Why Social Proof & Tribalism Is Important For Brands

The modern human may seem like a distant relative of the cavemen once were, but we've kept many of the survival strategies and teachings with us throughout the years of evolution. Today we may not be giving many of the things we do a second through, but they often have a grounding in how we were nurtured for survival up until this point.

When it comes to branding and trusting businesses with something precious to us, our hard-earned money, we're not easily convinced and require several layers of proof and convincing before we are willing to enter into a transaction.

We look for sources of validation, be it a track record, backing by a trusted third party or of course social proof from peers.

Human beings are social

Which makes what others say or how they behave around your brand very important.

We are consistently paying attention to the people and things that influence us, and we are building our identity within that social construct. So our subconscious part of the brain doesn't ever want us to be cast out from the "tribe". This goes back to our cavemen and hunter days. It feels dangerous to stand-alone wholly.

Think about a fast food store that has a long queue of people just waiting to place their orders. Somehow, that place will seem more appealing even if there's one right next door that's ready to serve you better food, quickly.

Logically it doesn't make sense to stand in a long queue when you can just save time and go next door. However, because humans are animals, our psychology will always crave for some sort of social safety that makes us feel like we have a sense of belonging.

Social proof matters

Studies also indicated that while a well constructed "home" or "about us" section on a website or social media page is essential in driving sales. A lot of people will quickly jump straight to the reviews or testimonials sections just to see what other people had to say about their experiences with your business before making that buying decision.

Another reason why people don't buy into what you're selling is that it lacks vision. It might be the best thing since sliced bread or the telephone. But your prospects just don't see how it is going to work for them.

They don't see how having it is going to solve their problem or enhance their lives. Don't wait for them to come to that conclusion because they might not instead create be proactive and create that vision or image.

Vision drives decision

That's why when you look at a car advertisement by a particular brand you'll notice how they won't show you a parked car and start explaining its features are.

I mean, how would that excite you?

Instead, they'll show you someone driving it on the open road, while playing some calming music in the background.

The aim isn't to teach you how to drive or to indicate how the car moves, but rather to create a vision where you can now see yourself owning it. The same goes for makeup advertisements.

They'll show you a beautiful lady applying that lipstick or mascara so that you can see how their product would be useful to you.

South African SME's are not harnessing user-generated content

The gospel of testimonials has been preached over and over again, yet research indicates that only a small percentage of South African SMME's make use of them. Don't ever underestimate the power of reviews or testimonials for your business. Good testimonials do half of your sales pitch.

They speak for your business before you can even utter a single word. They let a new customer know that it's okay to trust your brand and that you are worth every cent you charge. Everyone looks better when they are introduced by others as opposed to when they present themselves.

About the author

Nomsa Chauke is a South African businesswoman, she spends her time as the Co-Founder of Platform4change NPO as well as the Director at Nu Radar Business Solutions Pty Ltd. She's also a motivational speaker as well as the season winner of SABC 2's entrepreneurship competition, Game Plan (2019)

Reach out to Nomsa

• Facebook: Nomsa Chauke
• Instagram: Nomsa_Chauke
• Cell: 0789787302
• Email: nomsachauke36@gmail.com
• Web: www.nuradarbusiness.co.za

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Recommended reading

If you enjoyed this post and have a little extra time to dive deeper down the rabbit hole, why not check out the following posts on sales.

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Tags: Branding, Advertising, Guest Post