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When you're searching Maps for a new restaurant to try, which one do you pick: the one with 4,959 reviews and a 4.8-star average, or the one nearby with zero?
Maybe it's a new place. Maybe it's yet to be discovered.
You don't care. There's no point in rolling the dice on your dining experience when ~5,000 others already said the other was great.
In a nutshell, that's social proof. It's the idea that people tend to follow or trust others' actions and opinions when making decisions.
Your buyers are doing the same thing online. When everyone else seems to love your product, they're more likely to think, "I will, too."
4 reasons to prioritize social proof in 2024:
B2B buyers don't trust companies anymore.
There's a general trend of buyers trusting companies less and less. Growth marketing firm OGM just published its 2023 B2B Content + SEO Survey.
It uncovered two critical insights about the current state of B2B buying behavior.
- Google Search is their #1 source of information
- They also rank B2B SaaS companies dead last in ‘sources of information you trust.’
On the other hand, 84% of people say they trust reviews and other forms of social proof as if they’re recommendations from a friend or family member.
There's a reason Twilio ditched its homepage headline in favor of the recognition it just received…
...and why they highlight case study snippets below the scroll.
Even if someone's business is completely unrelated to vending machines, the fact Coca-Cola uses Twilio to manage 600,000 of them is impressive.
If they're in the market for communications software, this is far more compelling than a slogan or claim.
It boosts your conversion rate and lowers your CAC.
After reading a trustworthy review, 92% of B2B buyers say they're more likely to buy that product. That's why reviews nearly quadruple B2B website conversions.
Right on their homepage, A/B testing software company Unbounce includes this customer testimonial:
Not only does the customer specifically reference statistics, they include his photo, credentials, and the option to click through to see the testimonial.
Even without hard evidence of success, small details reinforce buyers' confidence in your product. Adding logos to a page, for example, increases sales by 400%.
Websites with testimonials also receive 45% more traffic than those without. Positive reviews and UGC validate your product to Google, which in turn will present you to customers who use it to search for your product.
Between better SEO rankings, an organic traffic boost, and increased web conversions, social is directly responsible for a lower CAC.
Your sales team can use it, too.
Buyers have ~25% more trust in reviews than in sales reps. And 72% say they'd prefer a "rep-free" experience.
The sales profession is alive and well in 2024, but they have to take a more consultant-like approach. One of the best ways to do this is with customer success stories.
If you use software to gather and organize your customer feedback, this is easy.
- Onboard customers
- Ask for reviews, feedback, and stories
- Smart-match their content to prospects based on CRM data
On the seller's end, they'll see a clean list of content that applies to the prospect's particular use case.
This is way more efficient than browsing through random reviews on TrustRadius or G2 Crowd. And it's way more impactful than copy/pasting the same case study for every deal in your pipeline.
It makes paid advertising cheaper (and more impactful).
Today's buyers are immune to the clickbait headlines they see everywhere. On average, replacing that with social proof nets you a 4x higher CTR and reduces your cost-per-acquisition and cost-per-click by 50%.
There are plenty of ways you can do this.
You could highlight an award or certification.
Or, you could spotlight a customer.
You could even use a jaw-dropping statistic.
Since this info comes from the customer, you need a continuous feedback loop between your team and customers who already love your product.
What does this mean for you in 2024? You need a platform that handles it for you.
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