1. Written Testimonials
Did a customer of yours write you an email or share in a forum how much they loved your product? Make sure to get their permission first, but you can type that testimonial in different places in your sales funnel as a ‘featured quote’ by the customer.
See if your customer will allow you to use their real name and photo next to the quote too for an even more powerful effect!
2. Video Testimonials
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then a minute of video is worth a million. The authenticity of a real person stating on camera in their own words that they loved your product can’t be matched.
Use testimonial videos on your product sales pages, order forms, or anywhere else people are likely to be making buying decisions.
3. Case Study
Unlike a testimonial, which just has a customer saying how happy they are with the product, a case study goes deeper into actually discussing the customer’s results and even perhaps their process in achieving those results.
A case study could come in the form of a video interview with your customer, or you could even create a document with the information laid out in text that could serve as a free lead magnet.
4. Social Media Screenshots
Did someone say something positive about you or your product on social media? Take a screenshot and use it in your funnel!
I prefer to use screenshots of the testimonial versus embedding the post or tweet with code. The reason is that someone can delete their post or tweet without your notice, which will cause it to then disappear from your sales funnel. Others argue that if you embed the post, this proves that it was shared publicly and thus can be used in your sales funnel without permission of the original poster, but if you gain their permission in writing first before posting a screenshot, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Note: If someone posts this in a 100% public forum, like on Twitter or their public Facebook page, this is allowed (though you still might want to get the poster’s permission first). If the person posts it in a closed group or private forum, you should definitely consult with them first before making their testimonial public in your sales funnel.
Bonus: Did any of your customers post photos with your product, like a book you’ve written? Ask them for permission first, but that is a great way to show social proof of your product!
5. ‘Celebrity’ Endorsement
Major brands use celebrities to endorse their products on commercials, and so can you! This is known as ‘influencer marketing’ and usually doesn’t involve paying big bucks for testimonials from movie stars.
Rather, if you can get a major influencer in your own niche to say good things about your product, that endorsement is likely to go a long way with your customers.
6. Number of Users/Downloads/Purchases
No one ever wants to be the first person to buy and test something, but if there is a huge following of happy customers that have already taken the plunge, it’s more likely others will follow.
It is definitely a form of social proof to tout how many course enrollees, books purchased, or users of your product you have!
Bonus: Can you refer to your product as “best-selling,” like a best-selling book on Amazon? Monikers like this are social proof, too!
7. Social Proof Pop-Ups
Have you ever seen those little pop-ups show up in the bottom left-hand corner of some sales funnel pages, like an opt-in page where the pop-up is showing you who else recently opted in?
Those social proof pop-ups convey to visitors in real-time who else is engaging with the sales funnel so they know it’s an active funnel that others are using, too! People not wanting to feel left out will be more likely to opt-in or make a purchase as well.
Some popular companies offering this service are Proof, Morevago, Provely, FOMO, and ProveSource.
8. Media Mention
You know how some products in stores carry a seal on the front of the packaging that says “as seen on TV!” Somehow, being featured on television is enough to make people believe the product has more validity.
If your product has been featured in any major media outlets, make sure to put the logo of those outlets on your sales funnel, and if there is an online article or video about your product on that media’s website, make sure to link to it!
9. Award Mention
Have you or your product won any awards? No matter how small, any award that you or your product has won can have a big impact on the way that people view your product.
Being ‘award-winning’ means that there is a certain level of high-quality associated with what you offer. Otherwise, people assume it would not have won!
10. Partner Logos/“Used By” Logos
Is your product used by any major partners or companies in your industry that are bigger than yourself/your company? Putting their logo on your sales funnel can make you seem more legitimate.
It’s about being ‘credible by association!’
11. Five Star Rating
Was your product ever featured on any other sales website for which it received a customer review rating? Consider a book on Amazon you may have been selling. Customers can give your book a rating out of five stars.
Just because that rating originated on Amazon doesn’t mean it has to stay there! You can put a ‘five-star rating’ on your sales funnel with a screenshot or image of five stars, linking to your Amazon book if the listing is still active.
12. Facebook ‘Like’ Widget
Social proof you offer doesn’t just have to be for the product itself. A lot of times you may have social proof in other places in your business that you can still legitimately use for your sales funnel in the right place.
Consider your Facebook business page. You probably don’t have business pages for each product you sell, but you have one for your business. You could use a Facebook embeddable widget on your opt-in pages to show that you have lots of business page ‘likes’ and that you are a credible business owner.
13. Floating Share Widget
The number of times someone has shared a page on the internet is a form of social proof. If the content on the page was just that good that it warranted sharing, other people will be likely to opt-in to your funnel or buy your product.
If you have a widget on your page that allows visitors to easily share it on social media, this can be a form of social proof.
14. Trust Seals
Wouldn’t you feel better making a purchase online if you knew the organization you were buying from was verified in some way by a third party or was using the most secure systems available?
Using ‘trust seals’ or graphics that convey that your sales funnel/business/product is credible is a fast and easy way to do this at a glance while people are making their buying decisions.
Trust seals are usually added to the order form page.