Promoting your small business? Use the power of social proof (aka "herd behavior")!

DeeDee’s Donuts and Coffee is having trouble getting customers in the door. The location is good, the product is amazing (obviously), but the owners are only breaking even. What’s a pastry purveyor to do?

Regardless of the product or service you sell, you can use social proofto steer customers your way. Social proof is a strategic way to promote your business using the irresistible power of human psychology.

If you already own your own business or would like to someday, come and witness the power of social proof (or "herd behavior") as a part of your business strategy.

Social proof is the stuff we see that makes it clear that other people are interested in something. If we think other people are interested in something, it encourages us to “follow the herd” and do what everyone else is doing.

Well, lots of experiments have been run on this idea using pretty absurd behaviors. It turns out you can induce certain behaviors just by making it obvious that other people are already doing them!

In the video below, a hidden camera experiment shows social proof in action:

Savvy business and marketing professionals use this social proof principle to great effect in promoting their business. When businesses can show their customers that other people use and appreciate their product or service, they are using social proof.

Types of Social Proof

Social proof is any kind of evidence that others like and appreciate your business. Some classic types are:

• Case studies: an in-depth, data driven story about how a person or group uses your product/ business

• Testimonials/reviews: a simple story or evaluation about your product/business

• Trust/press icons: logos of security or newspaper companies that inspire trust (e.g., "as seen in the New York Times")

• Sales data: any relevant set of numbers that can reflect customer interest

Getting Social Proof

How can small businesses get their hands on social proof? Some tried and true methods include:

• Taking customer surveys

• Soliciting customer reviews

• Engaging with the public on social media

• Detailed business bookkeeping

Put on your mad scientist hat and think of your social proof promotional strategy as a laboratory. Every business is different, so you will have to experiment with social proof strategies to see what works best for your service or product.

Try Out Different Types of Social Proof

Are testimonials impractical to gather for your business? Is certain sales data hard to translate for your customers? Not all types will work effectively for your business, your customers, or you. You'll have to try out different ones.

Rotate Social Proof Content

When you do land on social proof that works, there’s still room to experiment. If your business promotes with testimonials, for instance, try out different customer stories and see whether some stories increase sales more than others.

Experiment with Different Placements

Finally, even when your social proof is clicking with your customers, trying out your strategy in different contexts might push sales even higher. In physical spaces, put your promotional material in different places and note any changes. In digital spaces, explore how moving social proof content across your website impacts your bottom line.

How Can I Use Social Proof Strategically?

Social proof tends to work best in situations where a potential customer isn't sure whether to take the leap and buy your product or service.

Matching Social Proof to Products and Services

Have a brand-new product? Customers may hesitate to buy something if it's too new. In this scenario, gather or create social proof (testimonials, reviews, sales data, etc.) to loosen up any customer hesitation.

Expensive products may naturally get customer attention, but the high cost makes people unsure. Strategically show these interested customers the enthusiasm of other buyers and see whether that increases your conversion rates.