When you build a business, you will eventually reach the point when you cannot give potential customers an in-person sales pitch. As a business owner, you have to ensure that you highlight what makes your products great even if you're not in front of people to do this. 

One way to do this is by showing social proof—offering evidence of past clients being satisfied with your offerings and finding value in them. When you do your funnel mapping and tracking, you should include instances where you can incorporate social proof.

Here are some ideas to consider.

1. Show written or video testimonials

If a customer has written to you telling you how much they loved your product, you can show this as a featured quote in your sales funnel. Secure permission to show their note; you don't want a satisfied customer to turn into an angry one! Also, check with them if they are okay with their real name and photo being next to the quote. 

For the more tech-savvy, a video testimonial could be a better option. Video conveys more authenticity since an actual person is saying in their own words how your product has helped them. Testimonial videos are best for order forms, sales pages, or places people decide to click 'Buy.'

2. Display case studies on your page

Testimonials only have one customer vouching for your product. To show quantitative proof of your product's effectiveness, you should have a case study on your website. Case studies go more in-depth into discussions of outcomes and could show readers the process you took to achieve results. A case study does not even need to in text form; you could have multimedia packets with video interviews.

3. Enlist the endorsement of an influencer

You can take the route major brands choose and get an influencer to endorse your products. Influencer marketing does not involve large sums in exchange for testimonials from someone popular in your niche. Get an influencer in your niche to speak positively about your business. An endorsement like this will likely matter more to people who are in your space!

4. Display your numbers if possible

You can quickly obtain your business' statistics from your marketing planning software. People are more comfortable when they're not the first to try something; if you show that you have a sizable following who have already committed to your brand, it's likely to bring in more customers.

Stating the number of enrollees you have for your course, the number of books you have sold, or the number of users your product has can translate positively on your sales.

5. Use pop-ups for social proof

Sometimes, you might see pop-ups in the bottom left-hand corner of a sales funnel page, or come across an opt-in page that lists who had recently bought the product or clicked into the website. These are called social proof pop-ups, and they show in real-time who is engaging with the sales funnel. 

You can use services by Proof, Provely, Morevago, ProveSource, and more to help you create this for your business website.

6. Emphasize media mentions of the business

Being featured on television still lends people credibility. As such, make the most of it and stress that your product has been in a TV feature. Make sure you put the logo of the outlet in your sales funnel, especially if you have videos or articles online about the media coverage.

7. Bring attention to awards it had won

No matter how small, an award can affect how people view a particular service or product. Having an award means you had met a level of quality that a panel of judges had deemed superior to its peers. Otherwise, people think, why would this product win? An award is a social proof that works double duty; it indicates both quality and popularity, so make sure you add them to your website.

8. Have partner or "used by" logos

If major industry players use your product in their operations, put their logo on your sales funnel. This practice enables you to look 'credible by association' and appear more confident. If your product has been featured on sales websites like Amazon, you should consider putting your five-star-rated customer reviews on your page as well. 

Like your business statistics, the number of industry peers using your product can be a factor when it is time to go back to your marketing budgeting software for a new campaign.

9. Consider oblique ways of gathering proof

When thinking about social proof, you should not limit yourself to direct evidence that the product is doing well. Social proof could also come from organic interactions with customers. 

You can still use the comments and leads generated during social media outreach efforts even if you cannot directly make money out of them. Also, connect your Facebook business page with embeddable widgets. Your opt-in pages could have plenty of 'likes,' but if visitors to your website are not aware of this, it would not matter much beyond Facebook. Allow social media to help your marketing by linking your website to this plugin.

10. Include trust seals and certifications

Customers feel better about online purchases when they know that they're buying their goods from a company with a good reputation. Have your products certified by an independent third party, use secure systems, or have employees undergo training that leads to certification. When you display these 'trust seals,' you show that people should take your business seriously.

Conclusion

Businesses that want to leverage past success can do so in several ways. From including video testimonials on your website to show that your team has been certified for particular skills, make sure you include proof that you have had satisfied clients or customers in the past. Doing this ensures interest, at the very least, in what you can offer, and possibly convince people to download your app or sign up for your classes in the future.

Our marketing collaboration tool allows you to take care of all stages of the funnel; from mapping and planning to live analytics, we have you covered! Sign up for a free account today or get in touch with us to learn more.