I’ve gotten treated much better by people in the past six months than I have ever before.
Why is this?
While it’s true that I may have got smarter or better looking during this period of time, it’s not a full explanation. So, what have I done to deserve this?
Simple. I’ve accumulated social proof.
Social proof is probably the most powerful way of influencing people. Much of the effort that companies put into the process of marketing is directed at generating social proof.
Most people are incredibly susceptible to social proof. You and I are as well, but far less than the average person. The reason I say this is because people like you and I, who are into self-development, are usually critical thinkers and doers.
I recently wrote a piece over at Bold and Determined in which I emphasized the importance of building referrals and social proof. In this post I want to show a few innovative ways that social proof can be used.
Here are three everyday examples of how you can use social proof:
- Girls. If you surround yourself with a lot of girls, other girls will automatically think that you are interesting. If you’re a little innovative you can use dirty tricks like this one to your advantage.
- Business. The most efficient marketing and sales method is word-of-mouth referrals and being able to showcase previously satisfied customers.
- Social Proof in General. Think of celebrities. They can get away with anything because: 1. They are perceived as familiar. 2. They are put on a pedestal due to social proof.
Why does social proof work?
The reason why social proof works well is because it signals to other people that you are preselected – meaning that people have already taken the time to look into you and decided they like you. This saves other people time and energy in making a decision by thinking:
“Oh, if so and so already approve of him, then I don’t have to do the due diligence myself.”
And this is more powerful than you can imagine, because 95% of all people are primarily concerned with saving energy. They operate from a semi-awake state of striving to maintain homeostasis.
Are You Looking to See What Someone Else is Doing?
I read in some marketing or psychology book that:
“95 % of all people are imitators and 5 % are doers. Therefore social proof works best in most cases when you are looking to influence the consumer.”
And this is absolutely true. Most people are imitators.
Doers on the other hand tend to be critical thinkers who care very little about the opinion of other people.
Why?
Because they’re concerned with doing, not with imitating. Doers don’t have the “approval-seeking filter” that imitators have in their brains. They have overcome it by learning to think accurately.
Go up and look at the Elvis picture on top.
But 5 million fans can’t be wrong…?
Actually yes they can. The masses are rarely right about anything. Just because you have the numbers on your side doesn’t mean you’re right. (which is why democracy isn’t so great)
If the masses have agreed on something you can almost be sure that it’s something that you ought to stay as far away from as possible.
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
– Mark Twain –
Back away slowly, as if you were escaping from a bear, whenever someone tells you:
- But, they say…
- I hear there’s a lot of people…
- Everyone else is doing it…
Know this:
Other people are NOT a reliable source of information. Trust yourself only. Do your own thinking. Stop trying to save energy.
The next time you find yourself looking to see whatever someone else is doing – think again!
There is no substitute for your own judgment…
…and if you don’t use it you have no one to blame but yourself.
Online Uses of Social Proof
Online is the future and it’s time to get with the program.
No matter who you are or what your niche is, if you are looking to be successful you will want to establish yourself online. You don’t need to be a computer whiz to do this. You could either do it yourself, or you could hire some professional to help you do it.
Even if you don’t use professional help, and your site looks like crap, it’s still much better than having no site at all. It can still count for some social proof, because far too few people have caught onto the trend of creating their own websites.
With that said,
Here are a couple of common ways to use social proof online:
Using Influencers and Experts
This is probably the most powerful way to use social proof when you’re selling a product or a service. You’re borrowing authority directly from experts, and people who look up to these guys will eat it up. I probably would too if it was an interesting product.
This image is from the website where I purchased the theme being used for this blog. Most of the experts that endorse the theme are either famous bloggers, marketers, or WordPress authorities.
Followers and Subscribers
It varies greatly how much social proof you’ll get from having followers on social networks, but subscribers are always going to count for solid social proof.
Why is this?
Because by having subscribers it signals lot more commitment than having followers on Twitter, Google+, or Facebook. You can have a ton of followers on social media, but it says nothing about their commitment. Stupid people will dig you for it. Intelligent people will not be swayed as easily.
As Featured…
If you’ve been featured in a popular blog, website, newspaper, or TV show you will want to put that up in your sidebar. That’s potent social proof.
You’ll see this on every large company website, it’s common for blogs too.
The reasons why you might not want to do it would be if you absolutely don’t want to be associated with it or if you think it would look ugly on your site.
Brilliant Historic Uses of Social Proof
I like studying big historic events because they’re often orchestrated in very clever ways. Here are a few excellent examples of how social proof has been used to influence people.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon always made sure to bury the dead soldiers of his own army far away from the roads or battlefields. He did this to give the impression that a disproportionate amount of the enemy troops had fallen compared to his own army.
During the Battle of Leipzig Napoleon ordered for as many enemy helmets as possible to be thrown into the Rhine River. The helmets then floated downstream towards the enemy camp and gave the impression that Napoleon’s army was winning the battle. This lowered the enemy’s morale significantly.
Napoleon was always popular among the people, but not so much with the elite. To change this he got himself inaugurated into the French Academy and deliberately associated himself with these intellectuals as much as he could to gain the respect of the elite. And it worked.
Julius Caesar
Before large battles Caesar would prop up slaves, women, and other people who weren’t part of his army, on mules and put helmets on their heads. He did this to give the impression that his cavalry was larger than it really was.
Caesar wrote a total of 11 war commentaries. Why did he do this when he had his hands full leading his armies?
He did it because back in those days news traveled very slowly, and propaganda was hard to see through. The purpose of these commentaries was to prove to the Roman people that Caesar was worthy of his elected position. By writing these commentaries Caesar was able to remain popular among the people despite being away from Rome for many years.
Adolf Hitler
Before Hitler had reached the status of demigod among the German people, he had to build his image of being an authority for many years. One of the ways he did this was by giving speeches. He continually improved his process for making a powerful first impression on the audience, until he one day came up with an extremely potent formula for doing this.
The formula looked like this:
1. The person who spoke before Hitler was always a terrible public speaker who bored the audience. This was a deliberate ploy to make Hitler seem even more brilliant than he was. Hitler was then introduced in a respectful manner by a person that the audience already looked up to – a man whose judgment was trusted by the audience (social proof).
Note the eagle, the red flags, and the lighting.
2. Dozens of uniform-clad guards then marched up to the stage in pairs of two accompanied by loud music, creating a sense of importance and prestige. The pairs always marched to the far sides of the aisle leading up to the stage. Hitler then came in last, walking in the middle of the aisle looking dead ahead, not even so much as glimpsing to the side. This made him seem even more important.
3. Then add to this that Hitler had Albert Speer create massive spotlights, humongous red flags, and a large eagle Nazi emblem. These things had powerful symbolic value.
Back in those days no one else made use of these powerful tools to amplify the effect of speeches.
Learn to Use Social Proof to Your Advantage
Intelligent people are not easily swayed by social proof, but most other people are.
A lot of smart people think that other people should automatically acknowledge how smart and skilled they are — without having to resort to using social proof in any way.
These people are stubborn fools.
Whether you are of the opinion that using social proof is unfair, unethical or beneath your dignity doesn’t matter.
It’s still there and it’s going to be used by your competitors.
Social proof will be used by people who are less qualified than you are, but more strategic. These people may be less skilled than you are, but they will still beat you.
They will be more respected than you are.
They will earn more money than you do.
They will have a much easier time getting ahead than you do.
Whether they “deserve” any of these things is irrelevant.
They’re still going to get them — because they use social proof to their benefit…
…and social proof is always going to matter, whether you want it to or not. Instead of hating on those who use it to their advantage, start using it yourself.
How?
The easiest way to gain social proof is either by borrowing it from someone who is already perceived as an expert/authority/guru, or by slowly building it yourself by putting in the work towards becoming an authority. You can do this by writing, by giving speeches or by associating yourself with powerful people.
Now ask yourself:
How can I get social proof to work in my favor?
What activities can I start doing to cumulatively build social proof over the long-term?
In which area of my life should I start?
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Awesome stuff!!!!!! ,just love driving through history.
Thanks Sammy. Speaking of history, you might enjoy this post:
http://addicted2success.com/success-advice/why-you-should-study-great-historical-men/
Excellent article, Ludvig.
You put a lot of time and effort into this article and it definitely shows! It’s very refreshing to see such high quality!
Keep up the good work!
Bob
Thank you for reading, Bob.
I will.
Great, great, great post man! Thank you! Your post at Bold and Determined was great too!
Thank you Sebastian. I look foward to seeing how things will go for you in 2014!
your social proof strategy is not working on me. you need to get 2 things into ur head…!
1 a fake comment on db would never turn me on 2 just that u mention hitler is unacceptable.
ps: If u wonder why I DIDNT respond on your stupid post about success it was because your minions got out of hand and attacked me. And u never attack a lady!!!!!!
Minnie, I think you are probably a fat teenage boy virgin with saggy boyboobs, but I want you to know that even if you were a hot supermodel I wouldn’t fuck you with Hitler’s dick.
Minnie,
You’ve added zero value. This is the 3rd stupid comment you make. You’re now banned.
Hi Minnie,
Yes, Hitler was a piece of shit and in the end that’s why he shot himself, but you are missing the point of Ludvig’s article.
People can use social proof for evil or they can use it for good. You just need to be aware of the tactics that charismatic people use so you can avoid being manipulated by them.
Sincerely,
Bob
Exactly.
Good post, Chris. I agree that social proof has power. But I don’t like clutter so I actually took the counters off of my share buttons.
A problem with social proof is that it can be bought, falsified, and abused. Hitler is a great example of abuse. I grew up in a cult and I know what abuse of charm and charisma can lead to.
Dan,
Sure. Sharing could be manipulated I guess. But it’s also very hard to predict. I’ve had posts that have been shared 1000+ times, and I was never expecting that. Then if you look at — for example — this post, it has barely been shared at all. But nevertheless, posts that get shared a ton are great to use as leverage later.
Keep em coming man!
Man that Napoleon was a cold dude. Gotta respect him. The thing about pandering to the majority is the very reason I find myself disliking X factor and other similar TV shows. I dunno, just something about them rub me the wrong way. Everyone actively seeking mass approval instead of forging their own personhood. I’m sure there are talented people on there but I can never enjoy watching that.
Yeah, Napoleon was icy cool to the core. Here’s a great pragmatic quote by him:
“A cowardly act! What do I care about that? You may be sure that I should never fear to commit one if it were to my advantage.”
Hey Ludvig, quick question about the “as featured in” thing:
“The reasons why you might not want to do it would be if you absolutely don’t want to be associated with it or if you think it would look ugly on your site”
Well, what about in your case? Why aren’t you using this?
Dillon,
I probably will once I have done a few more guest posts.
Social proof is a bitch. The people who already have social proof, don`t need it anymore. And the people who need social proof, don`t have it.
Two ways out:
1. Fake it till you make it
2. Work your butt of to get it
Or maybe combine both…
I don’t think social proof is a bitch! It’s useful. Even the people who are not swayed by it, still benefit from it by some conscious examination.
Maybe they don’t NEED it, by I’m willing to bet Social Triggers would lose sales if they didn’t have it.
When you say “fake it,” I hope you don’t mean rigging the share counters, haha!
Sebastian,
Indeed.
Faking could work, but if you’re found out you’ll have a hard time establishing it in the future. Take calculated risks. I think the Fiverr Facebook example would be a good example where it could be useful.
Work your butt of to get it is likely the better approach. Particularly in the long-term.
Jeremy,
On Social Triggers:
Haha!
I applied some critical thinking to this sentence:
“Intelligent people are not easily swayed by social proof, but most other people are.”
Correct me if I’m wrong, but Homeostasis is not correlated with intelligence. So, serious people, no matter if brilliant or stupid, are not easily swayed.
You made me think with this one: “They will be more respected than you are.
They will earn more money than you do.”
I detest testimonials, at least in the form used in the internet marketing. I don’t care if John or Sally are happy with the product. The only thing I care is if it will work for me.
Michal,
You’re absolutely right. Homeostasis has nothing to do with intelligence.
But people who are unconscious of homeostasis (as in being unconscious of the fact that your body is constantly trying to preserve energy in any way it can), will definitely fall for social proof more often than those who aren’t.
It’a true that there less talented indiviuals who are only good at marketing themselves ans getting social proof, but still “beat” those of us who dont.
Am I bitter? Yes.
Peter,
Start putting it to use yourself.
I would have thought that the social proof you wanted to elaborate on was the number of followers on social network- hahaha. Indeed social proof as you defined works well and in fact that is the point of where a number of social skills (especially for the shy and introvert like me and those from my blog community) come in handy such as striking a good conversation, meeting a new friend, talking and contributing in a meeting. Many people make their way to success- say climb the corporate ladder- although someone better than them deserved more. Why? Because the other guy was not as visible as he is. I see social proof in the same way. Unless you make a mark, get noticed or be strongly visible, people will not pay attention to you.
Rob,
Your comment has inspired me to add a section to the article called “Online Uses of Social Proof”. You’ll find the most common and efficient ways there. Though I presume you know them already.
Parading fake cavalrymen on mules or floating enemy helmets down a river constitutes (counterfeit) physical proof, not social proof. A better example might be the use of “black propaganda” to spread the belief among enemy soldiers that their leaders have lost confidence.
A notable example of social proof is the widespread use of surveys, “push polls”, testimonials, “man in the street” interviews etc. These are designed to ensure a certain result, regardless of what actual public opinion might be. The intent is obviously not to discern public opinion; it is to lend credibility to the political or marketing claims of the perpetrators by creating a false impression of majority acclaim. Thus for instance, every election season we learn that 90% of Americans oppose abortion while the other 90% support it.
There is a powerful parallel to social proof, which one might call “personal proof”.
Abgrund,
Astute observations as per usual.
It’s hard to draw the line between what is social proof and what isn’t. But ultimately, it’s all about understanding the basics and starting to use it to your advantage as part of the long-term strategy.
Excellent example regarding fake audience members. I will probably write a post related to this some time eventually.
As for polls & surveys, you might appreciate the example I show in this article on LifeHack. Scroll down halfway for it.
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/real-world-examples-how-heuristics-have-been-used-against.html
I see. Social “proof” is just one method of manipulation using heuristics. The “Benjamin Franklin” effect is another. One could write whole books on the subject.
Is that what your book is about Ludvig?
Abgrund,
I suppose that’s one way of putting it. Nevertheless it’s highly useful stuff.
Markus,
No. My book — BOOH — basically about 2 things:
1. The work of becoming a highly competent and motivated person and the theory behind it. (Rewiring your brain etc…)
2. Understanding that your body and brain are NOT your best friends until after you’ve properly tamed them.
Great thoughts, Ludvig!
Social proof sets a person apart from average (or crowd). People want to know that you are the real deal (and not a fake) and social proof can show that.
The thing about social proof is that anyone can increase it if they put work and effort into it.
Dan,
While I think it’s true that social proof sets you apart from the crowd, I’m not sure if I agree with the latter part. I think it’s the other way around, when you have social proof people rarely think to test you at all. You don’t have to do much at all to prove your worth, because it’s already been approved by others.
“I recently wrote a piece over at Bold and Determined in which I emphasized the importance of building referrals and social proof.”
Perfect example of social proof.
I recently experimented with placing a twitter follower count button on my website for my internet marketing paper, and it worked as expected. A significantly larger percentage of people subscribed to my newsletter.
Oskar,
Great example on your part as well!
“Join 5000 other happy members of my community!”
Haha. I will not hesitate to write that myself once I reach that amount though. Make no mistake about it.
Ha! Social Proof – I keep hearing about it all over the internet lately I don’t know why.
It seems that many people are being more aware of this but these people are usually those who want to use it to achieve the desired result that can sometimes be unethical and just selfishly manipulative.
The masses don’t know about it and because of the obliviousness, it resulted with the emergence of ‘trends’ such as watching TVs too much or buying products they don’t need.
It’s saddening but it’s up to us who know about social proof and strive to use it in an ethical and good way.
Sometimes I think each one of us humans are connected to an invisible hive mind monster somewhere.
Man…the thought of it gives me the creeps.
Anyway, thanks for the post Ludvig.
Wan,
Your reply makes me think of this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iEq00R1nK4
“…Because less than 3 % of you people read books. Less than 15 % of you people read newspapers. The only truth you people get is over this tube!…”
Thoughtprovoking video. ” We are in the boredom killing business.”
“Television is a goddamn amusement park”
That nails it. You ain’t gonna find any truth in an amusement park.
Period.
Nice post! But even smart people use social proof. If you read Amazon reviews before buying, that is social proof right there.
You’re right Alex.
It’s social proof right there and the sad thing is the ratings aren’t true reflection of a book’s value. That’s why Ludvig suggests that people stop saving energy and use it to think for themselves.
When I read reviews in Amazon, I read from the 1 stars then increasing until the 5 stars. Then again, there would be the Regency effect which is the last impression. Interesting isn’t it?
Alex,
I’m not saying smart people don’t use social proof. They DO use social proof to the best of their advantage. I’m saying smart people fall for it much less than other people.
Wan,
Interesting strategy, seems clever.
You mean the recency effect, right?
Yeah,
It’s the recency effect. I don’t know why I call it the regency effect it’s just that I see the word “regency” all over the places when I read the book about it.
A new kind of thinking error perhaps?
Then you have people who are part of communities dedicated to things like critical thinking, but do very little of it themselves. Swallowing every theory and propagating every stereotype without consideration. Personally I feel like there are many of them in the personal development community, and I’ve seen more in atheist communities as well. I think some people just like to imagine themselves as skeptical and enlightened.
I have a hard time purchasing things online, “investing in myself” when it comes to things for self-education, design and things like that, because many are so caught up with showcasing social proof that I get put off.
A successful portfolio back with testimonials of your efficacy can in some work as both social proof, and actual proof of your efficacy. To establish one, I need to proactively pitch more, and do the best possible job that can be done when one is accepted.
For my blog start guest posting on a wider variety of blogs, as this will probably make readers that read more than one of them, more likely to become readers of mine.
Ragnar,
I have very little experience of religious/atheist communities, but I have some in self-development. And I definitely agree with you on that point.
“I have a hard time purchasing things online, “investing in myself” when it comes to things for self-education, design and things like that, because many are so caught up with showcasing social proof that I get put off.”
—> I am slowly overcoming this. Self-education cannot be skimped on. There is no better investment, and I am slowly learning that.
I wish you the best of luck on guest posting. Let me know if I can help you somehow.
I almost fell off my chair when I saw that Fiverr service!!
Hahaha me too. It’s so devious.
Very cool! I knew Napoleon was smart but Hitler was a smarter man than he is given credit for.
Indeed Derek.