Social proof
SOH-shul proof
Evidence that other companies trust and use your product. Logos, testimonials, ratings, and customer counts that reduce buyer risk.
Social proof is evidence that others have already chosen you. Customer logos on your homepage. G2 ratings. Testimonial quotes. 'Used by 5,000+ engineering teams.' Each piece of social proof tells the prospect: you are not the first. Others have taken this risk and it worked out.
Social proof reduces perceived risk. B2B buyers are risk-averse. Choosing the wrong vendor can cost their team months and damage their reputation. Seeing that companies they respect already use your product lowers the perceived risk of choosing you.
The hierarchy of social proof from strongest to weakest: named customer case studies with metrics, customer logos from recognized brands, aggregate statistics ('5,000 teams'), third-party ratings (G2, Gartner), generic testimonials, and social media followers. Use the strongest proof you have and work on earning stronger proof over time.
Examples
Logo bar on the homepage.
The homepage displays logos of Stripe, Shopify, Notion, Linear, and Vercel. A VP of Engineering at a Series B company sees those logos and thinks: 'If Stripe uses this, it is probably good enough for us.' Five logos did more than five paragraphs of marketing copy.
Social proof on the pricing page.
The pricing page includes: customer logos at each tier, a G2 rating badge (4.8/5), a quote from a CTO ('Reduced our deployment time by 85%'), and '500+ teams upgraded to Enterprise last year.' Pricing page conversion rate is 40% higher than the version without social proof.
Building social proof from zero.
A startup has 10 customers and no recognizable logos. They offer 3 customers a discount in exchange for a logo placement and testimonial. They get one case study written. They add 'Trusted by 10 engineering teams' and grow it as they add customers. Even small numbers are better than none.
In practice
Read more on the blog
Frequently asked questions
What is the most effective form of social proof?
Named case studies with specific metrics from companies the prospect recognizes. A testimonial from a CTO at a company the prospect admires is more persuasive than a G2 rating, which is more persuasive than a generic stat.
Where should you display social proof?
Homepage (logo bar), pricing page (logos and testimonials), landing pages (relevant case studies), demo request form (trust badges), and in sales decks. Every page where a prospect makes a decision should include social proof.
Related terms
A detailed story of how a specific customer used your product to solve a real problem. The most persuasive content in B2B marketing.
A direct quote from a customer endorsing your product. Best when specific, attributed to a real person, and including measurable results.
The sum of every perception, association, and feeling people have about your company. What they say about you when you are not in the room.
A customer loyalty metric based on one question: how likely are you to recommend us? Score ranges from -100 to +100.
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