Social Proof Integrations

Zomato applied "Cialdini’s Principle of Social Proof" in a subtle manner. How? I was browsing Starbucks' menu on Zomato when I noticed ✅ Java Chip Frappuccino is tagged as "Highly Reordered." It made my decision slightly easier. Zomato is now tagging food items on its menu interface with labels like: ↳“Highly Reordered” ↳“Less Ordered” These tags appear right below the item name. They convey social proof, a cognitive shortcut that tells you, “Others ordered this a lot, so it’s probably good.” It’s not just UI polish. It’s UX intelligence. Let's understand how. This feature is rooted in 𝐂𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐢’𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟, one of the most studied ideas in behavioral science. ❇️ “When people are uncertain, they look to others’ behavior to guide their own.” — Robert Cialdini, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion In moments of cognitive load (like choosing between 17 types of coffee), simple nudges can greatly reduce decision fatigue. 🧪 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐈𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬? 1️⃣ Reduces Friction 2️⃣ Builds Trust (It says, “Others tried and liked this.” That’s free validation ) 3️⃣ Drives Conversions 4️⃣ Reinforces Habit Loops: 5️⃣ Personalization Friendly 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧? ✅ Microcopy → “Highly reordered” is neutral, positive, and measurable. 👀 Placement →Just below the item name, close to a decision point. 🟢 Visual Cues → A clean icon (like a green reorder bar) adds visual validation. 🧭 Contextual Relevance → It appears correctly, in the moment of ordering. These are hallmarks of what Don Norman called “user-centered design.” You meet the user where they are, with just enough information to help without overwhelming them. Nice feature by Zomato :) #ProductDesign #BehavioralScience #UXDesign #Zomato #DesignPsychology #ProductThinking #SocialProof #UXStrategy #CognitiveBias #ProductManagement #ProductManager

At a time where it feels like everyone and their dog is on social media (literally), consumer trust is as precious as it is elusive. But how can brands cultivate it? The answer: social proof. Take, for instance, Patagonia. This brand doesn't just use customer reviews; they weave customer stories into their environmental ethos, showing real people making real differences with their products. Here’s how to fine-tune your social proof strategy: 👍 Curated Customer Stories: Beyond basic testimonials, feature in-depth customer stories that align with your brand values. This creates a narrative, not just a recommendation. 👍 Influencer Partnerships with Substance: Align with influencers who embody your brand's ethos. It’s not just about reach; it’s about relevance and resonance. 👍 Showcase Real-time User Engagement: Use dynamic content like live social media feeds on your website, displaying real-time customer interactions and endorsements. 👍 Highlight Niche Expertise: Display certifications or awards that underscore your specialisation and authority in your field. And here’s what to avoid: 👎 Generic Praise: Avoid showcasing vague or generic testimonials. Specific, detailed endorsements are more impactful. 👎 Over Reliance on Numbers: While a high quantity of reviews can be impressive, it’s the quality and relatability of those reviews that truly build trust. 👎 Irrelevant Influencer Collabs: An influencer who doesn’t align with your brand values or audience can do more harm than good. Authenticity is key. AKA don't just go with the influencer with the biggest following. Often people with smaller audiences have more active audiences anyway so leverage that. By leveraging social proof like Patagonia, who integrate customer adventures into their sustainability narrative, you can do more than just sell a product – you can build a community. So, think: how can your brand use social proof to not just gain trust, but to tell a story that echoes with your audience? #DigitalMarketing #BrandTrust #SocialProof #Patagonia #SydneyDigitalMarketing

After analyzing 500+ deals, I can tell you there's 1 psychology strategy that outperforms every case study and whitepaper: Herd Theory. The Problem: Our beautifully crafted case studies are yawn-inducing. (And get < 3% open rates via email. Our whitepapers are digital paperweights.) The Solution: Strategic Name-Dropping Herd Theory = "People use others' actions as a guide to sensible behavior." Translation: Everyone wants to know what everyone else is doing. Especially their competitors. Here's the Framework- 1. Listen for Pain Points: During discovery calls, identify 1-2 core challenges they're facing. 2. Build the Credible Herd: Mention multiple recognizable companies using your solution for the same problem. 3. Connect Problem to Solution: Link their specific pain to how others solved it. IRL, sounds like: "Earlier you mentioned needing to generate new pipeline for H2. Companies like Gong, Salesloft, Lattice, PagerDuty, Looker, Pendo, Drift, Procore, and Segment are already using UserGems 💎 to monitor buying signals like executive hires and promotions. It's helped them create new pipeline and increase deal velocity. Would it be helpful if I shared how they're approaching this?" Why This Crushes Traditional Collateral --> Social proof at scale: multiple validators vs. one case study --> Risk reduction: if 9 companies are doing it, it's probably safe The Psychology: As Thomas Freese writes in "Question Based Selling": "Surrounding prospects with a credible 'herd' reduces our risk. We become the messenger - not the message." — We gotta stop sending documents buyers won't read. And start leveraging the psychology they can't ignore. How do you use social proof in your discovery calls and follow up emails?

I've created 100s of SaaS landing pages that (1) rank in Google and (2) convert traffic into customers. And I'm now doing the same for my own SaaS, Kleo. Here's the exact landing page plan I'm following: 1. Hero section Company logo: Ensure branding is immediately visible. Headline: Benefit-driven headline that captures attention and clearly states the (compelling) value proposition. E.g. "Discover and create the best LinkedIn content" Subheadline: Supporting statement that adds further clarity to the headline. E.g. "Kleo is the free browser extension that helps you easily find inspiration and create content on LinkedIn." Primary CTA: Button that stands out and guides the user to the desired next step. E.g. "Install on Chrome" Social proof: Show that people like the reader are also using the product (and how many). E.g. "Loved by 27,000 LinkedIn users" (include visuals like user images or logos) Image or video: Add an image, video, or GIF that visually communicates the product in action, making it easy for users to understand how it works. 2. Benefits section Key benefits: Show the main benefits of the product and give a brief description of the features that achieve this. E.g. "Study any creator’s content. Zoom in on your favourite creators to get better insight into their content and standout posts." Supporting visuals: Include images to reinforce the benefits and showcase the product in action. 3. More social proof Testimonials: Include quotes from satisfied customers to increase authenticity. Trust signals: Add logos of well-known brands or individual users to further establish credibility. E.g. "Trusted by 1,000+ teams worldwide" 4. FAQ section Address the most frequently asked questions to overcome any objections. E.g. "Is Kleo detected by LinkedIn?" Use Google autosuggest, keyword research tools, and search modifiers to find SEO-focused questions to further optimise for your target keyword(s). E.g. "Why is Kleo the best LinkedIn content tool?" 5. Final call to action (CTA) Encourage users to take immediate action. E.g. "Start using Kleo for free" 6. Internal linking Links to related features: Provide links to other feature pages to keep users exploring. E.g. “See how you can preview posts with Kleo" Make sure to also link to the new landing page from other pages with optimised anchor text. 7. Mobile optimisation Ensure the landing page is fully optimised for mobile users with quick load times, easy navigation, and mobile-friendly CTAs. 8. Footer section Contact information: Include contact details like email, phone number, and address or a link to support. Legal information: Provide links to important pages such as Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. 9. Repeat for every feature We created 8 of these feature pages for a B2B SaaS company a few months ago. They now: - Rank for searches directly looking for their product - Get 20,000+ "warm" SEO traffic per month It really works.

In SEA markets, social proof works in your favour. But for the sake of humanity... Make it LOCALLY relevant. 🎯 Buyers here don't just want to know if your product works. They want to know who else is using it IN THEIR REGION. Because they don't care about your client success story from New York or London. They care about your familiarity working within THEIR cultures, THEIR markets, THEIR challenges. Status and face matter. A lot. That's why: - Local case studies > global ones - Regional industry peers > random testimonials   - SEA community validation > overseas sales pitch Think about it: A Malaysian logistics company wants to see how you've helped other Malaysian logistics companies. A Singaporean fintech wants proof you've succeeded with direct competitors in their space. They want to see their exact industry, their exact market challenges solved. The best social proof isn't what you say about yourself. It's what others naturally say about you - especially when they're from the same region. Stop pushing global credentials. Start building proof that resonates locally and spreads on its own. Have you gained from the power of social proof in the SEA markets? Comment below and let the audience know that local relevance is key. ✌

Are your clients seeing your social proof as a red flag? Imagine you're about to close a deal. You share glowing testimonials, impressive case studies, and name-drop high-profile clients.  You expect your prospect to be blown away.  But instead, they hesitate, and the deal stalls. What went wrong? Social proof can backfire when it feels irrelevant, overused, or disingenuous.  Instead of building trust, it creates skepticism. 🚩 The Misstep If your testimonials don’t align with your prospect's pain points or industry, they may feel disconnected. Worse, if it seems like you're hiding behind big names rather than addressing their specific concerns, they’ll tune out. ✨ The Fix Make social proof work for you by tailoring it to your audience. 1️⃣ Show the Right Proof Highlight testimonials or case studies from businesses like theirs. Use examples that address the challenges they’ve shared. 2️⃣ Make it Human Avoid overly polished stories. Prospects connect with real struggles and relatable wins, not generic praise. 3️⃣ Let Them Imagine Themselves Position your customer success stories as a blueprint for their potential results. Here’s how to change the script: Instead of: “We’ve worked with global brands like XYZ.” Try: “Here’s how we helped a business like yours save 25% on operational costs within three months.” Social proof isn’t about showing off.  It’s about showing up for your prospect’s needs and priorities. What’s one way you’ve tailored social proof that made a difference in closing a deal? Share your experience below! #salespsychology #buildingtrust #customerfocus #salesstrategy #salesleaders #closedeals #sellingtips #trustbuilding #customersuccess