as possible.
But what is social proof exactly?
Here’s a simple example.
Let’s say you are looking for advice on
how to keep your houseplants alive.
You find two articles.
One has been tweeted 5 times.
5
The other one has been tweeted
500 times.
5
500
Which one do you read?
5
500
500
500
This is the power of social proof
in action!
500
The post is set to ignite because of the
social proof alone. You picked this post

because of a number the content
success may have had little to do with
the actual content!
Here are 10 ways you can drive more
social proof online.
1. promote content “as seen on…”
Have you been featured on a well-known blog, newspaper,
or tv show? Don’t keep it a secret!
2. KEEP TRACK OF SUBSCRIBER COUNTS.
People feel comfortable joining the crowd. Many sites feature
a counter with subscriber numbers to a content channel.
Hubspot has a simple call to action on their site: “Subscribe
to our blog. Thousands of others have.”
LinkedIn Endorsements are public and permanent and you
can use them anywhere. Ask some of your favorite customers
for a recommendation then promote the heck out of them.
3. REQUEST ENDORSEMENTS.
Every person in your company has a stake in making your
marketing as successful as possible. Identify employees who
are social media enthusiasts and ask them to support the
effort with social sharing.
4. activate employees.
If you’re just get starting, don’t be shy about asking for help.
Explain to everyone how important it is to get your blog off
the ground and ask them for a little love on Twitter or
Facebook.
5. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FRIENDS AND FAMILY.
If you’re listed, named, featured, or honored…let people
know. Display badges in a prominent place on your
website like the sidebar or footer.

6. PROMOTE BADGES.
If your company collects testimonials, sprinkle them throughout
your website on your most viewed pages. A quote from someone
who learned something from your content can persuade a
potential content subscriber.
7. HIGHLIGHT TESTIMONIALS.
When was the last time you made a meaningful purchase on
Amazon without looking at the reviews? Scoring systems
are powerful proof.
8. FOCUS ON CUSTOMER REVIEWS.
When people tweet nice things about you, save them as
“favorites.” Then you can link to the list of recommendations
as an entire stream of public, published social validation.
9. COLLECT KUDO TWEETS.
Display client logos on your site! It’s an easy way to establish
credibility for your company by simply showing
who you work with.
10. PUBLICIZE CLIENTS.
Let’s do a quick recap.