Social Proof: it’s very motivating. We’re more likely to trust someone’s claim if other people say it about them. Proverbs 27:2 says: “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.”
It’s been known for thousands of years that social proof is trustworthy, but what does social proof look like on social media, specifically Instagram?
How Social Proof Works
Our brains find it simpler to do what other people are doing. We’re more likely to go along with something if other people are doing it. Our brains tend to view things that are different from the crowd as somehow incorrect and vice versa. Social validation signals to our brains that we’re doing the right thing or making the right decision.
That doesn’t mean that it is the right thing or the right decision. This is the discussion that parents often have with their children. “If all of your friends walked over a cliff would you do it too?”
Of course, the parents who say this fall prey to the same psychological phenomenon when they decide which brand of dog food to buy, what to share on social media and even what candidate to vote for.
When a norm is created, it’s uncomfortable for the human psyche to be veer from the status quo. So, backing yourself and your brand up with social proof in the form of reviews can be extremely effective when people are on the fence about choosing between you and another brand.
Social Proof on Instagram
Social proof on Instagram is often thought of in terms of followers and likes. Even though followers don’t necessarily translate into good engagement, it’s still an important metric to the human brain about how popular an account is and how much we should trust it. Likes are also viewed as a form of social proof, both to us and the Instagram Algorithm.
For instance, if a large account with great engagement likes our content, Instagram will take that authoritative signal of social proof and show the post to significantly more people. Just as a post that gets more and more likes will be shown to more and more people, posts that receive more and more likes will be liked by more and more people. We might hesitate to like a post with only eight likes, while a post with 2.7K likes will take less thought before smashing the like button.
Instagram has been testing removing likes in select countries, such as Australia, and engagement has dropped as a result. This is because the bandwagon effect and social validation are so important to the human brain. Liking something because we actually like it rather than because 2.7K other people and one of our friends like it is a bit different. People are liking less when they can’t see what other people are liking.
Is this a positive or a negative? While social validation can be a negative force for self-esteem, it can also be a positive force for growing your brand. Never sacrifice engagement for followers though. Shady methods like buying followers are not only going to hurt your Instagram account, they also cut down on your engagement (which is king in the updated algorithm) since none of your fake followers know, like or trust you.
Plus, people who know you bought fake followers will take a step back and may distrust your account, since you are, in effect, lying. And that doesn’t pair well with either trust or true social proof.
For more Instagram tips tailored specifically for your brand, check out our Strategy Sessions!
