Humans have a tendency to mimic the behaviour of others. There is safety in numbers and consumers have a tendency to trust the opinion and reviews of their peers. This is why customer reviews and ratings are so important to a business’ SEO rankings. Positive customer reviews can add to a business’ authority and can be persuasive in the decision of potential customers’ in deciding which companies he or she will choose to deal with.
When put into the context of lead generation, it can also be viewed as a psychological phenomenon where people who see those around them doing a particular thing, regardless of their own preference or beliefs, will experience a desire to do the same. Essentially, the perceived desire of a larger group overrides the individual’s. This isn’t an effect that is unique to sales – it happens in all aspects of life ranging from politics to consumer trends. So how can businesses capitalise on this type of mentality?
Obtain consumer confidence by proving that your offer is desirable. For example, on the landing page for your offer, there could be a call-to-action that reads, “Join the 10,000 subscribers who get the latest industry news from 28K.” Proof in numbers will help illustrate how great your offer is. Alluding to people who have purchased, subscribed, downloaded or interacted with your offer persuades potential leads to do the same.
A great way to capitalise on the bandwagon effect is using social media. Users who interact with your company’s social media posts help you spread the word organically. For example, the friends of a Facebook user who ‘likes’ or comments on your business’ Facebook post will be able to see these interactions on their own feeds. Marketers may choose to make an offer on social media in exchange for social media users ‘sharing’ the post. This way, the offer can be spread around organically within established social groups that will help nurture the bandwagon effect, leading to more individuals who will see or interact with the offer.
One thing that must be noted when trying to capture leads this way is to make sure that you can back up your claims. For obvious reasons, numbers have to be backed up by some sort of evidence.
