Social proof is a great way to gain the trust of your audience on social media.

What is social proof?

The definition from Buffer is:

Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others in an attempt to reflect correct behavior for a given situation.

In short, things like reviews and recommendations, celebrity or expert endorsements or the opinions of your friends and family are all considered social proof. Certifications and accomplishments can be used as social proof too.

Using social proof in your social media marketing efforts can be extremely effective. I recommend every brand implement a system to encourage and collect reviews and then share those reviews with their audience on social media.

An easy way to incorporate reviews on social media is to come up with a testimonial template in a graphic-editing service like Canva so each review is consistent for your audience to recognize what it is.

Don’t forget to say thank you.

When your brand is recommended somewhere and you are aware of it, reach out to the person making the recommendation and say thank you…and even offer them a special rate or freebie if you can.