How to Use Social Proof in Your Sales Deck

People are pack animals. We depend on one another, and socialization plays a critical part in every person's life. Whenever we're about to make a decision, we seek proof that others have done the same to scan the outcome and decide whether to proceed or go back.

For instance, research proves that almost 90% of consumers trust other people's reviews as much as they would trust a personal recommendation. This means that social proof is one of the vital pillars of effective marketing and profitable sales.

Yet, before you develop your sales strategy, you need an impactful sales deck to map your road to success. The notion of a social media proof in a sales deck indicates your marketing potential and outlines directions to follow along with the mistakes to avoid.

Today, we'll talk about how you can use social proof to boost your sales deck, increase your credibility, and instill trust. Care to close more deals? Let's try to untangle the nets of effective social proof together!

Understanding Social Proof

The main idea of social proof is a more formal and slightly polished reflection of a "monkey see – monkey do" concept. Usually, people influenced by others' actions (in our case – purchases) make their own decisions, which can be aimed in the right direction.

There are many examples of effective social proof in a sales deck. For instance:

• User testimonials – feedback from satisfied clients.
• Case studies – field research that proves the effectiveness of a suggested solution.
• Client rating – points and reviews that people share across various popular platforms, such as Yelp, Google, Amazon, etc.
• Social media engagement – likes, shares, and comments that your product gets across different social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, X, etc.

One of the main reasons why the notion of social proof has become so crucial is the ever-growing technological revolution. The ability to order online without the need to visit a good old brick-and-mortar store where you can touch, try on, feel, and test the product leaves it up to those who've already purchased it to influence your opinion and further action.

Generally speaking, social proof is what helps present-day consumers make more informed decisions. That is why many world-known brands use social proof as one of the primary components of their sales strategies.

Preparing Your Sales Deck

A traditional sales deck is a visual guide to the products and services that you offer. Such a presentation delivers critical information about your company, what makes it special, and why the clients should choose you from the dozens of competitors. Moreover, you can use a sales deck to persuade the user that your value proposition is twice as good as any of the existing ones, that you understand their pains and problems like no one before, and that the benefits included outshine available offerings.

There are a few primary purposes of a sales deck:

• Attract attention
• Present a unique value proposition
• Gain client trust
• Inspire a positive decision

The format of a sales deck is more or less standard:

• You start with a compelling intro
• Proceed with a problem outline
• Offer a perfect solution in the shape of your service or product
• Highlight all the perks you offer
• Introduce impactful examples of social proof in a sales deck
• Prompt the audience to take the next step through a compelling CTA(Call to action)

While the sales deck structure does not seem that complex, it is the narrative that points it toward success. A well-crafted story ensures that your narrative is logical, structured, and effective. Once you build an emotional connection with the audience, and skillful storytelling is a critical pillar of this connection, it will be a lot easier to impress and convert.

Social proof in the narrative will make it sound twice as reliable and relevant. However, it takes suitable types of social proof in a sales deck to fulfill the goal. We suggest that you stick to these factors to implement the best social proof into your presentation:

• Relevance
• Authenticity
• Impact
• Diversity

Incorporating Social Proof into Sales Decks

Once you have enough relevant social proof at hand, the question of how to write social proof in a sales deck arises. There are a few actionable strategies that Whitepage professionals would advise for social proof integration:

User testimonials

You should pay attention to the testimonials that are relevant to the target audience. They must resonate with the viewers and inspire action based on the perks and benefits of the solution. To underline the reliability of those testimonials, you should refer to real people using their names, quotes, positions, and even photos. Don't go for extensive and overly complicated testimonials to keep the audience engaged.

Sales deck social proof statistics

Don't use empty claims. Every bit of social proof that you present must have a reliable backup. Also, it is best to use statistical data related to potential cost reduction, savings, ROI, or future income. When you present these stats, make sure that they are easy to digest. Various charts, graphs, and infographics make the statistics twice as easy to memorize and comprehend.

Social media proof

Gather user-generated content to highlight the growing community support. You can add various screenshots, posts, and stories that people share across social media platforms to highlight positive reactions to your product.

Each of the mentioned strategies will be twice as successful if you provide it with a matching design. The visual appeal of the presented information makes it understandable, relatable, and impactful. That is why we suggest that you come up with a clean and professional layout that coincides with your brand's identity. Use various visuals to boost user engagement but keep a palpable consistency in colors, typography, and general theme of the presentation.

Gathering and Curating Social Proof

Many social proof techniques provide relevant and compelling insights. Let's discuss a couple of the most practical ones:

User testimonials

Positive testimonials are among the most effective social proofs on which you should focus. However, it is vital to gather those when the positive experience is still fresh. That is why you can design post-purchase feedback forms that are easy to access and fill out. Use different channels to reach out to your clients and collect as much information as possible. Make sure that you tailor your feedback requests to each customer to gain unbiased testimonials. One more thing – always ask the user if you can refer to their testimonial publicly. Don't use feedback for which you don't have permission.

Case studies

User success stories are a solid base for compelling case studies. As you identify the clients who have succeeded through the use of your product or service, you can interview them to gain as detailed insight into their experience with the solution as possible. You can inquire about their problem, ways of fixing it, perks, and potential downsides. To make the story more reliable and impactful, you can use various graphs, charts, and images to support it.

Whether you are working on a case study or collecting relevant testimonials, you should verify all the information you gain. You can refer to third-party resources to increase the accuracy of your social proof. There are countless field-specific associations, review platforms, and independent experts that will be of use in the process.

One more thing – alongside the accuracy of the social proof comes relevancy. New testimonials will surface as more people get access to your product. That is why you should regularly update your testimonials. Moreover, your potential clients may develop specific needs and preferences over time, and you should be flexible enough to adapt the social proof to these changes.

Enhancing Credibility Through Social Proof

Positive experiences of others convince people of the product's worthiness, effectiveness, and validity. That is why the notion of social proof is so important when you want to gain trust and enhance your credibility. Authentic social proof goes as far as influencing user decision-making, and here's how:

• Promise validation – real people's feedback validates the company's claims of quality and other related features.
• Relatability – potential clients will see experiences and challenges that resonate with them, making them crave the solution that helps deal with those.
• Risk reduction – previous success means that the user has less to worry about.

No matter the effectiveness of genuine social proof, you should be careful not to overwhelm the audience with it. That is why Whitepage professionals advise finding a silver line between the informative aspect of your presentation and social proof:

• Use social proof to reinforce one of the main messages of the presentation
• Refer to different types of social proof
• You may not want to highlight a negative social proof in a sales deck, but being transparent and honest is crucial.

Digital Tools and Resources

These days, there's a magical tool for every need and occasion. We want to draw your attention to a list of sources that may help you create your own sales deck with impactful social proof:

• Canva – it is a reliable design platform that allows you to create various visual-appealing presentations. It features a variety of templates, design elements, and user-oriented tools that come free. A premium subscription is available.
• PowerPoint – is a dedicated presentation-making software. You can use the tool to create customized projects, integrate them with other useful apps, and collaborate with the team members.
• HubSpot – it is a marketing platform that helps you monitor user experience, engagement and feedback to keep track of current social proof.

Case Studies and Examples

Theory backed up by practical examples instills trust and serves as a reliable roadmap. Considering this, we've rounded up a few real-world examples backed up with expert insights into how helpful social proof can be:

Example 1: The UPS store

So far, we've mentioned that social proof can help others make the right decisions. However, positive user testimonials can also boost website traffic and lead generation. The UPS store places video testimonials from franchises that have become successful with the company. The approach proves the brand's credibility and invites others to join the community of happy business owners.

Example 2 Amazon

Not only has Amazon become one of the most successful global e-commerce platforms, but the company is also an excellent example of how you can use social proof to your ultimate benefit. The platform features an outstanding review system that brings up other people's comments and feedback before you finalize your purchase. Moreover, Amazon makes the most of all sorts of recommended lists, ratings, and "usually bought together" validation features.

Example 3 Slack

Slack is a popular collaboration platform, and social proof is one of the steps that has helped promote its services and acquire a devout user base. The service receives a lot of appreciative comments on the platform via X(ex-Twitter). The founders decided to use it to their advantage and created a separate account that retweets feedback from their clients. Satisfied customers drive more potential clients into the hands of the service.

James DeLapa, Director of Digital Marketing @ Wrike once said:

"We think that when customers share their positive experiences, it's more invaluable than any marketing message we could create."

We tend to agree.

Conclusion

So, what does the principle of social proof state? It states that word of mouth (so to speak) is more powerful than any other brand-tagged advertising. No matter the uniqueness and usefulness of the product, it is worth little if people disapprove of it and share their positive experiences with others.

Authentic, relevant, and diverse social proof is one of the main pillars of an effective and impactful sales deck. It takes time and effort to gather necessary insights and implement them correctly into the presentation. However, the successful outcome is certainly worth the fuss.

By the way, if you want to cut the preparation time and double the positive results of your sales deck, the Whitepage team is only a discovery call away. Our team knows how to create a stunning presentation that captures, engages, and converts the audience from the first slide!

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