The Power of Social Proof: Proven Methods to Enhance Customer Confidence

Boost Customer Trust with Social Proof Strategies

Earning (and retaining) consumer confidence is crucial for building a successful and long-lived business. Your chances of attracting new leads depend on whether your target audience perceives your brand as trustworthy. More importantly, brand trust directly determines your ability to convert customers. If you look into consumer behavior research, you'll see that trust directly affects conversion potential. For instance, a 2023 Special Report from Edelman discovered that 88% of consumers consider brand trust a crucial buying consideration (in addition to price and quality). 

Moreover, buyers are not afraid to do a bit of extra digging to gauge your organization's trustworthiness. 9 out of 10 consumers read reviews regularly during the top and mid stages of the buyers' journey. Furthermore, it's worth noting that 45% of people won't purchase a product if there are no reviews available for it. With this in mind, incorporating social proof into your web design and marketing strategies could enhance customer confidence. Read on for the most effective tactics for using social proof to boost brand trust.

Leverage the Power of Numbers with Ratings & Stats

One of the easiest ways to enhance customer confidence is to rely on the power of numbers. There are two main reasons for using this trick to elevate brand trust. On the one hand, people are social creatures. They regularly look to others for guidance—especially when unsure of the correct way to make a decision. They will often believe that a large group possesses better information than they do, causing them to conform. In psychology, this phenomenon is called informational social influence.

On the other hand, human behavior is often impacted by herd (or crowd) mentality. At its core, this phenomenon causes us to conform to the views and behaviors of others without taking the time to think critically — especially when it comes to influencing purchase intention. So, suppose you're looking for easy ways to elevate consumer confidence and position your business as a trustworthy, capable entity. In that case, it's a great idea to showcase the number of people who have already placed their confidence in your business.

This is what Clari does. The brand highlights its over 1,500 satisfied customers and its help managing $4 trillion in revenue—an exceptionally impressive statistic.

Or, for a more conversion-oriented approach, check out Transparent Labs. On its nutrition essentials page, the brand shows off the average rating for each of its products. It uses this format of social proof to show the quality of the solutions and to encourage potential buyers to invest in these items based on the overall consensus that they deliver the benefits they promise.

Showcase Verified Reviews at Every Consumer Touchpoint

We know that consumers actively seek out social proof throughout their buying journey. So, to maximize their chances of forming a positive opinion about your brand — and establish your organization's credibility as early as possible — showcase social proof at every consumer touchpoint. By incorporating verified reviews into every aspect of your online presence, you can earn your target audience's trust and maximize your lead-generation efforts. People are far more likely to interact with brands they consider credible than those they're still on the fence about.

There are numerous ways to show off customer reviews to enhance brand trust. The easiest method is to include social proof content on your homepage and landing pages. For example, Christensen Law embraced a similar approach. It invites potential prospects to "View all testimonials," which is a marvelous way to build credibility by pointing out the brand's consistently positive results.

Of course, your website is not the only place where you want to showcase social proof content. You can incorporate reviews in your awareness-stage marketing strategies as well — particularly if you operate in highly competitive industries. For example, check out how Boppy does it on Instagram. Knowing that this platform offers the biggest benefits in terms of boosting brand and product awareness, this strategy is an excellent way for Boppy to reach its ideal customers and immediately show them that it's a credible business they can trust to deliver a great experience.

Build Trust by Association with Customer Logos

Sometimes, the best way to get consumers to trust your brand isn't to tell them what you have helped existing clients achieve. Instead, it's to point out who your customers are. Building trust by association is an exceptional marketing tactic — especially for B2B brands. Why? 

Well, some brands already have a reputation for being trustworthy, competent, and successful. So, if you can make the case that it was your solution that helped them achieve that, then you can automatically get your target audience to form a positive perception of your business and elevate their chances of becoming clients. And the best thing about this strategy for boosting consumer confidence is that it can be exceptionally easy. 

For instance, something as simple as showing off customer logos in an easy-to-spot section of your homepage is a great way to call your prospects' attention to the fact that they can, indeed, trust your brand to deliver results. See how Braze did it in the example below:

Collaborate with Industry Experts and Influencers

As you explore techniques to earn customer confidence, ask yourself: whom does your target audience trust? While branded content can be an excellent way to establish credibility and demonstrate a dedication to meeting your prospects' needs, it's not always the most trustworthy format in your arsenal. In fact, research suggests that diversifying the voices you use to represent your brand could allow you to communicate your value propositions more effectively, without coming off as sales-oriented.

For example, a 2022 survey conducted by Edelman discovered that the majority of buyers consider the following three groups of spokespeople as credible: scientists, technical experts, and peers. Moreover, 69% of people are more likely to trust a recommendation from an influencer over one coming directly from a brand. So, if you're looking for ways to convince your prospects to put their faith in your business, why not collaborate with established, relatable, and trustworthy voices in your industry? This can boost brand trust as well as help increase your reach.

For example, you could do something like Armra. This brand regularly produces science-backed influencer content to post on platforms like TikTok. By inviting scientists and experts to talk about the benefits of colostrum, Armra isn't just effectively boosting brand trust. The posts are also effective at three important goals: 

• educating the brand's audience
• increasing their product understanding
• elevating their confidence in Armra's claim that it's trying to help people be healthier by providing them with a high-quality supplement.
  

Boost Authenticity with User-Generated Content

Another great way to elevate brand trust by relying on non-branded resources is to source user-generated content and include it in your digital marketing strategies. Research shows that UGC is one of the most credible formats a brand can use to communicate with its audience. According to a 2023 report published by TINT, audiences consider authentic UGC to be the most trustworthy format. This is largely because it comes from consumers' peers, but that's not all. Its credibility stems from the fact that it's based on firsthand experience without being directly affiliated with the brand it speaks about.

With this in mind, consider opportunities for using this type of social proof in your online presence. Something as simple as reposting user feedback on social media can be a low-cost, high-ROI tactic. Or, you could take things a step further by including UGC in the core of your messaging. If you look at Pergola Kits USA, you'll notice that the brand consistently uses UGC product imagery instead of studio shots. 

At first glance, this choice may not make much sense — especially as product photography needs to be exceptionally high-quality to inspire purchases. However, Pergola Kits understands that its buyers need to know what to expect when buying these big-ticket items. So, by using photos of its products deployed and put together in real people's homes, the brand effectively demonstrates the quality and attractiveness of its solutions and puts buyers' minds at rest by showing them authentic product photos.

Take Pride in Your Achievements

Lastly, as you explore tactics to enhance customer confidence, don't feel you need to be modest to make your prospects like you. On the contrary, take pride in your achievements. After all, you've put so much effort into developing your products and services. So why not help your potential customers see your passion? It's only going to make them like you more and see your brand as genuinely invested in solving their pain points.

So, how do you use social proof to demonstrate your dedication to meeting and exceeding user needs? Well, one way to do it is to show off any relevant media mentions, certifications, or awards your business has received. These are exceptional trust signals that communicate competence. They're also an opportunity to piggyback your brand's standing on the reputations of well-established and trustworthy industry voices.

One easy way to implement this strategy is to do something similar to Classical Guitar Shed. By highlighting media mentions in the topmost section of its homepage, this brand uses social proof to instantly communicate that it has been recognized as a competent organization by several trustworthy organizations.

Alternatively, you could do something similar to Limble. Knowing how much weight its target audience of B2B software buyers puts on industry recognition, this business proudly showcases the G2 awards it has won. That's an especially smart move, seeing how trustworthy G2 ratings are in the SaaS industry.

Final Thoughts

No matter what type of outcome you're trying to achieve, focusing your attention on earning customer trust should be one of your top priorities.

The great thing is that this is not that difficult to do — as long as you employ the right social proof formats. Keep in mind that generating leads and converting customers is not only about earning consumer confidence. Retaining that confidence is just as (if not more) important.

So, use the tactics outlined in this article to establish your brand's credibility. But don't forget to invest in CX, prioritize customer support, and always explore additional ways of exceeding your audience's expectations.