The power of social proof

How your latest customer can bring in your next

What’s the best way to source a builder for a house extension?  

Word of mouth.  

When the friendly builder with the gift of the gab tells you they always complete projects on time, you may well take it with a pinch of salt. 

But if you discover your neighbour has used them, you’ll probably find yourself dropping by to quiz them, hanging on their every word. You want to hear everything about their experience. The good and the bad.  

You trust your friends to tell you the truth.  

People like us 

It’s not just people we know that we trust. When we hear a stranger’s opinion of a product we’re also inclined to listen to what they say. But these aren’t just any people, these are PEOPLE LIKE US. 

People who are interested in the same products as us. 

People who we perceive have a similar lifestyle to us. 

People who have the same problems or needs as us. 

It’s why we pore over product reviews online before purchasing anything significant. If we’re parting with our hard–earned cash then by heck we’ll make sure we’re making a well-informed decision.  

In marketing, this third-party information is known as social proof, and the placement and use of it can be hugely persuasive. 

Professional services also benefit from the superpower that is social proof. You can use it to answer your clients’ two most pressing questions: 

• What’s in it for me?

• And have people like me benefitted from this service?

To get people to take the leap from enquiring to hiring you need to remove obstacles in their way. Why do I really need this service? How will it solve my current problem? 

You may know the answers but no one likes to listen to someone blow their own trumpet. 

And that’s where testimonials and case studies come in. Rather than shouting about your successes from the rooftop, give your client the microphone. When people can see what’s in it for them, from the mouth of people like them, you’ve found a way to sell yourself without having to sell yourself. 

Three ways to build social proof 

Make it easy for people to give you a LinkedIn recommendation 

Add a direct link in your email footer to your personal LinkedIn recommendations page. Time it right (like, for example, when you’ve just told them their planning application has been approved) and make it quick and easy for them to oblige.  

Recommendations are also a ranking signal on LinkedIn. Where two profiles have identical skills and experience, the one with 40 recommendations will always outrank the one with only three.  

Make client feedback part of your project management process 

Just as you’d never forget to invoice your client, build requesting feedback into your processes.  

Missing the moment will result in clients being less responsive. Their mind will be on other things and their recollection will have faded. That means you won’t get that powerful quote you were hoping for. 

Strike while the iron’s hot to get a quote that sparkles. 

Hire a professional to write a case study 

Case studies are becoming increasingly popular, but that doesn’t mean that they’re all hitting the mark. 

A case study, done well, tells a story that captures your audience’s attention, describes a problem they can relate to, and shows how you solved that problem. 

It’s written from the perspective of your client – not you.  

And it uses real quotes obtained from a real interview. 

Some copywriters specialise in case studies. They know what questions to ask to get value-packed responses and how to turn it into a compelling story that sells your services. 

We have the in-house skills to write powerful case studies that make you shine – without you having to say a thing. Get in touch to chat about how case studies can help you grow your business. 

First published on Place North West