Informational Social Influence
Monkey see. Monkey do, as the saying goes. Turns out that this might not be far from the truth. People tend to conform to what others are doing or saying if they perceive them as a source of accurate information. Humans like to be right, so they look to others who are considered experts in their respective fields to understand something deeper. This typically occurs when someone is unsure of something or lacks knowledge in a particular area. Informational social influence is associated with the internalization of said ideas adopted by the expert
Monkey see. Monkey do, as the saying goes. Turns out that this might not be far from the truth. People tend to conform to what others are doing or saying if they perceive them as a source of accurate information. Humans like to be right, so they look to others who are considered experts in their respective fields to understand something deeper. This typically occurs when someone is unsure of something or lacks knowledge in a particular area. Informational social influence is associated with the internalization of said ideas adopted by the expert. You can see how this can lead to social conformity. There have been experiments done to test this theory, such as the Jenness’ Bean Jar Experiment, where participants were asked to guess the number of beans in a jar separately. Then, they were asked to guess the number of beans while in a social group. It turned out that their guesses varied greatly but when they were put into the groups, their estimates were closer in value. This shows that humans can influence one another’s behaviors and beliefs. This is why “social proof” in the advertising world works. If consumers don’t feel like they have enough information on a topic, product, etc., they will seek out a way to have accurate views and information. Social comparison is the process of comparing our opinions with those of others to gain an accurate appraisal of the validity of an opinion or behavior (Festinger, Schachter, & Back, 1950; Hardin & Higgins, 1996; Turner, 1991). It should be noted that informational influence is different from normative influence. Normative influence is when conformity happens due to one’s desire to “fit in” with the group to gain acceptance and fulfill expectations. The use of informational social influence is used in advertising in the form of social proof to influence the opinions of consumers. A positive view of the brand is the objective to gain new customers. Informative social influence can be a useful tool for widening your brand’s audience.
Using UGC for Social Proof
Building the credibility of your brand can be as simple as harnessing user-generated content in the way of reviews, shoppable content, galleries, etc. When your current audience already positively advocates for you on public social media spaces, it fuels growth. We’ve done great campaigns that utilize social proof user-generated content in their advertisements, such as IT Cosmetics and Marshalls. Most of these videos were videos of people either using the product, conducting real-time shopping, unboxing, product review, and/or generally flaunting their purchases. When the audience sees the average-day person vouch for a product or service, it’s more relatable to themselves. They’re more likely to trust the opinion of someone who seems genuine, invested, and honest.
Building the credibility of your brand can be as simple as harnessing user-generated content in the way of reviews, shoppable content, galleries, etc. When your current audience already positively advocates for you on public social media spaces, it fuels growth. We’ve done great campaigns that utilize social proof user-generated content in their advertisements, such as IT Cosmetics and Marshalls. Most of these videos were videos of people either using the product, conducting real-time shopping, unboxing, product review, and/or generally flaunting their purchases. When the audience sees the average-day person vouch for a product or service, it’s more relatable to themselves. They’re more likely to trust the opinion of someone who seems genuine, invested, and honest. “60% of people say that content from a friend or family member influences their purchasing decisions,” according to Stackla. This is important because it is social proof for potential customers and will build their confidence in purchasing from the brand. Working with UGC in advertising is just one way to obtain the social proof your brand needs to push that WOM marketing. There are a few other ways to showcase social proof of your brand if your brand can’t quite afford to do UGC advertising campaigns.
1. Surveys
2. Social media challenges
3. Hashtag challenges
4. Contests or giveaways
5. Reviews
6. Case studies or success stories
7. Influencer or content creator collaboration
These are all great ways to increase social proof through UGC. However, with that said, it’s important to obtain proper permissions for any user-generated content that you receive on social media, etc. Copyright laws are our specialty in the way of using user-generated content for ads, but other sources are a little different. So, content creators must be aware that their photos and videos will be used in contests, challenges, etc. on social media. Following proper practices here will keep your brand safe from any issues. Reposting content is a great way to increase eyes on your brand while providing social proof from creators. UGC is a way to make your brand stand out and outshine all the rest!