Yelp, Foursquare, Trustpilot… we rely so much on the experiences of others when looking for a new restaurant or thinking about buying a new product. But when it comes to buttons and links that we click on every day, we might as well have our eyes closed. This week, we asked ourselves a simple question: How can we leverage social proof to know whether there’s true value behind the click?
We’re a society obsessed with social proof.
From reading Yelp reviews before trying a new restaurant, to scouring Trustpilot ratings when deciding on a new product—relying on the previous experience of others is almost second-nature.
But why don’t we use this mental shortcut when it comes to the dozens of links and buttons that we click on every day?
- Article links with click bait-y headlines
- Emails buttons asking you to "learn more"
… Each click is essentially a gamble.
But what if you knew that 100 people before you all found true value behind that click? Or that 8/10 people actually signed up for the product after doing the free trial? Or, on the flipside, 98% of users bounced off the page within seconds of clicking-through, because the article was a total flop?
As marketers, we already know our bounce rates and we know the conversions. So why not get rewarded for providing a valuable experience, and allowing your happy customers to vouch for you without any extra effort on their part?
This week, we explored a way for brands to recycle their own analytics to attract new visitors.
Would knowing that your friends clicked on a link make you more likely to click through? Would seeing that 9 out of 10 people before you loved the content on the next page?
Share your thoughts on Twitter @sevendaymvp and let us know how socially-proofed CTAs would impact your experience.
Links to mentions:
- Techcrunch article [08:42-10:11]
- Music by Streambeats