Episode 113: How Social Proof Can Help Increase Your Conversion Rate

Social proof can be an excellent way to establish trust and credibility for you and your pet sitting business. When we talk about social proof, we mean borrowing third-party influence to sway/persuade potential customers. Today, Erika & I will discuss the different types of social proof, the pro's and con's of each, and how you can use social proof to enhance your pet business! Biggest Takeaways You Don't Want To Miss What Is Social Proof? Social proof is borrowing third-party influence to sway/persuade potential customers. Some examples of social proof would be Bella's endorsement on Barketing.co, testimonials on your website from influencers, or even a testimonial from someone who had the same problem as a prospective customer that you solved for them. Social proof helps consumers connect to your business at an emotional level as well as gain trust and confidence, which then helps them make a purchasing decision. Genuine reviews on native platforms are the best. If friends and family have used your services and tell people how trustworthy you are and how they had peace of mind while away, that's money right there! What Is Negative Social Proof? Negative social proof is something you NEVER want to use. It means that you don't publicly bash another company. Focus on your pro's and not other companies' cons. Focus on why you need a professional pet sitter instead of why you shouldn't use a tech company (i.e. Rover or Wag!). Be positive! The negativity towards a competitor can actually be damaging to you. Six Types Of Social Proof: 1. Mini Case Studies  This is when you tell a story that hits potential clients emotionally. Did you save someone's house from a flood? Maybe you stopped a break-in? Did you go above and beyond? Do your daily dog walks keep dogs healthier? You'll want to talk about the outcome the customer had with you and what the outcome would have been without your services. If you have facts to back it up, that's even better! Mini case studies are an especially powerful tool for dog trainers. 2. Testimonials/Reviews. This is when you ask your clients to reviews your services on websites such as Google, Facebook, and Yelp. Don't be afraid to ask for reviews! A happy client will happily write you a review. Be sure to add a link to review websites in your thank you emails that you send out post-service. Use these reviews on your website and add them to your social media strategy (with the clients' permission of course!). Be sure to use images when you're posting on your website and to link to the original review to show it's real. Feature your happy customers on your website. This can also display what type of pets you accept (and if you offer retail, this is a great tool!). You'll never, ever want to use fake testimonials or review your own services. Use quotes that are short, specific about the value of your service/product, include a picture, and make sure they match your buyer personas! 3. Social Media  When customers share your business with their Facebook friends or on Instagram, that is another form of social proof! Monitor and save all of this positive promotion (can you say free marketing!?). Encourage social proof on social media by posting photos of pets in your care and tagging/telling their pet parents. There's a good chance they will share the photos so make sure you add your watermark! Encourage sharing. Other ways social media can serve as social proof is through a referral program, leveraging local Facebook groups, encouraging geotagging on Instagram, adding social sharing icons to your blog posts, and finding ambassadors that will recommend you to their friends, family, and groups on social media! 4. Trust Icons Trust icons are a form of social proof that makes sense sometimes but not always. If you have special certifications, won an award, or were mentioned in a well-known publication, this can help boost social proof. Do you have recommendations from a trusted Vet, real estate agent, or divorce lawyer? Publish them and play it up to your advantage! Use quotes from influencers (that your customers know) about the importance of professional pet sitting. If you have any media mentions or even a celebrity client that endorses you, that could be huge. Try to think like your customer and ask yourself if it would influence your buying decision (i.e. Chamber of Commerce might not impact your decision but being certified in Pet CPR or being insurance and bonded just might!) 5. Data/Numbers/Facts  A single number can be worth a thousand words. What makes you stand out? Have you walked over 100,000 dogs? That shows something - experience! More examples would be 25,000 tired dogs when parents get back from holiday vacations, being a top-ranked service for the past 10 years, an official service provider for the airport, or helping avoid euthanization of 153 dogs because you trained them from aggressive to pet-friendly. 6. Other Social Proof Ideas  Promoting limited availability can be a great tool. Using language like "only a few spots left for the long weekend!" This shows you are an in-demand service and instantly increases your reputation. Waiting lists also make your service sound exclusive. You can also ask your clients to send post-service videos or photos to show a job well done (or change in behavior). Last but not least, use urgency, fear of missing out (FOMO), and time clickers for special offers Share The Show Did you enjoy the show? We would love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review! Click this link – Bella In Your Business Click on the ‘Subscribe’ button below the artwork Go to the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ section Click on ‘Write a Review’ Transcript: This is episode of Bella in Your Business. The next series of episodes are from a previously recorded live event training series that Erica Goodwin and I did together. The following is a past recording, but the information is just as juicy. I hope you enjoy it. Welcome to Bella in Your Business, where Bella will discuss anything and everything about your pet sitting business to help you land on target. So get ready—Bella’s got your chute. Let’s jump. The Jump into Marketing Talk Show. This is our talk show where we actually give you 12 live trainings, and I believe this is show 10. My co-host Erica is up in Canada. Erica, how are you? You guys good? How are you? Good. And today we're going to be talking about social proof and how you can use social proof to actually catapult your pet business. Erica, have you ever been out there before, looking for a service, and you see one service that has maybe one five-star review and another that has a hundred—and you’re automatically drawn to the one with a hundred, right? Absolutely. And pet businesses are just like that. Everyone is wondering, “Who should I trust? Are they good?” It’s a big deal—how to get more reviews, but also how to take all of that amazing praise we get and turn it into social proof that gets more clients. I'm so excited about this show today. Erica: Awesome. So my name is Erica Godwin. I am the co-founder of ProPet Software, kennel management software. I’m also the owner of Marketing Solutions, which provides pet business websites. We do your entire website from start to finish, and we do all of your monthly hosting, support, and maintenance. Bella: I just love your websites. I send so many of my coaching clients to you. I’m a pet business coach who helps people all around the world, and your websites—the caliber, the beauty—just can’t be beat. Combined with the price, it’s hands down the best thing out there. My name is Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. I run a mastermind, and I kind of had an entrepreneurial seizure last week. I don’t know if you saw it, but I decided that since I was going to a conference in Connecticut, I might as well see my grandmother in Boston, and while I’m there, host a workshop. We’re already half sold out, and we’re doing fourth-quarter marketing so that everyone can know exactly what to do in October, November, and December—and reuse it every year. So, Erica, why don’t you tell us what social proof actually is? Erica: Essentially, social proof is borrowing third-party influence to persuade people to buy your product or use your service. For example, if you take a look at my website, I have a testimonial review from Bella saying our websites are awesome and that she recommends them. That right there is social proof. For the pet industry, having an influencer on your website recommending your services is a strong example of it. Other examples are reviews—on Google or Facebook—where people can see who wrote them. Those are very powerful. Having reviews only on your website isn’t enough because you could have written those yourself, but Facebook, Yelp, and Google don’t lie. Bella: Now, is there such a thing as negative social proof? Erica: Yes, there is, and that’s when you bash other companies. For example, if you’re a professional pet sitter, don’t go out and say “Rover is awful.” That’s negative social proof. While you might think it supports your business, it actually gives people a bad impression. So instead, spin it positively and avoid trashing competitors. Bella: That makes sense. Now, it’s not just about reviews, right? There are lots of different types of social proof. Erica: Yes, there are five or six major types. Let’s go through a few. One is the mini case study. Even though pet sitters aren’t tech companies, you can use your clients’ problems and frustrations to tell a story about how you solved their problem. For example, maybe you showed up to a client’s home and found their basement flooding—you saved them from more damage. Telling that story shows your impact. Or, if you’re a dog trainer, you could tell how you saved a dog from being put down by retraining it. These are stories that emotionally connect and demonstrate value. Bella: I love that.