I recently came across a financial institute website that turned me away. Want to know why that happened?
The business (website) was lacking social proof!
The Internet has since ages bared a bad name because of scamsters duping users with a lure promising a commodity or service against money and then getting away with the money.
It is for this reason that a lot of people find it difficult to transact on the internet because they don’t want to share the same fate.
That is the reason why I am creating this post, read on if you want to learn how you can build credibility for your business with social proof so that your business on the web has a dignified identity that makes people want to do business with you assuredly.
4 Types of Social Proof your business can use on the Internet
- Get a Business License
There are entities providing online business license tailored for people doing business online in full capacity with a fleet of employees.
A business license adds credibility to the business. You can add this as a token of trust on your business website, share the same on your social media & Google Business Listing so that people know that you’re the real deal. It makes you come off as stable; someone who is projecting to do business long-term would issue a business license and that’s what people understand when they come across a business with a license.
It’s even easier to approach potential investors and customers with a business license; perhaps they may ask this question whether you even have a business license.
Then there are added benefits like tax benefits i.e. being able to collect taxes from your customers, purchasing inventory directly from manufacturer or wholesaler without even having to pay sales tax. There is no reason why a business conducting its operations online should not issue a business license.
- Pictures are worth a thousand words
Some years ago there was a trend in social media marketing where businesses where putting out graphical illustrative pictures that spoke about their business and often time they used stock photos to portray the customer experiences with their business.
Now, this was a dead wrong strategy that’s been fixed. For some years we are seeing that businesses are being courageous by putting out actual pictures of their businesses.
What kind of pictures are they sharing?
- Customer candid pictures
- Pictures of staff
- Pictures of products
- BTS pictures
- Bloopers
This is the #1 social proof that you can add to your online business– and works way better than a graphical illustrative picture or a stock photo. Don’t take your customer for fool they know how to distinguish between a stock photo and an actual picture. Don’t give them the benefit of the doubt.
- Whilst building a business don’t forget to build the brand
Building a Business VS Building a brand; is there any difference between the two?
There is a subtle difference. I mean both intend to get the same objective i.e. get more customers, more profitable revenue.
Focusing on the brand puts you in the position to build an identity for your business in the online world.
That identity will speak for itself and gather customers. People want to transact with a brand more than anything else. People voluntarily find their brand on Instagram & Twitter only to follow them for their business updates.
Branding is basically a long-term strategy that focuses on attracting different customer segments with proper positioning strategies.
What do you think Netflix is doing online? It has positioned itself as a fun brand that doesn’t discuss business but rather seeks candid feedback from customers. They even onboard different social media influencers and allows them to create content on their handle the same way they do on their own handle to attract the audience that follows the said influencer.
- Testimonials are evergreen
Testimonials to promote a business have been ever since humans learned the business and I have a strong conviction that testimonials will always stay relevant.
Testimonials showcase the potential customers the proof that others took this service and product they liked it; that means I will get a similar experience if I am to buy. And that my friends are exactly what brings more sales and leads to a business.
In Digital, Testimonials are captured on the website, Google Business Listing, review sites like GoodFirms, Yelp, and more.
Additionally, the business can approach genuinely happy customers to share their video testimonials which can then be shared with an even bigger tribe.
That’s what we see in every ClickFunnels landing page; the bottom of the landing page is crowded with testimonials of all sorts, it can be a video testimonial, Facebook positive comment, text testimonial, and more.
Use Testimonials to your advantage; there can never be a better social proof than this. In many ways, testimonials can be regarded as the bottom of the funnel content aimed towards conversion.
So these are 4 types of social proof that have a proven track record of building credibility for the online business. Now, over to you; share with us what you do to build credibility for your online business.
