What is Use Proof? and Can Social Proof Help Your Business Succeed?

February 7, 2018 Jordan Meola 14 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read My Disclosure for more info.

 

sales conversions


 

Software in Question: Use Proof

Style: Social Media Marketing

Rank: This one’s an essential…

Social Proof

My fellow entrepreneurs, internet marketers, and business owners striving for success online – I’m sure you can relate to this.

With enough time and effort we eventually get traffic coming onto our websites. We meticulously construct posts, storefronts, and promotions to get more eyes on the stuff we’re selling.

But sometimes all of that traffic, those ads, those eyes, still don’t convert into sales.

It can be really frustrating! We work hard to provide value, but our dreams of building profitable businesses seem unattainable. What’s the point of getting so many visitors to your business if you’re still not making money?

Don’t get discouraged! Over time I’ve found that with the right strategies success is VERY possible!

One of the key strategies that I came to understand is social proof.

Human psychology plays an absolutely HUGE part in sales and marketing. We don’t always keep that in mind, but it’s one of the first keys to success. We shouldn’t have to dig too deep to figure out how people’s minds work, right? We’re all living inside one ourselves!

We also don’t need to look too far to see that we’re social creatures. The perceptions of our peers usually matter to us. This is why social proof is a deeply important part of online marketing!

So What is the Strategy of Use Proof?

 

social proof

If you’ve shopped online any time in the past year or two you’ve probably come across something like what you see above.

The concept is simple. A business uses this software so that people can see that other people are buying the product. It’s a built in form of quality confirmation, that typically results in HUGE conversions for a business.

Not only does this play on the natural human tendency to conform, but when a visitor to a business can see that their peers are seemingly buying up a product, the natural emotional response is to trust the business more, and buy.

The truth is, people don’t usually like being advertised to! If they can sense that a website is stuffing promotions into their face, or that everything they’re hearing about the products is hyped up by the business-owner, it comes across as disingenuous.

Clutter, at least of the advertising kind, is becoming more and more despised by society’s buyers.

This is where the social proof strategy of Use Proof comes in! Snippets of reviews, or even just the buying history of other visitors to the website, is an endorsement that feels natural, instead of fabricated.

I became my own example of this! I would frequently see Use Proof being used in online stores and drop shipping businesses. I could never understand why it would let me know that others were buying the product, while at the same time finding myself more inclined to buy! And never even guessing that this was done intentionally by the store.

Use Proof

The Key to Online Marketing

Use Proof software is becoming one of the quintessential tools for modern, online marketing. Over 70% of buyers will read reviews or look to some social confirmation before making a purchase, so its merely an adaptation to the times.

Even more important than the presence of social proof, is the VISUAL element. I found that Use Proof was not only capable of maintaining a stream of buyer verification, but it also includes pictures!

 

This creates a personalized, human, and even communal element to your webstore.

The Business of Community

I’m young. I’m 23 years old, recently graduated college with a degree in communications and marketing. And it quickly became clear to me as I set out in business that I needed to find mentors who are a few years ahead, and more experienced.

I’ve been incredibly blessed by many mentors who have come around me to teach me in my journey into entrepreneurship, and one of the integral things that I’ve been taught is that networking in a community is one of the greatest paths you can take for your business. Good business is social.

I looked around at friends that were making $250,000 a year, working 10 hour weeks. Sales professionals I know reaching annual profits over 10 million. Successful business owners. One of the greatest things they have in common is an understanding of social proof.

So what are the kinds of businesses that can benefit from Use Proof software?:

a. Dropshipping and other ecommerce stores (here’s looking at you Shopify store-owners)

b. Affiliate marketers

c. Educators selling their higher ticket courses/products through webinars

d. Small business owners looking to create a presence online

Really, any business owner looking to optimize their online sales!

==> Give It A Shot With the 14-Day Free Trial! <==

Track Your Trends

On a more advanced level, Use Proof is the perfect completion of Google Analytics.

It reveals to you not just numbers, and clicks, but personal profiles that can tell you about your individual customers, and the demographic that you’re finding success with. It looks like this:

know your customer
If you want to succeed online, just as in any other business, you need to know your customers. Where are they from? What are they interested in? How old are they?

Sometimes your target demographic may seem obvious. If you sell boxing equipment your target demographic probably won’t be senior citizens. If you sell chainsaws your primary market might not be new mothers. And if you sell Medicare supplements you’re not looking for high schoolers. But the details aren’t always this obvious!

Using visitor profiles like this, many business owners are able to discover that their products are popular with some very unexpected demographics. A little reshaping of a marketing campaign to fit the right people could cause EXPLOSIONS in profit.

Equally important… when you have a product that is really hot, and selling well, you need to capitalize on that! Use Proof does this:

 

Remember what we said about the way people like to do what other people are doing? When website visitors see a wave like this, hundreds and even thousands are inspired to not miss out, and jump on the band wagon.

Think of the way the stock market works. A rumor goes out that some penny stock is the next Amazon, and what happens? People start to buy, and OTHER people can SEE that other people are buying. Even if it’s only temporary the waves of profit can be massive. This is human nature.

And this is how Use Proof capitalizes on your hot products.

 

And This Is Why Thousands of Marketers Are Utilizing Use Proof.

For you, as a business owner, these kinds of marketing strategies may seem impossible to access. Especially if you’re just starting out.

I felt the same way when I first heard about the strategy!

My assumption was that software like this costs thousands of dollars, and is accessible only to massive companies with massive marketing budgets. Or at least online entrepreneurs who have already generated millions.

I’m on my own, and have started out fairly recently. I know many of my readers are in the same boat. My marketing budget is not huge!

The affordability of Use Proof completely surprised me, and blew me away.

There are different plans, on different tiers, depending on the size and needs of your business.

With annual billing:

The Basic Plan is $25/month. This is capable of sustaining 1,000 monthly visitors, and can be used on unlimited domains (for those of you with multiple businesses ;)). It’s perfectly sufficient for a young business!

The Pro Plan is $66/month. It has all the perks of the basic plan with capability for 10,000 monthly visitors, and tracking hot streaks.

The Business Plan is $108/month. This is for owners of more established businesses. It’s designed for up to 50,000 unique visitors monthly, and has every analytics tool there is.

Try It For a 14 Day Free Trial to Test It Out!

Or you can join below!

Join Use Proof

The Use Proof website will guide you on how to get your social proof strategy set up on your website(s), and further articulate the exact uses of this strategy.

I have found this to be one of the most powerful ways of building trust in an online store. If you need to take your sales promotions to the next level, and especially if your potential buyers seem to have reservations, this kind of tool is the natural next step.

You can get full access to the free trial below. Boost your conversions and profits, friends! And I’m excited to hear about your successes!

 

Join Use Proof

14 People reacted on this

  1. Now that I think about it, I have seen text boxes at the bottom of sites saying that someone has purchased there, and that has lead me to buying it as well!

    I have an affiliate site that I have been building for the past 8 months and so far, I still have not received any sales, but this sounds like something that might help!

    I can definitely see having proof of my site making sales result in other visitors convert into even more sales!

    You mentioned that for the very basic plan, it is only $25 a month, which I find very surprising, considering the fact that it has helped a ton of online businesses.

    My question is, do you think I should get into this now, at the time when my site is not making anything, or should I wait until sales start coming in on a somewhat consistent basis?

    1. Hey, thanks for dropping by! And that’s awesome that you have your own site you’re building up.

      It will definitely be good to wait a bit before you set up something like Use Proof on your website. You’ve been keeping at it for 8 months, that’s awesome, and that shows a lot of determination! Once you start making sales on your site it will be worth installing Use Proof.

      This is partly because then you will have some business income to absorb Use Proof into your budget, AND then it will give the software something to work with. It’s not so much for the purpose of getting traffic to your website, it’s more for turning traffic you already have into sales that will make you money. 

      Once you get the traffic, then social proof can be implemented. 

      You can do it!! 

  2. Thanks for reviewing social proof. I also get frustration sometimes as an affiliate marketer. Great content, great traffic, everything is there in my website, still no sales as per expectation. But there are some successful marketers who are earning a lot by spending only a few hours a month. And from your this review I have got to know about this great social proof software. Definitely I’m going to have this in my website.

    1. Thanks for the comment! 

      I can definitely relate to you, the early months in internet or affiliate marketing can be very tiring. It’s a lot of work, and time investment, that seems like it will never generate worthwhile income. Don’t get discouraged! Keep reading and learning, and with time those posts that you are making now will ALL be bringing in money. 

      Use Proof is definitely something to consider for later, when you have a steady flow of traffic coming to your website. Once you have visitors coming to your website, Use Proof is one of the ultimate tools to start turning those visitors into buyers. 

      Good luck, and keep working hard! I’m sure you will succeed. 

  3. I strongly believe that proof and experimentation are key factors to evolve in any field. I have never heard of Use Proof before but it sounds very smart and on point. I will probably go have a deeper look into it! I notice that you are comfortable with the subject Probably also due to your background. Is Use Proof only made for bigger websites or also for small young websites? Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

    1. Thanks for commenting Julien!

      Use Proof is very new. It may be better known just as PROOF. It can be extremely effective! It’s not necessarily only for larger or even older sites, although it will at least require that you have some flow of traffic to your site before it starts to be lucrative.

      If you have people coming to your site, even if they’re not buying yet, Use Proof can take advantage of the traffic and use it impress readers with the validity of your site. Readers will see that other people are reading, and feel affirmed in their choice of your site.

      Thanks for dropping by! Once you get a traffic flow going this can be helpful for you, and I’m sure you’ll do well. 

  4. This is a powerful tool. Although this is the first time I hear about this program, I can see how it can help with you traffic.

    I am relatively new to online marketing and still do not have consistent traffic to my site, but I am slowly building it up. I can see how this tool can be a help on the long run.

    Thanks for providing this helpful information,
    Oscar

    1. Hey Oscar, thanks for dropping by!

      Use Proof will definitely help you out a little farther down the road. Once you have a flow of traffic coming to your blog or your online store you can start using the software to help you close deals. 

      Good luck in your new online marketing business! 

  5. Thank you for this valuable information. This is the first time I am hearing about this type of program and the cost is worth it.
    I own an e-commerce store and I can see and imagine how this will help me. I am going to do some more research on how exactly it works when I sign up for the free trial.
    Thanks again!
    Alex

  6. Hi, Jordan!

    I had seen Social Proof before, but I really couldn’t understand how it works – until now that is! Thanks for a very enlightening review, informative and detailed.

    This is something I would like to use on my blog for affiliate marketing (at first). Have you used it on a blog? Does it work?

    Thanks again!

    Marios

    1. Hello Marios! Thanks for your encouragement!

      Yes it can work very well for a blog! I have used it during a marketing internship to help promote sports events. It played a huge part in building hype around the events. 1 share lead to 10 shares, 10 shares lead to 50, 50 to a hundred. The more attention it got, the more powerful it became. 

      For a blog, it’s good to assure your reading audience that you are relevant, and have authority, especially in a competitive niche. The more social proof the better, as readers will be assured that they are looking to the same authority that other people are looking to. So YES, it’s definitely worth having on a blog :)!

      Just bear in mind, it’s more for the purpose of converting readers to buyers, than it is for getting readers. So if your blog doesn’t have readers yet it will need a bit more work and some readership before Use Proof can be effective. It needs some fuel, you know?

      ~Jordan

  7. Hello Jordan,
    This is a really interesting product, and I’ve seen it on a lot of landing pages, actually.
    It’s funny that once the purpose of a widget gets revealed to us that it becomes so apparent what it was used for.
    The psychology of social proof is definitely one of those things that works without us knowing it.
    I definitely felt more assured signing up with WA when on the landing page there was a social proof widget showing who joined recently.
    I haven’t looked into it much yet, but I was wondering if I can use this plugin to show the people joining WA on my own website?
    By the way, nicely written article. The pictures help a lot.

    All the best,
    Wilson

    1. Hey Wilson, thanks so much! And I’m glad you found the content helpful.

      I was also surprised when I first discovered Use Proof software. Like you, I had seen it many places, and had even found that it worked on me, and I just never realized that it did. 

      Use Proof software can certainly be used on your own blog (though I would only recommend getting it once you’ve confirmed you have traffic coming to your site). Even if your traffic is small at this point, Use Proof can still use it to exhibit the desirability of your site, and what you’re promoting.

      For Wealthy Affiliate specifically it will work, though you may be able to obtain it for free without purchasing Use Proof if you are already a member of Wealthy Affiliate. That’s something I would need to ask the community about, or Kyle, one of the founders. 

      Best of luck to you in your promotions! 

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