Robert B. Cialdini once said, “The aim is to get someone to want to buy quickly without thinking too much about it.” Let’s present some ideas about how we make decisions more quickly. What’s better, seeing a product or seeing the product being used in real life? It’s easy to say that it would be the latter. You want to see the product in use. Here’s another example: I trust 500 reviews about a company having horrible customer service. I will immediately move on to the next company with better reviews. I want to know what others think about a brand or business. It’s easier for us to know what others think or hear from someone we respect. This blog is the sequel to our latest blog, The Power of Influence. It’s about learning who helps us and our prospective clients make decisions on buying. When planning your funnel or your consumer personas, the intention of this is for you to discover who’s helping your ideal audience make their decisions. You can make the best plan and course of action. But we need to understand who impacts our ideal audience. We broke it down into four sections: recommendations, popularity, influencer, and lastly, user-generated content (UGC). 

Who is endorsing your services or products?

First and foremost, recommendations. We can also refer to them as reviews, feedback, or referrals. Regardless of what they’re called, knowing that others trust your company will allow you to grow in more areas than sales. It’s like having a support group of people rallying behind your cause and hearing your company’s story. You truly understand what makes you stand out. If you’re just starting out your business, like us, this can help you get new clients without having to spend as much on advertising or boosting posts. People want to know about you and how reliable your services or products are. You’ll trust the opinions of a friend, loved one, former client, or a credible person (with accolades in the field) about a product or service. When a friend says they tried a product and liked it, you’re more likely to buy it for yourself and see if it works. Hearing a doctor support a new children’s medicine, we’ll be more comfortable having our children use it. For consumers, it’s about knowing you’re truly going to be there for them. Once they know they can trust you, you’ll see your brand grow or maintain your current goals. Some ways that you can help get your voice out there are by doing user-generated content (we will talk about this later), case studies, or testimonial videos. Like we’ve all said, word of mouth is what can turn your product into an Oprah product. Leading us right into our next topic, popularity. 

I want to be popular

Not sure if this upcoming example is on Oprah’s list, but it is a great one. What’s the most famous fast food restaurant you know? I’ll give you a hint: it has two yellow arches that form an M. You got it, McDonald’s. We all know about how infamous Mickey D’s is. In their latest financial report, their revenue was $23.39 billion. When the masses are all in favor of a brand or company, you’re more likely to purchase from them. The same goes for your own brand or company. The more people talk about your brand and the incredible services (or products) you provide, the more people will talk about it. When it comes to expanding your brand, gaining popularity is a great way to create or maintain a consistent business. One way we do that is by getting others to promote our product, someone with the reach and the will.

Someone with a megaphone

When using your social networks to leverage your business, influencers are a great opportunity. They can help promote your business by being a magnified version of word of mouth. It’s a way to have people listen to your story from a new point of view. Thanks to the Digital Marketing Institute, we now know that almost 50% of consumers depend on influencers’ recommendations. Maybe you’re in the fashion (or beauty) industry, or maybe your demographics are predominantly female. These are some of the areas that may be impacted by working with influencers. Having someone who wants to speak up on behalf of your brand can make a difference. Finding someone who endorses your brand, stands out in your industry, and is willing to speak up might be just what your brand needs. If you’re growing your brand or want to veer into a different space with prospective consumers, this could help. Understanding how to know what it’s like to work with your product or service, user-generated content is the way to go. 

Envision 

We have moved into the final part, user-generated content, also known as UGC. Recently, you might have seen people’s social profile bios saying they are “UGC creators.” This is a new source of content that others want to see. Wikiepedia says, “It is any form of content, such as images, videos, text, and audio, that has been posted by users on online platforms such as social media, discussion forums, and wikis.” People want to see how others use a product in real time. Just think about it. Would you rather see a folded up quilt for sale or a video of a couple laughing while snuggling up in a bedroom using the same quilt? We all want to know that there are joyous moments filled with the products or services we buy. Nosto says, “79 percent of people saying user-generated content highly impacts their purchasing decisions.” When we see others enjoying a product, it makes it easier to make a choice about whether we want to use it ourselves.

So the next time you’re thinking about building up your social proof and how it can impact your credibility and lead generation, think about who’s helping your prospective clients . To help with understanding who helps others make quicker decisions, we hope these four overarching components aid you in your social proof journey—whether it’s recommendations, popularity, influencers, or user-generated content. We hope the information we shared gives you a better understanding when building out your ideal consumer personas and mapping out how to reach out to your target audience.