5 Ways to Use Social Proof In Your Direct Sales Business
When I say “use social proof in your business” that might sound really complicated and ‘businessy’…but it’s actually not hard and is proven to work well.
What is this social proof thing?
Social influence or social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people copy the actions of others, it’s a type of conformity. Or, as some people say “monkey see, monkey do”.
Here’s an example: If you’re looking for a place to have lunch and you’re driving past a few cafés or restaurants…which one will you pick? The one with 1 lonely car parked out the front or the one with 7 cars already parked in their car park?
Most people will pick the restaurant with 7 cars. Because they figure that since so many other people are eating there, it must be good. It’s proven by the behavior of others = social proof.
So how can you use social proof in your party plan or direct sales business? I have 5 tips for you:
Tip 1: Testimonials
You can get reviews and stars on your Facebook Business Page. We all use reviews and testimonials when shopping for services or products – your customers are no different.
You can encourage happy hosts or customers to leave a review on your page to get the process started.
Sometimes people message or email me with a lovely thank you that reads almost as a testimonial. I always ask them if I can use that message on my social media pages and I ask if I can use their picture with it as well.
I want to use their picture because research has shown that testimonials are considered more trustworthy when they’re accompanied by a photo!
I then create a tile (in Canva) or screenshot their message and then I post that across my social media channels – don’t be shy when people praise you 🙂
Tip 2: Storytelling
Tell stories at your parties or showings. Tell stories in your Facebook Lives. We humans are hardwired to love stories and to imagine ourselves in the story. So you want to tell stories!
What stories do you want to tell? How a recent host had a fabulous party and so much fun. Or maybe the initial success of a new team member…or your recent incentive trip…or that one of your guests said that she didn’t expect to really enjoy the party but did…
You want to tell interesting stories that people can relate to. Stories that make them imagine they can have a fun party or join your team and have great success.
Tip 3: Storyboards
Add a story board to your display for your in-home parties. It’s a great piece of social proof. This example has been created with a free photo collage app.
With your storyboard you can highlight the friends you’ve made, the lifestyle you’ve created with your business, past fun parties, themes, your customer appreciation event, workshops, etc.
You can print off a collage like this in color on glossy paper to add to your display or you can use it in digital form.
During your party, refer to you story board and tell the story behind some of the images to bring it to life and enhance engagement.
Some people use photo albums for this purpose. And they would fit more pictures, but only a few people will flip through them so I prefer story boards.
Tip 4: Share Milestones
On your social media you want to share your milestones as part of your social proof strategy. Here are some ideas of milestones to share:
- Reaching X followers on your Facebook business page or Instagram profile
- Reaching X customers in your business
- Running your Xth party
- Business anniversaries
- Achieving career elevation with your company
- Achieving a sales goal
- Receiving an award or prize
The key when sharing milestones is not to brag but to show your happiness and gratitude!
Tip 5: Share customers’ love for your products
Encourage your customers to share their love for your products on social media. You could introduce special hashtag or re-post social media posts from your customers.
I kick-start this customer-driven social proof a few times a year by creating “Review Crews” in my VIP customer groups. I make it more compelling by offering some prizes or discounts to the “Review Crew”.
You could also offer a monthly reward to your customers. Everybody who writes a product review or does a product shout-out on social media, goes in the draw for a prize.
Okay, over to you. What are you doing in your business to use the power of social proof? Leave a comment below with what you already do or what you’re planning to implement after reading this article.
Thank you for your guidance!