With over ten years of social media expertise, freelance social media consultant Val Razo often hears from small businesses that they lack social proof. In this article, Val explains the importance of social proof and shares tips on how small businesses can encourage social proof on Instagram.
At the beginning of my social media marketing career, when I worked in a digital marketing agency and we helped global supplier of cat and dog food Royal Canin establish and maintain an Instagram presence, my team lead asked me to seek customer reviews people wrote about Royal Canin and repurpose them for Instagram.
I knew that people would pay attention to peer recommendations, but I couldn’t have predicted that those posts would get 6x higher user engagement than usual.
Yes, in the era of social media paid ads and partner collaborations, social proof plays a key role in business growth.
As specified in the recent Local Consumer Review Survey, 75% of consumers always read customer reviews, 59% expect a business to have between 20 to 99 reviews, and Instagram is the second most popular platform for finding customer reviews after local news.
A few years later, when I started providing SMM consulting for small businesses, I emphasized the importance of social proof for several clients who wanted to prove their brands were trustworthy and could solve customer pain points.
The phenomenon of social proof and its common types
Social proof (also known as informational social influence) is a psychological and social phenomenon that occurs when people don’t know how to act in a given situation and copy the actions of others. In other words, social proof is what helps uncertain people learn from others and make their decisions based on what other people would do.
People crave social proof, and when it comes to Instagram, they also use the platform to read what other customers think. Damian Grabarczyk, the co-founder and growth marketer of PetLab Co., says:
"At PetLab Co., social media is our primary growth channel, and we heavily invest in it to raise awareness, engage our target audience, and cultivate a loyal customer base. One of our most effective strategies is leveraging social proof on Instagram. By sharing authentic customer reviews and real-life feedback, we build a community where potential buyers can see the positive experiences of others. This approach enhances our credibility and gives new customers the confidence to make informed purchasing decisions. The result has been a notable increase in sales an
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