5 Essential Types of Social Proof to Implement in Your Sales Funnel 

If used the right way, social proof can be a powerful tool for building customer trust. Approximately 98% of customers say it’s crucial when making purchase decisions.

But what is social proof? What social proof types should you use in your sales funnel?

We’ll answer those questions with this blog post. Read on to know how powerful social proof is, the types you can use to nudge customers to take your desired action, and social proof examples.

What is social proof?

Social proof is a cognitive phenomenon that dictates that people are influenced by the actions or decisions of other people they trust.

Imagine you’re browsing the web, looking for suitable outreach software. You find two platforms — one without reviews and another one with real reviews of people who have used the platform. Which platform would you choose? Most likely, you’d consider the one with excellent reviews, like this one:

That’s social proof in action. Smart marketers should master how to use it to build confidence in their products as part of their marketing strategy. Implemented correctly, it can be a powerful tool for businesses to boost conversions.

Now does all this mean you should only rely on social proof to reach your marketing and sales goals?

Of course not! You should complement it with other just-as-effective strategies for the best results. For instance, personalization helps ensure you come up with marketing messages that further drive potential customers to action, wherever they are in the sales funnel. You can use the latest advancements in technology like generative AI to create, not just personalized case studies, but also marketing emails and social media posts. Offering incentives can also help, particularly when potential customers reach the bottom of the funnel. When you offer a discount, they are likely to buy. Would you say no when they tell you that you can save a few extra bucks with your purchase? 

5 essential types of social proof every sales funnel needs

Now that you know social proof is key to the success of your business, here are five types you’ll want to consider using:

1. Customer testimonials

Customer testimonials are short narratives of customers explaining their experience with a product or service.

Testimonials can be written, as in our example above.

Brands can also leverage video-recorded customer testimonials like this one done for Cascade:

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Featuring testimonials from satisfied customers throughout your sales funnel can help you overcome objections with those interested in your product. In fact, customer testimonials are powerful B2C and B2B marketing strategies because they demonstrate a company’s abilities and the actual benefits of its solutions in real-world scenarios. 

To get these testimonials, reach out to your loyal and satisfied customers. You can send them an email like the one below:

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Just make it easy for them to leave their feedback. You can do what VeryGoodCopy did above–leave links to relevant pages where they can easily write or record their comments. Like VeryGoodCopy, you can also give them an incentive for the feedback.

The sky’s the limit when it comes to where you can display the customer testimonials you gather. Just remember your goal when determining where to place them: to reinforce the benefits of your product.

So, you can place customer testimonials on your landing and product pages. You can even create a dedicated testimonial page on your website.

Sharing customer testimonials on social media platforms is also common practice.

When used in email marketing, these types of social proof can help you convince potential buyers to take the next step. Eight Sleep, which sells smart products for “sleep fitness,” follows this strategy. So, when subscribers see how great their products are based on users themselves, they’ll “start their journey” with the brand:

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Remember, though, that crafting good email subject lines for sales is crucial in this context. Compelling subject lines increase the likelihood of your emails being opened and read in the first place.

As a final tip, when featuring testimonials, include real customers (of course), the customers’ real names and pictures. That will help boost your testimonials’ credibility.

2. Expert endorsements

Expert endorsements are another one of the most common types of social proof you can leverage. With this type, it is influential people like thought leaders and journalists who approve of your product. When these individuals publicly endorse or support your brand, they transfer their credibility and positive influence to it. Expert social proof can reduce the perceived risk in adopting new products, thereby driving conversions.

For this to work, you need to identify the right experts who are respected by your target audience and have a large following. You can leverage industry-specific forums or platforms like LinkedIn. Or look at publications in your industry potential customers are likely to read.

Once you identify your multiple suitable experts, reach out to them using cold email outreach software like SmartReach. This way, your team can easily monitor email communications and draft tailored responses in record time. That will help enhance, not just your response rates, but also the overall success of your outreach campaign. 

In your initial messages, ask your chosen experts to try out your product. To persuade them, you could offer an incentive like your product at a discounted price or an exclusive free trial. 

If it’s a written endorsement you’re looking for, the expert will have to take the time to write it themselves. To persuade them to do it, you can reassure them a few sentences will do. If you reached out to a publication, then you’ll just have to wait for their article to come out. 

But if you prefer a video endorsement, you will likely have to interview these industry experts yourself. After all, these are busy individuals who probably won’t have the time to record themselves on their own. So, just set a date and time at their convenience for your recording session. Give them ample time to experience your product prior to scheduling.

Once you have your written or video endorsements, share them across your marketing platforms. You can collate them and incorporate them into a dedicated page on your site as part of your marketing campaigns, like Fitbit did:

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Another option is to post them on your social media profiles in the form of organic posts or targeted ads. 

3. Organic social media mentions by ordinary customers

We’ve so far talked about types of social proof that require you to reach out to clients to generate them. But did you know there are other types you don’t have to work as hard for?  

Organic social media mentions by ordinary customers, for instance, are modern word-of-mouth recommendations. When they mention your product in their social media posts, they usually do so on their own. Almost 30% of social media users leverage the platforms to share their own opinions with others. If they say something nice, their posts can serve as a form of authentic endorsement. And they’re powerful, too. More than one fifth of global consumers check social media for feedback before buying a product or service.

You can use tools like Sprout Social to monitor these mentions of your product on social networks. Gather all the positive mentions. If you get consent to use them, you can reshare them on your social media channels.

Don’t forget to make personalized comments that show your appreciation for the positive post.

What if your brand was mentioned on social media but was criticized instead? You’ll still want to respond to the comment to show you’re looking for ways to address their issue. Document the negative feedback. If valid, you can use it to improve your product and processes.

4. Trust badges and certifications

Trust badges and certifications are visual indicators that serve as a stamp of approval from authorities that your product meets specific quality standards. For SaaS, for instance, including a SOC 2 Compliance or ISO 27001 certification badge shows that your SaaS product adheres to stringent data security standards.  

You can display these on your homepage like SurveyMonkey did below. The brand showcased its BBB accreditation and TrustedSite certification on its main page for a reason–to show potential customers from the get-go that they’re trustworthy and legitimate.

You can also integrate badges and certifications in your product and checkout page, as in this example:

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After all, they might just be the final nudge potential customers need to push through with that final purchase. 

Overall, displaying badges and certifications on your website and other marketing channels can help build customer confidence and reduce friction in the sales process. 

5. Ratings and customer reviews

Online reviews and product ratings from happy customers are a powerful form of social proof. 

Here’s a stat to back that up — 94% of customers say they impact their purchase decisions. That’s not surprising since online reviews and product ratings establish trust and credibility. A high average rating and numerous positive reviews mean the product is worth it. The result? Increased conversions and customer loyalty.

But let’s back up a bit. What are product ratings and customer reviews in the first place?

Product ratings are numerical or symbolic indicators summarizing a customer’s overall opinion or satisfaction level. They provide a quantitative measure of customer satisfaction or product quality.

Unlike user testimonials that are usually in the form of short customer quotes, customer reviews offer detailed evaluations or assessments of a product or service. They provide qualitative feedback and can cover various aspects, including performance, quality, user experience, and value. This helps prospective customers understand what to expect and decide whether to purchase or use a product/service.

To effectively leverage this type of social proof in your sales funnel, consider featuring reviews and ratings prominently on your website.

You can get these ratings and customer reviews from popular review sites like G2 or Capterra, like Custify did below. Use a plugin like Elfsight’s All-In-One Review to embed them onto your homepage. 

You can also ask for these ratings and customer reviews on your product pages. 

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My Two Brows, for instance, has a ratings and reviews section for each product page. Actual users can rate and give detailed feedback on the item in exchange for points they can redeem at the store. 

Leverage social proof for your business

When done right, social proof can be an effective tool for lead generation and customer acquisition.

You learned five types of social proof you can leverage for your business. Used the right way, customer testimonials, expert endorsements, organic social media mentions, trust badges and certifications or ratings and customer reviews can help you validate your product’s value. 

You don’t necessarily need to use all of them. Experiment with a few social proof strategies to see which ones work well for your product before implementing another. In this testing phase, ensuring you are able to track your conversions correctly will be important. Then retain those that yield the best results. 

Ready to supercharge your sales funnel with these different types of social proof?

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