Ways To Increase Landing Page Social Proof For More Conversions

 

Why is social proof important for landing pages?

Social proof is a concept from behavioral psychology that has been shown to increase conversion rates on landing pages.

When people are unsure about a product, they are more likely to look to their peers for guidance on what to buy.

But that’s not all. Let’s look at a few more social proof stats: 

• 91% of millennials trust reviews as much as recommendations from friends and family
• 83% of people trust reviews over advertising
• Testimonials can increase conversion rates on sales pages by 34%
• Having at least 5 reviews causes purchase likelihood to increase by a factor of nearly 4X.
• 66% of customers said the presence of social proof increased their likelihood to buy

In other words, social proof provides comfort and an element of assurance that help nudge prospects over the edge and into the “yes” category. Basically, if you don’t have social proof, you’re making it harder for your potential customers to make a decision. People generally prefer to make decisions that other people in similar situations have already made successfully. So social proof gives them a sense of comfort and confidence that makes them more likely to say “yes.”

It is very difficult to sell AI copywriting software without third-party approval.

23 powerful ways to show social proof on your landing page

1. Customer Testimonials

Testimonials can be written or video testimonials, and they usually include the following recommended items:

• Comments and quotes – Landing page social proof can be acquired if you ask your clients and customers for commentary, feedback, and sections on their experience with your offer.
• Names – By using the real terms of real people, you can help build credibility with your visitors. This increases the probability of you creating a good social proof landing page.
• Pictures – Avoid using stock photos and instead utilize real images of real clients in your testimonials. Remember, a good social proof landing page can support your testimonial claims and make you appear more genuine, and improve landing page UX.
• Company and role – Visitors can better understand how your offer assists them in the field and at work by mentioning your testimonial subject’s actual job title and firm.

2. Case Studies

Make sure to demonstrate the success of your previous projects to your potential clients. This will help show them what you are capable of and how you can help them specifically.

If you want to increase the likelihood of acquiring social proof for your landing page, you can use case studies or test results.

3. Reviews

A testimonial is a customer’s positive feedback about your product or service that you can post on your website, while a review is a customer’s feedback about your product or service that is written on a third-party review site.

When designing your landing pages, be sure to include plenty of reviews from third-party sources.

We include hundreds of reviews from third-party sources such as Google, Clutch, and Hubspot on our landing pages.

The reviews that prospects see on different platforms or in different industries may have different levels of importance to them.

A positive review from G2 would be more relevant on a landing page for a software as a service product than a positive review from Google, since G2 is a credible source for software reviews.

A review from RealSelf is more relevant for plastic surgeons than a review from Yelp because RealSelf is a credible cosmetic surgery review aggregator.

Use the same principles for reviews as you do for testimonials, and don’t be afraid to include reviews that are less than perfect.

People are more likely to trust reviews that have a mix of both positive and negative reviews. Additionally, people who look for negative reviews are more likely to convert than others.

4. Star Ratings  

Star ratings assign a quantitative value to your reviews, and they come in two types: 

• Aggregate: the average star rating of all your reviews on a single platform
• Individual: the star rating assigned to a specific review

Star ratings are extremely important to potential customers.

• 70% of consumers use rating filters when searching for a business
• 4.2-4.5 out of 5 stars had the most influence on product purchases
• 38% of customers require around a 4-star review minimum to consider a business

Which is best for buyers, and which should you trust more? The verdict on this debate is still out. Some researchers believe that aggregate star ratings are more accurate because they are less easily manipulated than individual star ratings. Others believe that individual star ratings provide more information to buyers and are therefore more useful. The verdict is still out on whether aggregate star ratings or individual star ratings are better. Some researchers believe that aggregate star ratings are more accurate because they are less easily manipulated than individual star ratings. Others believe that individual star ratings provide more information to buyers and are therefore more useful.

Neither. You need both.

But when it comes to individual reviews, reviews with star ratings tend to be more effective.

5. Client Logos

Another type of social proof that is popular for landing pages is client logos.

An example of this would be if SEMRush featured prominent client logos above the fold on their SEO tool landing page.

How important are client logos?

An A/B test conducted by comScore showed that adding a client logo to a landing page increased conversions by 69%.

CXL claims that client logos are some of the best forms of social proof for landing pages because they are easy for people to remember and don’t require a lot of thought to process. This makes logos an effective way to show trust and credibility.

6. Awards 

Getting awards from credible sources tells potential customers that you are good at what you do and that you deserve recognition. This is social proof that you can use on your landing pages.

7. Publicity (media mentions) 

Media mentions and press logos are credible and provide social proof.

If you are covered by reputable media companies then there must be something worth exploring about you. That’s the idea.

8. Wisdom of Crowd

The wisdom of the crowd means that a lot of people endorse your brand. This is effective social proof, as it uses herd behavior and FOMO to make people interested in your brand.

Three common types of wisdom of crowd social proof include:

• Social media followers (if you have thousands) or share buttons with share counts
• Total or lifetime customer count
• Product badges (“Most popular” or “Almost out”) 

This is an example of how Shopify, with 1.7 million customers, and MailChimp, with 12 million customers, prominently display their customer numbers on their landing pages.

Before posting your customer count, make sure it is comparable to the competition.

We did an A/B test comparing customer count with and without the customer count on the landing page, and we found that the version without the customer count actually increased conversions by 3%. (We had 597,000 customers at the time.)

Make sure to include product badges such as “Most popular” or “Best seller” on your product pages.

9. Integrations

This tool is especially useful for companies that offer software as a service or other tools that integrate with other software.

If you connect your services to platforms that your visitors are already using, it can be very helpful to them and make it easier for them to make a purchase.

10. Data

When your potential customers see numbers that represent how many people have used or downloaded your product, or how many subscribers or purchases have been made, it can help them understand how successful and popular your product is. This can make them more likely to trust and use your product themselves.

11. Celebrity Social Proof

If you have the budget, you can also get celebrities to endorse your product, or get influencers who are popular with your target audience. This way, you can appeal to your audience’s emotional relationship with celebrities, or their attraction to influencers who are similar to them.

12. Social Media Proof

The bandwagon effect is when people do something because everyone else is doing it. So, if you can show that lots of other people are doing something, it might encourage your visitors to do it too.

Button social media with an automatic follower that how many people have your offer can be used. Another way is to put social media posts in your landing page so that visitors can see social connections.

13. Implied Social Proof

If one person benefits from an offer, it can be inferred that other people would benefit from the offer as well.

If you want your audience to connect with your story, feature a success story that shows how the same concept affects their life.

14. Activity & User Social Proof

social proof with numbers

By showing how your current customers and users are benefiting from your offer, the proof that your offer is effective can speak for itself.

15. Contact Info

If you want people to believe that your business is credible, include your contact information like your physical address, phone number, etc.

The idea behind this concept is that people are more likely to be interested in things that appear to be more local and relevant to their lives.

16. User-Generated Content

User-generated content is text, videos, images, and reviews created by people rather than brands. Brands often share user-generated content on their social media accounts and websites.

Many marketers find that Instagram is their principal channel for user-generated content. This is because users will often share posts about your brand with their followers, which can increase your credibility. Furthermore, you may also be able to share that material with your audience.

The best way to show potential customers that your products and services are popular and well-loved is to show them real people using and enjoying your products and services.

An UGC is like a testimonial, but is more believable because it seems more real.

Almost four out of five consumers say that user-generated content (such as reviews and social media posts) affects their purchasing decisions.

Where can you find UGC?

• Instagram
• Tweets
• Articles from bloggers
• Comments
• Reviews

17. Privacy Policy

It is a good idea to reassure consumers that their privacy will be respected in order to increase the number of conversions on your website or product.

18. Wisdom of friends

Friends can be a great source of wisdom and knowledge, and their endorsements can help build trust and credibility.

The reason for this is that when individuals are not familiar and trustworthy to others, they will attempt to find companions that are familiar and trustworthy to them as they are familiar and trustworthy to their own friends.

According to Nielson:

• When referred by a friend, people are 4x more likely to purchase (i.e. they’re already sold) 
• 85% of online buyers trust recommendations from friends 

A good way to make your landing page more effective is to include testimonials from well-known people in your field.

19. Years in Business 

Many years in business suggests that a company has had many satisfied customers over time.

For example, Keap (formerly InfusionSoft) highlights that they have 20 years of experience and have worked with over 200,000 entrepreneurs on their landing page.

20. Research 

market research and statistics can help to explain herd behavior.

We increased conversions for our client Equity Trust by featuring a prominent stat directly within the landing page headline that read: “Learn what only 2% of Americans know about creating wealth.”

The text is saying that the success kit contains information that only the wealthy have access to, implying that the reason 98% of Americans aren’t wealthy is because they don’t have access to this information.

21. Trust Badges

All forms of social proof can be seen as a trustworthiness indicator. This includes things such as testimonials, star ratings, and anything else that builds trust.

When we talk about “trust badges” in this case, we are talking about website security seals of approval.

For example, you could use SSL certificates, a VeriSign Trusted seal, or safe checkout badges from Norton or popular payment logos like Visa or Mastercard.

Trust seals are similar to certifications in that they make potential customers feel like they can trust the business. This is because other reputable website security and payment providers have deemed the business to be legitimate.

Why are trust seals important? Because online buyers are skeptical and need reassurance that their personal information is safe.

The survey discovered that 61% of respondents didn’t purchase something in the past because trust seals were missing.

The trust seals were not recognizable so people did not purchase the product.

The Baymard Institute discovered that 19% of shoppers have abandoned an online purchase because they did not trust the website with their credit card information.

22. Recent Sales Notifications 

A recent sales notification is when a popup on a website alerts the visitor that someone else has purchased something.

Sales notifications use people’s fear of missing out and social proof to create a sense of urgency and desire.

Your prospects will be thinking that if so many people have bought something from your website while they are on it, then it must be a good product and they are missing out.

TrustPulse states that their sales popups can help increase conversions by up to 15%.

23. Frequently Bought Together

An example of “frequently bought together” is Amazon.

Amazon’s product pages are a good example of how effective social proof can be in increasing sales.

Approximately 35% of Amazon’s sales are generated by their recommendation engine.

Reminding buyers of what other customers who made similar purchases also bought can help increase sales.

When to use landing page social proof?

• Use social proof as supporting copy near a call to action or at a point of friction.
• Make strategic use of social proof. Targeted marketing will help you convert better than general appreciation for your goods or service. Use the rest of the landing page to support the case you’re making and the tale you’re telling with your social evidence.
• Use social proof to counter objections. What are the reasons someone might not convert? Try answering these questions on the go.
• Use social proof to humanize your marketing. A one-line testimonial from John Smith is meaningless. Put names to faces, list companies, link to their Twitter pages, etc.

Make sure to include a social element in your marketing strategy by connecting with companies on Twitter and other social media platforms. This will help humanize your marketing and provide social proof that will encourage others to do business with you.