Using Content Marketing to Build Social Proof

Using Content Marketing to Build Social Proof:from ideaLaunch by WriterAccess


If you are into content marketing, here is all you need to know about social proof: you want it.
While there’s something to be said for brevity, social proof is such an important facet of your success as a marketer that a little more information might be in order. The best place to get the details is in Robert Cialdini’s classic book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.
To oversimplify, Cialdini pointed out that consumers will base their opinion of your company, product or service largely on what others think of it. He called this collective opinion social proof, and it serves as a sort of instinctive risk management tool for consumers. If others overwhelmingly praise your products or services, the thinking goes, they must actually deliver on their promises. Consumers instilled with that kind of confidence about you are dramatically more likely to place an initial order or sign that first contract.
Because it is so powerful, social proof is often more important than a well-crafted sales pitch or even a direct call to action. Fortunately, anyone can raise their level of this valuable form of capital with little more than solid planning and a commitment to action. For a quick start, try one of these strategies:
Become an Authority
Take the time to learn your subject inside and out. Know your facts cold. Then, work hard to express your expertise eloquently.
The primary goal, of course, is to be accurate. Becoming well known for being wrong is not the kind of social proof you want. Your secondary goal, however, is simply to be prolific. The more your name is associated with your area of expertise, the higher the level of social proof you will command. Take advantage of requests for interviews or guest posting offers. When consumers see your name mentioned positively in a respected media outlet that boasts a multitude of followers, your social proof can grow exponentially.
Create Sharable Content
Pay homage to social media. It is the single most effective way to get social proof working for you.
The way to show respect for channels like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn is simple: Generate shareable content. If you can consistently create or commission content that solves people’s problems or engages their passions, chances are high that someone will choose to pass that content on to their network.
As your message propagates, it is entirely possible that millions of people will see it—momentarily. From the standpoint of demonstrating social proof, what’s more important is that thousands may “like” it or retweet it, a highly visible endorsement that lasts nearly in perpetuity.
Cultivate Community
Finally, work diligently to build community.
When customers checkout your Facebook page, you want them to see that an eye-popping number of users have granted you permission to enter their newsfeeds. You also want them to see extensive and lively conversations taking place on your wall.
Making the sale does not end with cultivating social proof. You have to offer quality and you need to serve a motivated market. You have to make people feel good about your brand, and you have to be smart about your pricing and margins. With so much to take on, does it still make sense to spend time on building social proof? Yes, because a high level of social proof is an unmistakable signal to consumers that money spent on you will be worth it.
Matthew R is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.