Cars, Boats, Trains, Planes, and Social Proof

Blog post titles can be a bit of a pain sometimes, especially since we’ve written over 80 digital marketing articles in the past 10 months. That being said, we regress back to the childhood days of sing along songs and their strange productions - but for good reason. Cars, boats, trains, and planes are all high consideration items, whether or not you’re selling B2B or B2C. High consideration means that consumers must give much more careful thought or deliberation to a product before they buy. For instance, a luxury boat sale involves a much longer sales cycle than that of a piece of furniture for your living room. So, how do you shorten the sales cycle for high consideration items? Let us introduce you to social proof and how it plays a role in reputation management and social media marketing.

Social proof is a informational social influence where a psychological phenomenon makes consumers assume the actions of others in an attempt to reflect correct behavior for a given situation. This phenomenon has been occurring every since economies existed, and it’s one of the most powerful ways to sell products and services. According to a study done by Cone Communications, for moderate to high cost items, 89% of consumers go online to do additional research on products recommended to them. This stat only verifies the importance of continuously driving enthusiastic customers to where prospects are seeking online product information.

Here’s a look at some social proof context that makes a positive impression to those interested in the MarineMax boat brand:

Though Jessica wasn’t giving a thorough review of a specific product, she still went out of her way to tell MarineMax just how much she likes “The Boating Life” show every Saturday. Could this be a good enough reason for someone to purchase a boat from MarineMax? Not likely, but not out of the question either. A mention like this shows Jessica’s network of friends that she enjoys something that is produced by the company, and the brand even gets increased awareness from her action.

Here’s a look at a more product driven review for a used truck dealer:

It’s reviews like this that really influence people to buy high cost goods and services. It lets anyone in the market know that their salespeople will make you “feel more like a friend that came in to buy a vehicle instead of just a dollar sign.” That makes people feel comfortable about the process. And since it takes an increased amount of time and energy for the consumer, they’re reassured that they can expect to learn as much as possible about the used truck before they buy.

Of course there are many kinds of social proof out there, and the ones mentioned above run along the lines of user and friend social proof, which can be some of the most effective forms. You should also consider tracking negative user social proof, too. According to TechCrunch, the first negative user review on eBay has been shown to reverse a seller’s weekly growth rate from 5% to -8%. The publication also claims that negative reviews affect pricing; a 1% increase in negative feedback has been shown to lead to a 7.5% decrease in sale price realized. Be aware that car dealers and boat dealers can sell products on eBay, and reviews are a big part of the system.