Social proof: a psychological phenomenon as a marketing advantage - tricks for efficient hotel marketing
Bonn, November 20, 2018 - Everyone has experienced it before, it is better to go to a restaurant where many guests are sitting than to the one next door, where all the tables are empty. But why is it like that? Quite simply explained: we want protection. When there are so many people in one shop, the food there has to be good or at least not bad. We let ourselves be tempted to make a decision based on external orientation. This phenomenon, often known as "herd effect", is called social proof. The herd effect is only one aspect of social proof. We are not only oriented towards crowds of people, individual people can also influence our decision-making behavior if we personally consider them important, particularly qualified or close to us.
Use social proof in marketing for yourself
There are many ways to take advantage of social proof in marketing. To get an overview, you should first know the different types of social proof:
- As already mentioned, the "herd effect" can have a major impact on purchasing decisions. If a product or service has a lot of good ratings, for example in the Amazon star system or in your own rating system, then this suggests to the customer that this must be a high-quality service. So the customer has the feeling of security when buying this product. After all, everyone else was satisfied. Many good ratings can significantly increase the conversion rate.
- A famous person can also achieve the desired effect. If your product is bought, used, and recommended by a TV celebrity, or by someone who is generally considered important and popular, then others will look to it. After all, such people often have the financial means to buy any product of this kind. But if you have just chosen yours, it must be a sign of quality. The role model factor takes effect here and gives your product promise a high degree of credibility. As an extra you can win this person as a brand ambassador and use the effect continuously. So-called influencers are particularly popular here because they reach a lot of people in a certain target group and, as the name suggests, they influence their audience.
- Another effective social proof aspect is the orientation towards people who are similar to the potential customer. Based on his purchasing behavior, he receives personalized offers for products that suit him. If you provide these offers with reviews that suggest that people from the same target group bought it and found it good, this can give potential customers additional motivation to buy. "If the other person needs and uses the product, then I should do it, after all, we're similar."
- Reviews and recommendations from friends, relatives and relatives can have a similar, but even stronger effect. If a good friend or even my sister, mother, or my uncle recommends a product to me, this has a major impact on the purchase decision. After all, none of these people would recommend anything that they are not convinced of and they want the best for their friends or relatives. Our social environment influences us very strongly with recommendations and evaluations.
Finally, the customer can also deliver a social proof for other customers. If a purchase has been made or a like button has been clicked, the customer has felt your offer to be good and may be inclined to recommend it to those around them. By integrating SWYN buttons, you can make it easier for him to recommend him in social media.
Email campaigns give more credibility through social proof
The use of social proof for your email marketing is particularly recommended. Social proof is not too present here and that is an advantage for you. The customer's attention is immediately drawn, as it is not the hundredth advertising email of the same structure that he receives. Marketing automation software enables you to send automated emails that are linked to different triggers. If, for example, a customer has viewed a certain product, this can be a trigger for sending him an email with social proof for this product at a not too distant time. Placing a product on a wish list or notepad as well as a shopping cart can also be a trigger for a reminder email. The e-mail that the customer now receives shows him all the advantages of your product. You can use the social proof effects, for example:
- Integrate your rating system into the email with a positive review or positive tweets from your Twitter account. This also works completely dynamically and in real time, so that the latest reviews or tweets are automatically displayed in the email when the email is opened. In this way, you create social proof in the mail without having to visit the landing page again.
- Map your brand ambassador, the influencer you are collaborating with, or just a celebrity who uses and advertises your product. A visual incentive, not too big, but still convincing, can be very helpful. It is best to place a quote from the person about your product or brand next to the picture.
- Facebook reviews can also be integrated here. If friends, acquaintances, relatives or colleagues of the user like this product, this can be displayed in the mail (provided a suitable opt-in is required). How to use the social proof effects from the social environment of the potential customer.
- An effective trigger can be a satisfaction survey after the purchase, for example one month after the purchase date. In this email the customer is asked whether everything went according to his wishes and how satisfied he is with the product. If he is satisfied, you can include a follow-up purchase recommendation here (after all, he has already decided on a product from you and therefore he may be more willing to buy another product from you, provided he was convinced of the first one) and recommend it animate via social media or your own rating system.
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