The psychological and social phenomenon is one of the most powerful tools marketers use. But are all marketers using it to its full potential? 

Here are some tips to help you use this mental trigger to generate leads. Many people will believe what you have to say.

Bandwagon Effect – The Psychology Behind Social Proof

Social proof refers to the online content that customers create about your brand, product, or service. Your customers will recognize you as an authority on your product or service if you get a positive review. It is, in essence, word-of mouth that makes your brand famous. You will sell more if you have more conversations about your business.

This marketing technique is very effective and is based on the Bandwagon Effect. It’s a psychological phenomenon that explains why people do what they want to because others are doing it. The bandwagon effect has been shown to influence people’s willingness not to buy a particular item, but to also pay more.

Consumer shopping is a journey that involves many touch points. One of these touch-points are the survey results shared with friends and parents to find out about their experiences with the product.

Online customers no longer visit a website to make a purchase. They compare cost and features and look for social proof such as reviews or evaluations. Simply put, people will buy your product more if they trust the opinions of others than any substantial offer.

1. Case Studies

Social proof can be explored through case studies. They allow you to show positive results and detail the challenges encountered. These stories will be shared by many other companies who may also feel the same way and want to experience the same thing.

2. User-Generated Content

CoSchedule has released a study that explains that “69%” share information as it makes them feel more connected to the world. UGC is content that has been created by people who interact with brands or products. It can be used in both short-term and long-term marketing campaigns. It is important to remember some principles in both situations.

• Encourage your customers to share content about your brand and products. Customers can take photos of your products and then share them on social media with a predefined hashtag. Use brand hashtags to gather and automate user-generated content on Instagram and Twitter.

• You should create a plan for monitoring and selecting the best content to promote your brand or product. You will create high quality content that you can use in your marketing plan.

• This partnership can have a direct impact on sales and engagement.

3. Fear of Missing out (FOMO).

FOMO is a popular term in eCommerce that refers to limited stock. It means how many people have bought the product or the remaining time for an offer. This can create a fear in a consumer that they are missing out on a service or product that is valuable. When a consumer realizes that there is something important in the market and they must act immediately, this can happen.

4. Refer-a-friend Campaigns

It is a great thing to have the trust of those closest to you when they recommend products and services. The benefit of users recommending products or services to others is a common technique in relationship marketing. It also generates great results.

Consumers trust their family and friends more than paid advertisements and expert recommendations. Incentive campaigns can be created for customers who invite their friends and family members to get some sort of benefit. This is another way to demonstrate social proof.

Nielsen’s Global Trust in Advertising Report shows that 92% of people trust referrals and that 70% of people believe in references from people they don’t know.

5. Testimonials

These testimonials include customer reviews, product and service reviews, and customer experience reviews. This last method is a great way to show potential customers you are trustworthy, knowledgeable, and professional. However, it is important to avoid promoting vague testimonials that lack personalization. This can jeopardize the progress made.

This technique can be misused if the customer does not explain the benefit. A positive testimonial should endorse the positive insights presented on the company’s website. To put it another way, testimonials that support a product/service’s claims must be backed up with facts and figures.