About Social Proof & Trust Signals…
It’s not a new concept, but it’s extra important on the web. If you’re looking for a good dentist, you ask your neighbor Becky, with the good teeth. 😉 Online, people typically look for one of two things: lots of great reviews for a business, and/or someone who is like them recommending a business. They need reassurance they’re making the right decision going to you.
1. Get Saturated With 5-Star Reviews
Yeah, I know. That’s vague and easier said than done, but it can be done. I had the highest rated computer repair business in my county on Yelp & Google. I didn’t fake reviews, but I’ll bet there were companies who did a better job out there, just not getting credit.
The two main factors to getting good reviews are:
- Show the client they had a good experience
- Create a way to almost guarantee a 5-Star review
One way I’d accomplish this goal manually were to incentivize the staff to get great reviews. Pay them $10 per 5-star review. If someone gets 100 5-star reviews, that’s $1k out of your pocket, but I bet $20k in extra business that year, maybe more. Think about how much more business you’d get if you were the highest rated business in your field. I bet it’d bring a significant increase in revenue.
2. Create Engaging Social Media
I’m sure most business have given social media a stab once or twice, with underwhelming results. Social media is a different animal than traditional marketing, but done right , it can be very powerful. The fact that most businesses don’t get it can be in your favor.
Create contests to get your followers engaged. Heck, create a contest to encourage your followers to share your content.
“Share this post and you’ll be entered into a drawing. Tag your friends and you’ll get a 2nd entry. Whoever we pull gets this sweet xyz.” Watch your influence grow!
3. Make Sure Everyone Knows!
If you’re hot stuff, scream it from the mountain tops! On your website, anywhere you’re selling should have your 5-star reviews proudly displayed. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes… if there’s ever a point you think they’d be unsure about using your service, BOOM, did you forget we have 100 5-star reviews on Yelp? Why wouldn’t you choose us?
There are some really successful strategies that involve social proof and trust building to increase sales and web conversions. This can be one of the most powerful strategies to turn a casual visitor to a paying customer often before they’re ever on the phone.
