Social proof is one of the most powerful marketing strategies you can use to drive sales. It’s simple: people trust other people. And when your potential customers see that others are happy with your product, they’re more likely to make a purchase. TikTok, with its highly engaging and viral format, is the perfect platform to showcase the social proof that can drive sales to your Shopify store.
In this guide, we’ll teach you how to create social proof content on TikTok that resonates with your audience and encourages them to click that “Buy Now” button.
What is Social Proof?
Social proof refers to the psychological phenomenon where people rely on the actions and opinions of others to guide their own decisions. In marketing, social proof is often seen in the form of reviews, testimonials, user-generated content, and influencer endorsements.
On TikTok, social proof can take the form of emotional and authentic reviews, product demonstrations, and testimonials that show the value of your Shopify products. It’s all about using the experiences of your satisfied customers to influence others.
Step 1: Encourage User-Generated Content
One of the most effective ways to leverage social proof on TikTok is by encouraging your customers to create content with your products. This could include unboxing videos, product reviews, or creative ways they’ve incorporated your products into their lives.
How to encourage user-generated content:
- Offer Incentives: Provide a discount, freebie, or shoutout for users who share content featuring your products. For example, you can offer 10% off their next purchase for posting a video with your product and tagging your store.
- Create a Branded Hashtag: Develop a unique hashtag for your brand that users can use when posting their own content. This makes it easy to track the content and gives your followers a sense of belonging to a community.
- Ask for Reviews: Reach out to customers who’ve made purchases and ask them to leave a video review. You can give them guidance on how to make it easy for them, such as by asking them to show how they use the product or explain why they love it.
Example Idea:
Ask customers to film themselves unboxing a product and use your branded hashtag. Encourage them to share their first impressions and talk about how the product has benefited them.
Step 2: Use Influencer Marketing to Boost Social Proof
Influencers hold significant power in creating social proof, especially on TikTok. Partnering with influencers in your niche can help establish your brand’s credibility and create desire among their followers. Their reviews, endorsements, and creative uses of your products can instantly boost your store’s visibility and trustworthiness.
How to work with influencers:
- Identify the Right Influencers: Find influencers who align with your brand values and audience. They should have a solid engagement rate and followers who fit your target demographic.
- Give Influencers Creative Freedom: TikTok is all about creativity and authenticity. Allow influencers to create content in their own style to showcase your products in a way that feels natural to their audience.
- Incentivize Influencers to Create Social Proof: Provide influencers with affiliate links or promo codes to share with their followers. This not only helps track the impact of their content but also drives sales directly from their social proof.
Example Idea:
Partner with a beauty influencer to showcase how your skincare products work. Let them share their personal experience and give their followers a discount using an exclusive code.
Step 3: Create Emotional Video Testimonials
Nothing is more persuasive than a customer expressing real excitement and satisfaction with your product. Video testimonials are a fantastic form of social proof because they’re more personal and relatable than written reviews.
How to create emotional video testimonials:
- Ask Customers to Share Their Story: Reach out to satisfied customers and ask them to share their experience using your product on video. Encourage them to talk about their emotions or any specific problem they solved with your product.
- Show Before-and-After Transformations: This works especially well for products that offer visible results, such as skincare, fitness products, or home decor. Seeing the transformation can spark a desire to achieve the same results.
- Feature Real People: People trust other people, not just professional actors. Use everyday customers in your videos for authenticity.
Example Idea:
For a fitness product, ask customers to share their progress over time using your product. Feature their transformation and how the product helped them reach their fitness goals.
Step 4: Showcase Customer Reviews and Ratings
Incorporating reviews and ratings directly into your TikTok videos is an easy way to build social proof. You can either highlight reviews from your Shopify store or share glowing testimonials from social media and influencer partnerships.
How to incorporate reviews:
- Feature Reviews in Your TikTok Videos: Use text overlays to show actual reviews from your Shopify store, or include customer ratings in your TikTok videos. When users see that others are enjoying your product, they’re more likely to trust it.
- Create a “Review Round-Up” Video: Compile some of the best reviews into a single TikTok video. Show a few snippets of positive feedback and pair them with shots of your products in action.
Example Idea:
Create a TikTok video with a voiceover reading out some of your best product reviews while showing the product being used in real life.
Step 5: Use the Link in Bio for Conversions
Once you’ve generated social proof and built excitement, it’s time to guide followers to your Shopify store. Use the link in bio to direct interested followers to your product pages, making it as easy as possible for them to purchase the products they’ve seen in your TikTok videos.
How to optimize the link in bio:
- Add a Call-to-Action: Include a call-to-action in your TikTok video encouraging users to check the link in your bio for special offers or to shop the featured products.
- Use Shopify’s TikTok Integration: Shopify allows you to integrate your store directly with TikTok. This means your followers can browse your products and make purchases without leaving the platform.
By using social proof on TikTok, you can build credibility, trust, and excitement around your Shopify store. Leverage user-generated content, influencer marketing, emotional video testimonials, and customer reviews to create a powerful sense of social proof that drives sales.
