Bolster Your Landing Page with Social Proof

Landing Pages, Optimization

This post is part of SNAP’s free 5-email Landing Page Optimization Series. Sign up here.

Let’s go to Wikipedia for a quick definition:

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

AKA: You’ll do something if you see other people doing it.

Which is why social proof is a CRUCIAL part of your high-converting landing page.

It comes in all sorts of different forms, including customer testimonials, case studies, starred reviews…

SNAP - Landing Page Optimization

4.5 stars out of almost 4,000 customers? Seems pretty trustworthy.

Essentially, social proof shows worried or unconvinced prospects that they’re not the first to consider trying this thing you’re offering.

Social proof tells your prospect, “Hey, you’re not alone.”

It whispers quietly in her ear,

“And in fact, it’s a great idea to take the next step/click that button/enter your email address.”

Here’s how to gather testimonials…

Gather testimonials from your customers or existing users by asking questions like,

  • “What’s been the best part of using this product or service?”
  • “What problems has it solved for you?”
  • “Does it solve any problems it’s not indicated for, or that you didn’t expect it to solve?”
  • “How often do you use the product or service?”

You’re looking for genuine, specific statements.

Don’t try to whitewash, abbreviate, or omit any parts of the testimonial that are less glowing–because those are some of the things that make testimonials believable.

…and use them effectively on your landing page

Instead of throwing social proof onto your landing page in a giant chunk, use it strategically.

Bolster every claim you make with a piece of social proof to back it up. This helps calm people’s fears of making a mistake, and shows them they’re not alone.

For example:

SNAP - Landing Page Optimization

While asking you to sign up, Canva tells you that 10 million people use its online design platform, and cites its media coverage and accolades.

The bullet-point wrap-up

  • Social proof shows prospects they’re not alone
  • It comes in all sorts of forms, from starred reviews to testimonials to case studies to # of registered users
  • Deploy social proof strategically throughout your page, instead of clumping it in one spot

Two out of three ain’t bad, but aim for three out of three to see the highest conversions.

Want to know more about social proof? We love how Angie Schottmuller explains it.

Thanks for reading!