Here are other methods that you can use to build your social proof and improve your conversion rates.

Testimonials and Reviews

“If you say it, it’s marketing. If your customer says it, it’s social proof.”

Testimonials are very powerful. They give an objective third-party perspective.

Like all types of social proof, testimonials and reviews are fantastic supportive content. Place them sparingly throughout your website. Preferably, add one to each page aligning the testimonial or review with the page content.

Don’t create a page of testimonials. This has proven to be an ineffective tactic.

Endorsements from Influencers

Better than the testimonial is an expert or celebrity endorsement. The more relevant and influential the endorser, the better the social proof.

Tim Ferriss in his book, The 4-Hour Workweek, shows us how easy it is to contact experts or celebrities and gain their advice and potentially their endorsement. You can read my review of The 4-Hour Workweek here: The Book that Changed My Life!

Another method is to be interviewed by an expert or celebrity where you can plug your website. For example, asking a question of Pat Flynn on his “Ask Pat” podcast. If he answers your question on his show, your website would be in front of tens of thousands of his followers, which could catapult your site to fame and fortune. You can read about Pat Flynn and his "Ask Pat" podcast here: Meet an Affiliate Marketer that Made it to the Top

If you do post an expert or celebrity endorsement on your site, include a picture of them as well. Research shows that this will increase the credibility of the statement. This actually works for any testimonial.

Email List Subscriber Numbers

Signing up for a newsletter takes a lot of trust, so you need to build up confidence around your sign-up form. Tell your visitor about the content and frequency of what they’ll get when they sign-up. You can also show them some social proof.

If your list is big, tell visitors how many people have already subscribed (join the 5,000 people who already receive…). If you don’t have a lot of subscribers yet, use a quote from someone who got value from your newsletter. You could potentially find a few of these in your comments.

For help with building your List, read my blog post: How to Master Your Email List

Social Media Widgets: Twitter Box and Facebook Fan Box

The Twitter and Facebook widgets can show three separate things:

• The size of your following
• Profile pictures of specific, relevant followers
• Recent posts and tweets

The first two are perfect examples of social proof. If the widget shows the face of a follower that the visitor knows or recognizes, it’s most likely that they’ll feel compelled to follow you as well.

“As seen in…” Media Logos

If you have ever been covered by the media, you can improve your credibility and your conversion rate. Show the logos of news media and websites that have mentioned you. Put them on your homepage, or some people put them on the side of their profile photo.

A great way to get covered by the media is by submitting your story or your articles to “Help a Reporter Out”, better known as “HARO”. Your articles will get in front of over 35,000 influential reporters who are up against a deadline and may be in need of a story. You can find HARO at https://www.helpareporter.com/.

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