Ever wondered why buyers would first read online reviews before proceeding with a new purchase? It’s because of social proof.
According to a survey, 77% regularly look up reviews of local businesses before patronizing them.
With social proof, people make judgments based on the actions of others. In marketing, we call this the halo effect. This is a person or brand's positive impression to influence another’s opinion on a matter. Brand marketers use the psychology of social proof in marketing to attract and sell to new or existing customers.
That said, you should use social proof in your coworking business, too. This article discusses all you need to know.
Let's dive in!
What Is Social Proof, and Why Is It Important?
Social proof is evidence that past or existing customers found your products or services satisfactory. The concept of social proof in marketing allows businesses to leverage this evidence to impact new customers' purchase decisions and influence customer acquisition.
The social proof strategy works because humans are pack animals that are consciously or subconsciously influenced by the opinions or choices of others. ‘Others’ can be celebrities, influencers, friends, family, or an average user who leaves product reviews online.
In other words, “If this user or person likes this product, I should like it too.”
So, how does social proof help coworking businesses like yours, in particular? It can help them:
- Acquire new customers and establish trust with them.
- Provide social validation.
- Simplify the customer decision-making process.
- Improve business presence and credibility, and
- Increase sales.
In other words, with social proof, you can grow your coworking business.
Now that you know the importance of social proof and how it works, here are five ways to use it to grow your brand.
5 Ways to Use Social Proof to Grow Your Brand
The first step to growing your business with social proof is to determine the social proof strategies that will work for your current goal. Then incorporate these strategies into your marketing campaigns to convince potential customers. You can hire a good web developer to build the marketing website
1. Tap into Case Studies
Case studies persuade customers that a product, service, or process can solve a problem because it has done so in the past.
Leverage case studies as social proof to showcase satisfied customers and convince new clients they’re making a good choice. How do you do this? Reach out to a few customers with success and invite them to take part in a case study.
Your case study will focus on how you and said customer worked together to improve their experience. The best marketing case studies are case studies. They employ storytelling techniques along the lines of specific challenges that your coworking space helped them solve.
While it’s okay to share these case studies on your blog, you can also showcase them in several other ways. Get creative, consider the preferred content format your target audience consumes, and go for it. It could be downloadable PDFs, infographics, YouTube videos, or webinars.
Take Venngage, for example. Although Venngage isn’t a coworking business, you can borrow a leaf from their infographic playbook. They use a brochure-style infographic case study to highlight how Minerva Crafts drove traffic with earned media.
Regardless of the case study format, ensure you include substantial and relatable challenges and benefits.
Be factual. Avoid vague claims. So, if you want to highlight your coworking business’ SaaS booking solution for customers, for instance, you can specify its features in the case study. In this case, your case study will be a full-on SaaS marketing strategy for both coworking space and software.
Finally, make your case study easy to find.
Optimize them for SEO and include them in a dedicated section of your business website. Also, consider using them as marketing funnel content on social media and emails.
Pro tip: Use email finder tools to collate emails of prospects who may need coworking spaces. Once they’re in your pipeline, nurture them with compelling case studies that convey your value proposition.
2. Promote Important Awards and Milestones
Displaying essential awards and recognitions on your website conveys trust and excellence to prospective customers. They’re an excellent way of proving that institutions of authority believe in you.
See how GoodWorks Spaces shows off numerous awards and recognitions on a dedicated awards page on their website:
In the same vein, celebrating certain milestones your business has attained is another effective way to show social proof in marketing. These milestones could be achieving a certain number of signups, getting a new all-time-high of walk-in customers, or the number of years or months you’ve been in business.
When it comes to promoting your business on social media, go for content that signifies growth, exceptional service, and excellence to attract your ideal audience.
You may even enter relevant contests to win your business some accolades and badges you can proudly exhibit. This marketing strategy effectively makes your coworking business outstanding and connects your brand to people with the same inspirations and ideals, hence improving your reputation in the industry.
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3. Add Client Testimonials and Reviews
Sharing customer testimonials and reviews assures new customers of an impactful workspace. It’s also another way to convince and improve customer acquisition rate.
Convince new customers by displaying case studies and reviews on your website, social media, or paid ads. These reviews can be a customer shoutout on social media or especially crafted testimonial feedback from a satisfied customer.
Testimonials and customer reviews are sometimes posted on third-party sites by customers. You may curate and display them on your website as Workbar does:
Pooling your reviews from third-party review sites streamlines your social proof marketing effort for users who may first visit your website or social page.
You may also source testimonials from past clients by asking them survey questions like:
- How long did you use our coworking space?
- What was your favorite thing to do?
- What inspired you to use our coworking space for your activities?
- Have we made any impact on your productivity?
This allows you to curate helpful testimonials for coworking space marketing. Customers can also relate to your brand and get their desired answers.
Pay attention and follow up on less-positive reviews as this portrays your business as empathetic and customer-friendly. Finally, create a dedicated team for these follow-ups so it doesn’t cause a negative ripple effect on your brand.
4. Add Existing Customer Logos on Your Homepage
Another way to show social proof in marketing is by adding the logos of existing customers on your homepage.
Similar to how trust seals and badges convey trust, customers' business logos tell new customers much about the caliber and standard of businesses that patronize you.
CO + HOOTS, a coworking space in Central Phoenix, excels in this:
Like in the example above, exhibiting customer logos is a smart way to show brand excellence. It creates the impression that your business is of high repute in the eyes of other credible brands, lending integrity to your business.
Homepage aside, you may add these logos to your landing page and About page. If you have quotes from decision-makers from these companies, add them to have a more substantial impact on visitors.
Consider the following factors before using a customer’s logo on your homepage:
— Showcase the more influential brands first. You can have several businesses patronize your space, but if we’re honest, some have better marketing value than others. These brands are popular and carry a more decisive vote of confidence for social proof.
You should also highlight brands that are significant to your business’s value and purpose. That way, you can market your brand’s value alongside your social proof while marketing.
— Ask for permission. Requesting permission to display their logos is a basic courtesy. Since these logos have copyright, don’t use them without express permission.
Have your marketing campaign team reach out to clients for permission. Also, use only high-resolution copies of logos.
5. Leverage User-generated Content on Social Media
Many new customers will find social media their first touchpoint, so displaying evident social proof upfront can encourage them to explore your site. Where do you get this user-generated content?
You can get it from your satisfied customers. Encourage existing clients to post and tag you in pictures or videos of your coworking space. These can come in Reels or daily vlogs. With their permission, you can feature these on your social media pages.
UGC doesn’t just help bring you leads and customers. It helps you generate trust with your existing customers, too. Seeing their content on your social media channels helps customers feel appreciated and inclined to keep sharing content about your business in the future.
But don’t just rely on your customers posting the UGC you require. On your end, focus on engagement-building campaigns online, rather than just sales-oriented content. You should also implement these in your coworking space. Engagement-focused campaigns can boost interactions, which can help you generate UGC.
Use trending social media marketing campaigns, too, to attract more audiences who can generate UGC as The Hub did here:
You can also collaborate with social media influencers. Influencer marketing thrives on social proof and yields excellent results. It's why nearly seven of ten marketers are increasing their budget for this to acquire better customers and increase sales.
To reach the right audience, your micro-influencer or content creator must understand your coworking business and create content that aligns with your value offering.
Conclusion
Social proof marketing works because it validates a choice. It also makes it easier to acquire new customers and influence decision-making. Since these social proofs are within your reach, find ways to maximize them effectively.
You can do this by showcasing awards and milestones to demonstrate your growth. Also, highlight case studies to give prospective clients context as to why your coworking business is a good choice.
Follow up with negative feedback and reviews to show your audience that you're empathetic and willing to make corrections where needed. These would boost customer trust and loyalty to your business and ultimately grow your coworking business.
The article was written by Owen Baker. Owen is a content marketer for Voila Norbert, an online email verification tool. He has spent most of the last decade working online for a range of marketing companies. When he’s not busy writing, you can find him in the kitchen mastering new dishes.
