The Mysterious Power of Social Proof
You’re walking down the street and you see a big group of people gathered looking at something, but you can’t tell what it is. How likely are you to stop and take a look? The bigger the crowd, the more likely you’ll crane your neck and see if you can figure out what’s going on.
Or maybe you’re in an office building or a public space and the fire alarm goes off. You see other people looking around, but no one stops what they are doing. After a couple of minutes, you see a group of five or six people hurriedly walking toward the exit, and you find yourself gathering your belongings and following. Everyone around you is doing the same.
Have you had a similar experience? That’s social proof at work.
Social Proof - What is it?
The concept of Social Proof was first introduced in the book Influence, the Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini in 1984. It is one of the six Principles of Persuasion he outlines in the book: Reciprocity, Commitment and Consistency, Authority, Liking, Scarcity, and Conformity (or Social Proof).
We look to others when we are unsure of the correct way to behave or the best decision to make. We also look for clues from those around us when we are unsure if an action or product is trustworthy or safe.
We are much more likely to choose conformity rather than choose our own path. Our default assumption is that others have more information than us, and that assumption encourages our conformity even more.
The principle states that we determine what is correct by finding out what other people think is correct. Importantly, the principle applies to the way we decide what constitutes correct behavior. We view an action as correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others performing it.
- Robert Cialdini
This concept is illustrated through some fascinating examples in Cialdini’s book.
He talks about a restaurant in Beijing, China that partnered with researchers to increase the purchase of certain menu items. They wanted to find a way for customers to choose them more frequently without lowering prices or altering the ingredients. They tried labeling these dishes “Specialty of the House” or “Chef’s Recommendation,” but the label that had the most impact was “Most Popular.” Those two words increased sales of each dish by an average of 13 to 20 percent.
Another example of popularity producing more popularity in Cialdini’s book is a story about Netflix. According to entertainment reporter Nicole LaPorte (2018) the company had “long prided itself on being highly secretive about things like watch-time and ratings, gleefully reveling in the fact that because Netflix doesn’t have to answer to advertisers, it doesn’t need to reveal any numbers.” But in 2018, it began to share information about its most successful offerings. The results of internal tests showed that Netflix members who were told which shows were popular made them even more popular. Taking a look at my own Netflix homepage, I see that just below “Continue Watching for Sandra,” is “Trending Now” and “Top 10 in the US Today,” which I often use as a jumping off point for my next movie or binge-watching session.
A wonderful piece of opera history, and a great example of the power of social proof, is the tradition of claquers. In this fascinating article, When Paid Applauders Ruled the Paris Opera House, Ameila Soth recounts the history of claques. These groups of opera goers applauded, cried, cheered, demanded encores, and tossed flowers, all in exchange for tickets and money, in order to sway the enthusiasm of the crowd for a singer.
The TV sitcom variation on the claque might be a laugh track. We’ve all found ourselves chuckling along without even thinking (or without even thinking it’s funny), once the laugh track prompted us.
Why is this such a powerful force in our lives?
Humans are a social species. We rely on cooperation and community to survive and thrive. We have a need to share companionship and association. We all experience a pull to conform in order to be liked and accepted by others.
Social proof is what happens when circumstances play on our desire for conformity. We seek safety in numbers and relief from ambiguity or uncertainty. We look to others for social guidance in behavior.
And when we look at the crowd and see people we believe we share something in common with, we are even more willing to take cues from that group. This is known as implicit egotism, an unconscious bias to gravitate toward others who resemble us, which activates positive, automatic associations with ourselves.
Marketing Uses of Social Proof that Everyone Will Recognize
A surprising number of our buying and giving decisions are influenced by social proof. What to wear, what to drive, where to live, what to eat - it’s hard to think of a decision in my own life that is not influenced in some way by social proof.
You will immediately recognize the way that social proof is commonly used in advertising and marketing. And there are ways that you create your own shortcuts through this tactic to make buying decisions. Here’s what it looks like…
The Expert - An expert in the industry praises the company or organization. One familiar example is the use of U.S. News and World Report’s rankings of top colleges.
The Celebrity - We’ve all seen those ads: Beyonce’s endorsement of Pepsi and Patrick Stewart and Mark Hamill’s commercials touting Uber Eats are a couple of recent examples. And every athlete seems to have a sponsorship deal—or ten.
The User - More and more, we all rely on reviews on retail sites: “I’m giving this drill 5 stars! It’s easy to use, lightweight, and powerful enough for home improvement jobs big and small. A real winner!”
The Wisdom of Your Friends - One of my husband’s favorite ways to plan for travel is to pose a question on Facebook: “We’re traveling to Memphis next month, does anyone have a recommendation for a good restaurant there?” There are always some great suggestions, and sometimes some lovely wonderful out-of-the-way surprises. [To note, one of the best restaurant suggestions we ever got was from a cab driver in Honolulu - make friends with your cab driver, and then you’ll get some REAL wisdom.]
The Wisdom of the Crowd - Remember the run on toilet paper at the onset of the pandemic? Everyone was lining up at Costco to buy 300 rolls of toilet paper, any kind of toilet paper. Lines snaked around the block just to have the opportunity to shop. Why? Because everyone else was doing it. “Maybe they know something I don’t know” is a powerful motivator.
What does Social Proof framing look like for Fundraising?
The Expert - A nonprofit Advisory Board can give your organization a stamp of approval, or serve as proof of the importance and effectiveness of the work your nonprofit does.
The Celebrity - When you honor a celebrity at a gala event, not only does it sell tickets, but it sends a message that the celebrity cares about your cause and is taking time to support and promote your mission. Donors and ticket buyers want to be near them, and be like them.
The User - Testimonials from volunteers or clients of a nonprofit can give potential donors the message that the organization is caring for the community, and the people that are helped or are closely involved with the organization are happy to endorse it.
The Wisdom of Your Friends - When your friend asks you to join them at a wine tasting event in support of their favorite cause, you might be doing it as a favor to them, and to spend time with them, but once you are there, you will be much more open to learning about the mission of the organization and consider supporting them. As fundraisers, we all know how valuable that first invitation can be in cultivating a longer-term relationship with your nonprofit.
The Wisdom of the Crowd - There are many ways to utilize the wisdom of the crowd to create comfort around and support for your organization: Donor testimonials and appreciation quotes, long and prominently placed donor lists, and messaging about how many people have already donated all help to give a new donor the assurance that they are joining a large group of knowledgeable supporters.
Be Ethical
Social proof is a powerful force. Be careful not to abuse it.
Take a photo from the best angle to enhance the crowd size of your event, but don’t Photoshop in additional people.
Recruiting doctors, artists, and educators to join your Advisory Board will give your organization the glow of their knowledge and expertise. But don’t relegate them to just a listing on your webpage for fundraising clout. Engage them in your organization, ask for their advice, and listen when they have concerns and feedback.
When your donor materials use “wisdom of the crowd” messaging, make sure your statements are accurate and authentic.
“Join us” are two of the most powerful words in fundraising. Make the most of them.
My Experience
When thinking about the ways social proof has impacted my day-to-day life, I have memories of learning how to jaywalk when I moved to New York from Seattle in the 80s, and then learning how NOT to jaywalk in Seattle when I traveled back to visit.
Any New Yorker would have a very hard time standing on the corner of Bleecker and 6th Avenue waiting for the light to change from Don’t Walk to Walk, while masses of people cross the street against the light. My first New York apartment was at that intersection and that’s where I perfected my jaywalking skills. The crowd taught me what to do, and I did it.
In Seattle (in those days anyway) no matter how little traffic there was, everyone waited for the Walk signal before crossing. And, let me tell you, once you’ve perfected the art and science of jaywalking, it’s very hard to go back. But social proof had its way with me when I visited Seattle again after living in New York. In a day or two, I’d be following the street corner crowds in Seattle, patiently waiting for the light to change.
