"the best plan for creating social proof... convincing your audience of absolutely aNYTHING!"
Because, one way to build relationships, provide proof, and boost conversions is with social proof.
So, with that in mind, here's a case study for you to use...
SIDEBAR:
Conversion is important for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it allows you to provide benefits which reach far more people.
Secondly... it allows you to build a reputation and profits for you business.
In other words...
The more people who buy your products, the more you help yourself and others.
Conversion is the bridge that connects your audience to your products, providing additional benefits to those who are willing and able to make purchases and additional profits for you when they do.
Conversion isn't merely a "cold numbers game" it's the indicator your customers know, like, and trust you.
The Beginnings of Marketer "X"
Let me introduce you to a friend of mine who'll be the subject of this case study. And because my ole' buddy likes to fly under the radar... we'll just call him Marketer "X" (MX). So, here's his story...
When MX first started his online business many years ago, he suffered from the same thing many of you do...
"Drip-Feed Conversions"
The thing is... when you have a low response rate, it's hard to pinpoint the exact reason.
- Didn't people read the entire piece of content (whether it's an article, lead magnet, sales page, or something else)?
- Was the offer NOT appealing enough?
- Were the benefits NOT explained clearly?
- Was the CTA (call to action) to vague or weak?
- Was the offer to help NOT believable?
MX worked on every one of these factors to boost conversion rates... but discovered he was missing one of the most powerful components of all...
"PROOF!!
You see... people want to believe your claims because they'd like them to be true. And yet... they've been burnt before... trusting other so called marketers and their "BIG promises.
So, whether your prospect is reading a presell article, lead magnet, or something else... they're gonna be BIG-TIME sceptical.
The key to (as you can guess) breaking through this wall of scepticism is by offering proof, especially social proof.
Which brings us to the next point.
The Method
Once MX realized he needed to offer proof, he sat down to figure out what sort of proof he could present. So, here are the main types...
Case Studies
The lesson you're reading now is an example of a case study.
It's where you focus on one person - Their start, their method or product they used, and the sort of results they received.
The subject of your case study could be you or someone else in your niche. Lets look at a few examples of case studies you can run in different niches...
- You're selling a dieting method. And decide to create a six-week study showing what sort of results one person achieved. You would include pre and post-pics, measurements, and weights.
- You're selling an organic pest-control spray. You can create a one-week study explaining (in detail) how well it worked in your garden to get rid of various pests.
- You're selling a new strategy for running Facebook ad campaigns... detailing what you did and the results you achieved (traffic & conversions).
Next...
Testimonials
Another great form of social proof are testimonials. For example, you might send out an email to your prospects with a handful of your very best.
NOTE: Testimonials work best when they speak to "specific results" (especially if they prove claims your audience is likely to be sceptical about).
Allow me to explain...
If you're selling a dieting guide, and someone says the guide is engaging and fun to read... That is definitely NOT a strong testimonial. On the other hand... if your testimonial was someone saying they'd lost 10 pounds in the very first month using the diet out-lined in your guide... well that one you can take to the bank!
Other Proof
For this lesson we're zoning in on social proof (especially case studies). However...
You may embed other forms of social proof IN-TO your studies, such as pics (before and after), videos, screenshots, newspaper clippings, and anything else that proves your claim.
What MX did to achieve better results was focus on case studies. Depending on what he was selling, sometimes he shared his own study, or did one with a third party.
TIP: Doing a case study with a third party is sometimes more convincing, as people believe what others say, more than the things marketers claim (and thinking about it... who can blame them, because the majority of marketers are self-serving "A-holes").
Here's how Marketer X started using case studies...
- On his blog.
- In his newsletter.
- On social media (once that became a thing).
- Embedded in sales letters.
- In videos.
For example...
If MX was preselling a product, he might create a series of emails to send to his mailing list, with one email being a case study. And depending on what the case study is about, MX structured it like this...
- An introduction telling people what he's testing an why it's important.
- A description of his method.
NOTE: provide plenty of data/description here about how things were before you started using the product or strategy. - Results: Here you provide data/description on how things were before you started using the product or method.
Which smoothly brings us to the last point...
The Results
Once he started introducing case studies and other proof into his marketing, MX saw his conversion rates more than double in some cases.
Among the various types of proof, he discovered case studies to have the biggest positive effect on his business.
So, why do case studies work so well?
Because providing specific methods and data is far more compelling than posting screenshots (where you don't know what the person did to achieve their results) or testimonials (which, as mentioned above, can sometimes be lack-lustre).