How to use customer reviews to provide social proof
Have you ever bought a product simply because many people talked about its quality? That’s how powerful customer reviews can be in influencing purchasing decisions.
A recent survey found that 90.6% of customers read product reviews from customers before making a purchase. This means that you can use customer reviews for social proof to attest to the quality of your product or service and attract potential customers.
However, how exactly can you do this? That’s what I’ll help you with. In this post, I’ll take you through leveraging customer reviews to boost your brand’s credibility and drive more sales.
Types of customer reviews that amplify social proof
When you start an ecommerce business, you can use different types of reviews to influence potential customers in unique ways. Here are the common types of customer reviews for social proof:
- Star Ratings: This is a simple review system commonly used to rank products, services, or experiences using a scale of one (the lowest) to five stars (the highest).
- Written Reviews: This is another common type of customer review for social proof where customers share their experience about a product or service.
- Video Testimonials: These are short videos where satisfied customers share their experience with a product or service. Videos add a personal touch, making the review feel more authentic and relatable.
- Before and After Photos: Visuals that provide a tangible comparison of the situation before using the product or service and after its application.
- Social Media Mentions: This can be part of your broader social media strategy. Customers can tag or mention your brand on social media platforms when discussing your products.
Strategies for using customer reviews for social proof
Customer reviews are a powerful way to build trust. They help you show your audience that others love your products or services, convincing them to make a purchase.
Here are some effective strategies you can adopt to make the most of your customer reviews for social proof:
1) Showcase customer reviews on your website
One of the most common ways to use customer reviews for social proof is to display them prominently on your website. If you have a Shopify store, you can use social proof Shopify apps to easily integrate review widgets that automatically pull reviews from platforms like Google, Trustpilot, or Yelp. You can also create dedicated sections for testimonials. These apps help streamline the process, ensuring reviews are always visible and up to date.
You can display reviews on prominent pages like the homepage, product pages, or checkout page. Highlight quotes from customers that mention specific benefits or features of your product to enhance your brand image. If possible, include images of the reviewers or product in use to make it more relatable.
Take a look at how Hello Bar incorporates written customer reviews at the bottom of its homepage. It also includes the names and companies of the reviewers for better social proof:
Image via Hello Bar
2) Use reviews in your marketing emails
Email marketing is one of the top and cost-effective strategies to increase sales for businesses as explained in Attrock guide. For increased credibility and social proof, you can include customer reviews in your marketing emails. This ultimately increases conversions.
To do this effectively, select positive and authentic reviews that are relevant to your email marketing. Then, integrate them in prominent locations, such as the top of the email, within the body, or at the bottom.
Make sure that the review stands out visually. Use quotes, stars, or other visual elements to catch the reader’s eye. Also, include a CTA that encourages readers to check out more reviews on your website or to make a purchase.
See an example of this strategy used by Buoy in its promotional email. Notice how reviews related to the product were placed inside visually distinct boxes with contrasting backgrounds.
Image via Really Good Emails
3) Incorporate user-generated content on social media
UGC includes photos, videos, and testimonials that customers create and share about your brand. This is one of the effective ecommerce marketing strategies to create awareness and build credibility for your business.
You can create a unique hashtag related to your brand and ask your customers to use it when they post. This makes it easier to track and collect customer reviews for social proof. You can also monitor your social media mentions.
Once you’ve gathered enough UGC, feature it on your own social media channels and credit to the original creators by tagging them in your posts.
For example, Apple’s #ShotoniPhone campaign encourages users to share their social media videos and photos using the hashtag. Then, the content is featured on Apple’s social media to promote the product.
Image via Instagram
Customer reviews are a powerful business tool
Customer reviews are a powerful tool for building trust and credibility. By strategically incorporating them on your website, emails, social media, and other platforms, you can effectively use them for social proof and grow sales for your business.
Author: Reena is Director of Operations and Sales at Attrock, a result-driven digital marketing company. With 10+ years of sales and operations experience in the field of e-commerce and digital marketing, she is quite an industry expert.
She is a people person and considers the human resources as the most valuable asset of a company. In her free time, you would find her spending quality time with her brilliant, almost teenage daughter and watching her grow in this digital, fast-paced era.
