FOMO, otherwise known as “Fear of missing out” and social proof, both use psychology to persuade users to take action on your website by showing them what other visitors are doing. It’s a great tool because customers want proof from people similar to them, not from corporations they know want their money. The whole thing lies on a common human trait that collective behavior is automatically appropriate, aka – if everyone else is doing it, so will I.
Marketers have long used this approach to acquire the trust of new customers. Testimonials, consumer reviews, celebrity brand endorsements, and other types of sponsored or paid-for endorsement are just some common examples of traditional social proof.
Luckily, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a good social proof strategy going. There are tools for it. These tools are part of a modern marketing technology phenomenon in which people observe what others are doing on a website and are persuaded to follow.
Social proof software is a game-changer that most marketers are aware of, but only a handful are able to properly utilize it.
So, let us introduce you to the best options on the market.
NotificationX
NotificationX is a freemium (there’s a paid-for and a free version) WordPress social proof plugin that helps you show social proof alerts for various events, including purchases, email signups, download counts, and so on. One of its most popular uses is as a notification bar. NotificationX includes six distinct notifications: blog comments, sales alerts, WordPress reviews, email subscriptions, and WordPress download counts.
The user interface is also quite user-friendly, with a simple setup wizard and notification building tool to get you started. Aside from just social proof, there’s also the option of customizing your notification bars and using them for promotional purposes. The PRO version of the plugin offers more integrations, such as Google Analytics and Envato. It also comes with several more notification types.
SocialProve
SocialProve allows you to use tiny popups that can be used for social proof purposes on your website. It’s easy to get started with SocialProve because it doesn’t require a lick of code to get going. Simply copy and paste the pixel, and you’re done. So, if you’re not really a techie, we’d recommend you give this one a look.
As far as the popups themselves are concerned, you’ll be glad to know they’re fully customizable. That way, they can completely match up with your brand and site aesthetics. Some of the notification types it offers are staying interested, activity mix, and some other more unique options that could be fun to try out.
Every single plan comes with a 7-day free trial, so you can try it before you buy. And regular pricing plans start at $359 per year, and they only go up from there.
Nudgify
The main purpose of this plugin is to help every store using it is to minimize the number of abandoned carts and optimize the website more effectively. The tool’s creators designed it with the assumption that most people aren’t familiar with such things, so its installation is easy and straightforward – a great option for beginners and first-time shop owners.
Nudgify, like other social proof tools similar to it, allows you to customize the notifications to your heart’s desire. Using it, every user can add notifications to their website, as well as buttons and features that capture the user’s attention. All in all, a well-rounded tool, recommended for all.
Proven
Proven is an easy-to-use WordPress social proof plugin. It’s simple to set up and allows you to modify the timing of your social proof alerts to keep your brand healthy. Its design is sleek and modern and most suited for those that prefer a minimalistic appearance. Its main purpose is to increase conversion, but you can also use it in other ways since it is quite versatile.
One of the features it offers is the ability to fully tailor the notification to your own needs, as well as set up when they are shown, how and for how long. These handy popups can be shown to all site visitors, only new visitors, the most useful logged-in users, and the list goes on.
This is also one of the cheapest tools on the list, with a single site license costing as little as $39. If you want to use it on more than one site, you’ll be looking at either $59 for five site licenses or $99 for an unlimited number.
Evidence
Evidence comes with quite a few different types of social proof notifications and popups, so it’s no wonder that it’s one of the most used social proof plugins available. It’s a great option for your run-of-the-mill eCommerce store; however, there is one type of business that will enjoy it tremendously.
This is a wonderful solution for SaaS companies since you can create bespoke notifications to highlight a special deal or announce a new feature. Many traditional social proof tools do not have this feature, so it is a rare find. In addition to these features, you have a lot of control over the style and details of your popups using this tool, so you can choose where, when, and how they appear.
As it is a great option for SaaS and has some unusual features, it’s also rather expensive. The cheapest subscription plan for Evidence costs $40 per month, and it only goes up from here.
Wrapping Up
Social proof is an efficient marketing strategy used by marketers for years now. The reason why it is almost infallible is that it’s built upon what is now a biological instinct. So, if you want to boost your business in 2022, consider using one of the listed social proof tools.