One sentence BIG IDEA:
Use public relations to boost social proof of your brand.
Why is this relevant to marketers?
What is social proof?
“Social proof is simply leveraging people's psychological need for consensus.” https://mention.com/blog/social-proof-marketing/ via @Mention
How can we as marketers provide or demonstrate consensus?
1) Showcase consensus in one place.
a. If you are trying to advocate a position, collect all of the sources that support the position and consolidate them into one place on your website or into one source such as a video, white paper, online newsroom, or collection of case studies, etc.
2) Build platforms for consensus.
a. Build platforms around the single cause or mission you want to advocate. Let’s say you have a staffing firm. Create on online forum for HR professionals around the topic of how to create a great culture within a company and allow the community to build consensus around the issue.
3) Show real-life examples in your content.
a. Instead of using statements of “you should do this…” show what others have done through real-life examples. Instead of “5 Ways to Boost Your Website Traffic,” consider “Ways 5 Top Entrepreneurs Boosted Their Website Traffic.”
4) Stick to a central idea or message.
a. It is easier to build consensus around one idea than 20.
5) Back your position up with legitimate research and data.
a. Quote legitimate research and data to build credibility and show third-party consensus.
Challenge for Attendees:
Pick one of the ways listed above to provide or demonstrate consensus and implement it for your own business and your clients’ businesses.
Sources:
https://buffer.com/library/social-proof
https://mention.com/blog/social-proof-marketing/
Relevant hashtags: #socialproof, #publicrelations