Social proof is insanely powerful, so much so that following publicised suicides, the number of copycat suicides increase drastically. Social scientist Robert Cialdini also discovered that following a publicised suicide there are spikes in the number of plane and car crashes, for a multitude of reasons the driver or pilot has wanted their demise to look like an accident. Cialdini also points out that statistically speaking the most dangerous time to travel by car or plane would be between 1 and 10 days following a publicised suicide (day 3 being the most dangerous). Norway knows this and has a national journalism code of, "Suicide and attempted suicide should in general never be given any mention".

Why Should You Care?

Okay, so you know when not to get in a plane or car, but you also realise how powerful this social proof stuff is. We regularly talk about the importance of adding testimonials and reviews to our websites but it's better if we understand why. Because of social proof, when we see or read people like us positively talking about a product or service it greatly influences our decision making.

Make the Move to Video

Marketers surveyed by MarketingSherpa voted text based testimonials as the least effective compared to; customer reviews, video and audio testimonials. This we can safely assume because of the ease of forgery. This means you should consider video and if text is the only format available to you, make sure you add their name and photo.

1) Customer reviews (most influential)
2) Video Testimonials
3) Audio Testimonials
4) Text Testimonials

Be Contextually Relevant with Social Proof

A testimonial talking about how great "xyz product" would be relevant on the product page whereas someone talking about how great your service is would be more influential on the order page. And remember, people like "us" influence, so if you read or watch a video testimonial of a rich celebrity taking about how great "xyz product" is, it won't be as influential as someone that better matches your demographic. So consider who your target audience is and carefully select the testimonials you use.

Amazon are experts at adding social proof messages to boost online conversion. View the examples below and think about how you can be more influential using the power of social proof on your website and marketing communications.

This brief article will describe how to simplify your checkout process and increase your sales. Struggling to contain your excitement? ...then read on.

Bed Linen and Flip-flops

Let me tell you an exciting story about my last two online purchases:

1) I went over to linensdirect.co.uk and ordered myself some pillow cases and a fitted bed sheet. I went through the usual motions and added the items to my shopping basket, created my account, added credit card details, hit submit ...and sat back and waited for my new bed linen to arrive ...this Internet thing was a great idea!

Well, it's 4 days after I made the order and no sign of my new bed sheets and pillow cases. Appalled by the prospect of having to wash my bed linen I went back to linensdirect.co.uk to check my delivery status, however there was no deliver pending and a shopping basket full of the items I was waiting for.

Having re-evaluated the checkout process it was obvious that I had mistaken the confirm order page as the confirmation page.

2) I was in desperate need of some flip-flops for the swimming pool (I'm sure you can sympathise). After a few searches I found surfdome.com that offered the flip-flops cheaper than anywhere else. Awesome! However, what wasn't so awesome was again I'd been tricked into thinking I'd completed the order when in fact I hadn't. This is the page that proceeds the credit card info page (I have a 1600 * 900 resolution):

Okay, so it could be that I'm a complete moron, however I do a lot of online shopping and usually in a blase and hasty fashion (I'm not alone). So, is this confirm page that adds a step in the sales process and loses potential sales really needed?

Pay Should Mean Pay

The Amazon checkout progress indicator implies we are paying when actually that is happening on the confirm page.

Removing the Confirm Page

Here's a flowchart of how traditional shopping carts operate:

In a real world example of doing your grocery shopping this is equivalent of having all your items scanned at the checkout, handing over your credit card and then being asked to check all your groceries before they'll accept your money.

And with the confirm page removed:

It's important to have a well designed payment page that clearly displays what's in your shopping basket and your delivery address at all times. Assuming all the required information is present there should be no need for hesitation. If you don't agree, make sure you're analysing your drop offs. When someone wants to give you money - make it very easy.

Using brain-scanners, researchers from the California Institute of Technology and Stanford's business school have discovered that if we're told a wine is expensive our brain produces more blood and oxygen which stimulates the pleasure senses. So you won't be surprised to hear that when participants were asked to rate two wines they scored the wine they believed to be $90 much higher than the wine they thought was $10 even though unknowingly the wines were exactly the same. And this happened with everyday drinkers and experienced tasters too.

Expensive = Good

I have to say, this study comes as no surprise, whenever I'm in Tesco doing my grocery shopping I'll always be suckered into the wine that "was" £10 and is now £5. If it was a tenner it must be better than all these other wines, right? However, realistically it was probably priced higher for 28 consecutive days (this is the UK trading standard law) and then reduced so that their claim of generosity is allowed. We've all been brought up to believe that expensive = good and cheap = bad. And it's not all unfounded, we've all been burnt before by buying a cheap alternative only having to replace it several months later when the item breaks-down. Moreover, whenever we're in a purchasing situation and we have limited knowledge of the product, using cost to determine quality is all we have to rely on.

Mega Expensive = Awesome

A great example of a company adopting this physiological strategy of higher price = higher quality was Chivas Regal Scotch Whiskey. They were a struggling brand until its managers decided to raise its price to a level far above its competitors. Sales skyrocketed, even though nothing was changed in the product itself (Aaker, 1991).

Testing Prices

The guys over at Marketing Experiments tested three different prices on a newly published book; $7.95, $14.00 and $24.95. An even split of website visitors was distributed across three separate landing pages that was exactly the same other than the price being promoted. What price generated the most revenue? (You've probably guessed the winner.)

Of course, what we've learnt doesn't always work. If you're selling a commodity such as an ipod, you can't get away with selling it for double what your competition is charging. But undoubtedly there are many occasions when price testing your product/service higher should be an intrinsic part of your marketing campaign.

An excellent tip when sending marketing emails or designing website landing pages is to add a postscript (p.s.). Most people's eyes are drawn towards the PS note. In many cases this may be all they read. And those that read your communication in full may need an extra nudge to take action. So it makes a lot of sense to summerise the most important part here.

Email Signature Examples

Postscript Testing

To prove this isn't all baloney, I ran an email split test recently where 500 recipients received an email without a postscript note and another 500 received the exact same email but with a PS note in the footer of the email reminding them of the offer, which read:

Results

The results below show an almost 13% increase in click-through rate, just by adding a postscript. Easy money, eh?

P.S. So what are you waiting for? Start P.S.ing!

Social scientists have discovered through testing that us humans are more likely to do something if we think other people like us are doing it too, also referred to as "social proof". Used correctly, this can drastically increase your conversion rate and make you money.

The towel reuse example below is taken from the book "50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive" and demonstrates how changing the wording on signage makes a significant impact on human behavior. This makes you realise how powerful your headlines are and makes you wonder why we don't have better signage when trying to enforce cooperation, such as .... hmmmm let me think, how about dog littering?

Encouraging Towel Reuse in Hotels

To be eco-friendly and save cash (we know this is the only reason they care) a hotel attempts to increase towel reuse by using social proof messages. The control signage used a standard hotel message to encourage towel reuse: "Help save the environment and show your respect for nature by participating in the towel reuse programme" and the social proof message read "The majority of guests at this hotel recycled their towels at least once during their stay".

Findings

26% more hotel guests reused their towels with the social proof message - simply by changing a few words. This is a big deal and probably means the hotel can layoff a few chambermaids, with the money saved they can invest in more social proof signage tests! ...now, if only there's a way of stopping the guests nicking from the mini-bar??!

Dog Littering Messages Worth Testing

On a grander scale governments could save big bucks by employing better signage to stop rubbish and dog littering. Here's a couple of messages I thought of to help prevent you stepping in a dog pile next time you're out:

• 95% of dog owners picked up their dog's mess today.
• The vast majority of dog owners pick up their dog's mess, don't be the offending minority.

Increasing your Conversion Rate Using Social Proof

Okay, so you know how to stop global warming and solve the world's dog fouling problem but how can this make you money? Well, obviously these messages can be employed on your website and Amazon.com the market leading online retailer are ahead of the game, remember seeing these messages? "82% buy the item featured on this page", "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought."

So how can you boost your website conversion rate using social proof?

Are you using a double opt in email system? Have you checked how many actually complete the double opt-in sign up process?

Double opt-in or confirmed opt-in email is the process of confirming your subscription to a mailing list, usually by clicking a link in an email you've just received. This is good because you can only add your own email address which is fair-play. Think of double opt-ins as double checking the legitimacy of your list.

So the upside we've discussed- you can't add someone's email address to a mailing list other than your own. But the downside is substantial, the double opt-in email lists I have looked at have a maximum confirmation rate of 50% ...which isn't good. Now, some of these will have spelled their email address incorrectly, others will have had the confirmation email go into their spam folder but the vast majority have received the confirmation email but haven't clicked the link for one reason or another.

I know the confirmation page and email should all clearly describe what needs doing but people don't read. Adding friction to any signup process whether it be for a mailing list or for making an online purchase will always hurt your conversion rate.

Make sure your emails comply with the CAN-SPAM Act. This means including unsubscribe links, physical addresses, clear subject headings and legitimate "To" and "From" addresses. And single opt-in is fine. If your system also sends an email after sign-up offering an easy removal if this was an error, then all the better. Lets face it has Amazon ever asked you to double opt-in?

The most influential word available in your persuasive copywriting toolbox other than 'free' ....wait for it ...is 'because'.

Queue Jumping

Ellen Langer, the distinguished social psychologist, conducted a fascinating experiment in a queue for the photocopier. Addressing her fellow queuers in the library, she said: "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the photocopier?" Surprisingly 60 per cent of those asked agreed and let her push to the front. Then, with other groups, she tried a different tack: "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the photocopier because I'm in a rush." You won't be surprised to learn that this time 94 per cent let her by. After all, "I'm in a rush" is a decent reason for seeking a favour.

But now get this. Langer also tried asking: "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the photocopier because I have to make some copies." This time 93 per cent complied. In other words, it wasn't the quality of the reason she gave that led people to agree to her request, but the mere fact that she provided a reason at all.

The Power of Because

This study demonstrates the influential power of the word because. Obviously the power of this word has it's limits, please give me a $1,000,000 because I want the money. Just in case that worked please email me for my bank details. The more friction/resistance there is in the question the better your because needs to be. However there's some great testing potential here, how could because increase your conversion?

Testing 'Because' on Your Website

• Book now because availability is limited.
• Subscribe to our newsletter because 104,543 subscribers can't be wrong.
• Download our white paper because ...

So go test some because copy on your website, because I said so.

You're about to learn a very easy way to drastically increase your email open rates. The only catch is whether it's ethical. Read on...

Spam

Yesterday I was browsing my spam folder for genuine emails that may have slipped through Gmail's spam filter, I'm sure you can imagine it was the usual offenders; pharmaceutical products, sex sites, loans etc.

We all know it's easy to spot spam unless you're gullible but whilst browsing I felt compelled and drawn to open one of these spam emails even though I wasn't interested in the sex site being promoted (yeah ..right!) ...HONEST! So assuming I'm NOT a porn site fiend, what was the appeal? The reason was simply beacuse the sender's last name matched mine; 'Sara Hayes'.

Improving Response Rate

Social psychologists have known for some time that we tend to feel positive towards things we associate with ourselves, such as names. Behavioral Scientist Dr. Randy Garner sent a postal survey using either a similar or dissimilar name to the recipient. The surveys using similar names showed a whopping 100% increase in response rate compared to the dissimilar name equivalent.

I recently conducted a similar test on an email list but instead of similar names I used exact matches of either first or last name. The list using same name matches showed an increased open rate of 144%!

Is it Ethical to Change the Email Name Field?

Are we doing anything wrong? I'm not sure. Is this any different to using NLP in a face-to-face sales environment? In fact it's very similar to 'mirroring' a popular NLP practice. It's also common for call centre and shop floor workers to use fake names.

But, we are lying which isn't the best way to start the relationship. I'll let you decide.

Regards, {USER_FIRST_NAME} Hayes

Adding youtube video clips to your website can increase page engagement time, generate FREE leads, refer FREE traffic and produce valuable demographic reports. So what are you waiting for!

Showcasing Real Estate

While working for Cirrus Real Estate Brokerage we added video to their property listings. I'm surprised more estate agents and website owners aren't doing this, video was made for showcasing product listings, especially property and it's a big improvement over 360 degree virtual tours. With so may people using broadband it's safe to stream video from your website. The video below is little shaky but gives an unrivaled feel for the property and inadvertently pre-qualified prospects that went on to view the property for real.

100% Increase in Engagement Time

We noticed a 100% engagement time increase on property listings with embedded video clips or an average engagement time of 10 minutes. Youtube also offers some nice demographic information that wouldn't normally be available in your website analytic program.

Free Lead Generation

Hosting your video files with youtube means you get to use their fast servers for streaming your video and you don't get charged for bandwidth. Your video is easily embedded in your website by adding a few lines of code. What this also means is your videos are available on the Youtube website that receives millions of visitors a day and assuming you add meaningful titles your videos will appear in Youtube and also Google searches.

The thread below demonstrates inquires being generated from Youtube:

I've chosen this topic because I don't think many segment their RSS traffic. I subscribe to a lot of feeds and the only one I can see that appears to be tracking RSS is slashdot. It's also likely that many don't segment any of their traffic, in which case this article can be applied with a few tweaks across all your marketing mediums; email, pay per click, social media, banner ads etc.

Why Should I bother?

Well, if you don't segment your traffic you'll end up with reports like this:

Whereas if you're a good boy or girl it'll look like this:

Making intelligent decisions is now possible, as they say; "what you don't measure you can't manage."

Track your RSS Feeds in 2 East Steps

I'll assume you already have a Google analytics account and tracking code inserted in your web pages. If you don't it's free and easy.

1) Create your RSS tracking URL by using Google's URL builder. You only need to complete the mandatory fields which are;

• Website URL - this is the URL that's generating the RSS feed. In my example: http://empower3w.com/blog
• Campaign Source - this will be whatever's generating your RSS feed such as a special offers feed, in my example a blog
• Campaign Medium - this will always be RSS
• Campaign Name - this should be the product name, promo code or slogan. For my blog example it would be the title of the article, if you had a special offers product feed it might be 'ipod nano'

Example Screen Print:

2) Insert the URL generated into your RSS documents but make sure it doesn't display on your web pages otherwise your reports will be garbage!

So on your website, no tracking code:

But your RSS reader has this tagged on the end of your URL:

And that's it. Now that you've segmented your traffic sources the real work starts by creating content specific for each channel.

Update: Google Analytics + Feedburner

Obviously Google read my blog! as they have decided to make tracking your RSS traffic a lot easier assuming you also use feedburner. Similar to Adwords integration, your URLs will automatically be tagged. Read all about it here.

Do you want to make your forms easier to use and increase completion rates with one simple change? Of course you do.

It's common practice to ask for first and last names on web forms but assuming you have a global audience your form is rendered difficult to use for a lot of Europeans who write their last name first and their first name last and many GCC nationals that have more then two names. All said and done, just asking for someone's 'name' reduces friction and improves usability.