Instagram is far more than an internet trend. It’s here to stay, both for the pleasure of the average consumer as well as the benefit of businesses. Every business that wishes to remain competitive and establish a strong brand uses Instagram to do so.
When establishing an Instagram marketing campaign, you’ve probably come across the term “social proof.” This stems back to the average consumer’s innate desire to be accepted by society by buying products and using services that have worked well for others. It’s any kind of proof provided by others that a certain product or service works. It might be a customer testimonial, a photo of a celebrity using a certain product, an industry giant that uses a certain tool, etc.
You’ve heard it’s a good thing and that you really should rely on it to be successful, but you might not know why it’s so important. Hopefully, this guide can shed a little light on the situation.
It Increases Your Following
Getting more Instagram followers is the goal of almost every account owner. The more followers you get, the greater influence your brand will have on the general public. This usually translates to higher profits and other improved performance metrics.
Social proof is one of the best ways to increase your Instagram following. If you can provide testimonials, positive reviews, awards or recognition, case studies, and other influential signs that your company is succeeding, you won’t have to work very hard to convince consumers to start following you.
Additionally, you’ll develop consistent social proof when you generate social shares, likes, and engagement with each post. When consumers see that their friends and connections are engaging with your content, it will entice them to do the same.
Therefore, creating consistent content will be your key to building a steady following and generating all the social proof you need. If you can, work on creating viral content as well—nothing increases your follower count like a good piece of viral content! If you need help increase your following, you can also use an Instagram automation tool.
It Drives More People to Your Website
Many businesses use Instagram to increase their website traffic. With compelling posts, you’ll direct people to your bio where they can click on a link to get back to your website. If you’re smart, you’ll use a landing page link that will hopefully encourage visitors to convert to customers. In this case, social proof is vital.
“Social proof is an important part of executing your landing page strategy,” Talia Wolf of GetUplift.co told ConversionXL. “As customers, we buy products that make us feel good about ourselves, products that change us and make us better. By using social proof in the form of testimonials, reviews and trust icons you’re helping customers make a decision, feel confident about their choice, and a part of something bigger.”
Joel Klette of Business Casual Copywriting weighs in on the same topic, discussing how you’ll rarely go wrong with the use of social proof to increase website traffic.
“Social proof is immensely important for landing pages, to the point that it’s one of very few elements I’ve never seen reduce conversion rates in my own tests,” he says. “Third party proof does so much at the same time – sets expectations, gives leads a comparison party to weigh themselves against, reinforces your messaging and substantiates your claims.”
If you’ve been in marketing or sales for long, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a tool that does all of those things at the same time as proficiently as social proof does. It truly is a wonder in the world of marketing.
Instagram Users Look for Social Proof When Making Purchasing Decisions
If like most businesses, your goal is to increase sales with your Instagram profile, there’s no better way to do so than with social proof.
Most of this social proof comes from micro-influencers or accounts in a specific niche with between 1,000 and 10,000 followers. Research shows that 82 percent of Instagram users look to micro influencers for social proof when making a purchasing decision.
Micro-influencers are “perceived as more credible and knowledgeable,” says Lucas Miller of JeffBullas.com.
“Micro-influencers have been found to be among the most effective sellers on the market,” he says, thanks to their niche-specific audience that’s hyper engaged. If you partner up with micro influencers in your industry, you can piggy back off of that engagement to reach your own goals with your account.
It Creates Brand Permanence
We all recognize brands like Nike, Apple, Microsoft, and Coca-Cola. These brands don’t have to work very hard to leave a good impression on their consumers. They all have fiercely loyal customers who don’t want to switch brands for anything in the world.
This in and of itself is a form of social proof—when you constantly see the logos of these organizations emblazoned on your friends’ and families’ personal belongings, you’ll unconsciously lean towards these brands and remember them when you’re ready to make a purchase.
Creating that brand permanence is something that every brand should strive for, and as is the theme of this article, social proof can help you achieve it. As more and more consumers engage with your content, purchase your products, talk about your company, and follow your brand on Instagram, you’ll see an incredible surge in brand recognition that will result in increased conversions, traffic, follows, or whatever other goals you’ve set out to accomplish.
If you’re not convinced yet that you need social proof on Instagram, there’s only one thing left to do: Go out and try it yourself. As you employ various tactics and varieties of social proof in your Instagram strategies, you’ll see exactly how powerful it can be for your brand.
