Improve Social Proof and Marketing with Video Subtitles
What is Social Proof in Marketing?
Social proof is the idea that people are geared to follow the advice or behavior of others. The thought is: if other people seem to know what they’re doing and it worked out for them, then by behaving similarly to those people, things will work out for me. In marketing terms, this means that demonstrating to a potential viewer that you already have a supportive audience can be instrumental in gaining that viewer’s attention. There are a few different types of social proof, and all serve to increase your viewer’s trust that you have a preexisting and engaged audience.Customer Testimonials in Digital Marketing
One of the best ways to gain an audience’s trust is through actual customer testimonials. Hearing an endorsement of a brand in a customer’s own words is a great way to demonstrate the positive effect your brand can have. Having an authentic testimonial, even if it doesn’t cover all of the positives of your brand, brings human authenticity to your brand. In addition, people are more likely to trust an individual person’s advice than the general advice you can find online. If you’ve ever purchased something online, you’ve probably checked the customer reviews before committing to the purchase. A great customer review can convince you to buy, while a negative one can convince you to look elsewhere for the product. People trust another person’s authentic personal experience, and that same principle applies to customer testimonials.Demonstrating Authority to Boost Brand Reputation
Everyone knows how easy it is to make a claim on the internet, which means that if you want your claims to have any weight, you need to prove it. People respect marketing claims when they have case studies or evidence to back them up. Even if you are marketing in a very technical industry that may not be accessible to the average consumer, showing that you are an authority within your industry is something that everyone can understand. Again, social proof is the idea that people trust other people’s opinions. If you can show that you are an authority in your industry and have respect within the industry, your customers will also respect your authority. Once your customer does that, they will trust your advice and turn to you and your products or services for the solutions they need.Professional Appearance
Looks aren’t everything, but in the world of marketing all of your content needs to look clean and professional. Shaky camerawork and bad lighting can make videos look like they’re a home video shot by your uncle at your third birthday party: a charming family memory, but not interesting or engaging for those outside of your family. Having the right tools on hand can make your video content appear thoughtful and high-quality. Another way for your video content to appear professional is through high-quality subtitles. Accessibility is a hallmark of professional video creation, and subtitles allow people to consume your video content even if they speak another language or have the sound off. Major marketing campaigns make sure their video content is accessible to all audiences, and by doing the same you demonstrate to your audience that your videos are high-quality material.Incorporate Social Proof into Your Digital Marketing Strategy
To take your marketing strategy to the next level, you’ll want to incorporate the principles of social proof. Here are a few major ways to get started with making social proof work for you:Influencer Marketing for Social Proof
Collaborating with an influencer is a great way to reach a new or wider audience. The important part of collaboration is reaching out to the right people. You want to find influencers whose audience aligns with your brand’s target audience. If you are a subscription food service, for example, you might want to partner with influencers who have a social media channel with a lot of cooking content or time-management advice. As a general rule: if an influencer might use your brand’s product or service, their audience will be more likely to as well. Once you’ve reached out to an influencer, you can ask them to make UGC on your behalf. UGC stands for user-generated content, and it’s the term for videos that influencers make about your product or service. A few popular types of UGC are:- Unboxing videos, where the influencer records their live reaction opening your product to generate excitement.
- Video blog reviews, where the influencer talks directly to their audience about their personal experience with your product.
- Ad skits, where a particularly creative content creator writes a brief humorous scene featuring your product or service as the solution.