Social media influence on marketing continues to be a strong method to bring customers and clients to your business.
Always develop a plan to harness this and you will see positive results in your revenue and business growth.
The Principle of Social Proof
One of the most famous examples of social proof in advertising is offered by McDonald’s’ time-worn advertising: “247 billion served”
This tells us that a massive number of people have eaten here, so it must be pretty good.
This is one of the types of social proof that relies on the sheer power of numbers.
These people aren’t necessarily your friends, experts you know, professionals, or anybody else in particular.
Circle of Friends
A similar source of social proof is your circle of friends.
Rather than being the same type of person or a person who took the same action as you, this method utilizes your friends.
For example, when you look at a website and it shows which of your Facebook friends liked or visited the site as well, this boosts the site’s credibility in your eyes.
This type of proof is enabled by social media influence on marketing.
Users and Clients/Customers
One of the most common sources of social media influence on marketing is past users and customers.
This is what you often see with testimonials and reviews.
The word of a former customer who has purchased and used the product is very influential.
It’s like a personal reference.
You can hear about the past user’s experience using the product, which gives you information about the product while also boosting its appeal in your eyes.
Experts and Niche Leaders
Using an expert is a great way to build trust.
An expert isn’t just a friend or past user, but someone who knows the field well.
Their judgment on a certain product or service carries much more weight than that of an ordinary person.
The fact that an expert would endorse a product at the risk of jeopardizing their reputation lends a great deal of credibility.
How to Effectively Measure Social Influence 
Social media influence on marketing is not simply showing others you endorse a product or service.
Your social proof marketing should have a clear aim.
It should spotlight some aspect of your offering and, in particular, how it has produced results for those who have used it.
Social influence tactics are often used to show a benefit that’s the result of using the product.
For example, a product may save you money, save you time, bring your family closer together, and so on.
The best way to demonstrate this is to make the results as specific as possible.
Tell the customer something like, “By using this product, you’ll save $XX on your insurance payments.”
The more specific, the better.
How to get social proof from Your Customers:
- Put yourself in your customer’s shoes
- Figure out what is relevant and meaningful to them
- Take into account where they are in your sales funnel
Social Proof Through Testimonials
One of the most common formats for social media influence on marketing is testimonials.
Testimonials can be from customers who have just experienced the benefit of your product for the first time, or they can be from loyal long-term customers.
There are many ways to obtain customer testimonials through regular communications with your customer.
When asking for testimonials, make it as little work as possible for the customer.
If they have to write in a certain format or provide a great deal of information, this is a barrier that may make it harder for them to provide their testimonial.
You may also choose to offer an incentive for testimonials.
This is a little bit like bribing, but what you’re doing is encouraging the customer to say what they already feel and giving them a little nudge toward doing so.
Your incentive could be something non-monetary, like access to exclusive content or free membership.
Social media influence on marketing will continue to be a strong source for clients and customers.
Social proof using testimonials on your social platforms and website is what will nudge a potential customer or client to purchase.
When they read for themselves what other people have experienced, they also want what they have – success.
Want to harness the power of social influence for your business?
Check out the Power of Social Influence Profit Planner.
You will master this topic through training that comes with a textbook, workbook, idea generator, checklist, and calendar. 
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Check out the FREE training in the Power of Social Influence Profit Planner today.
P.S.
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