One of the most important components of a successful marketing plan is that of “social proof”. Social proof is basically the art of leveraging the positive feedback of your existing customers to influence your prospects and encourage them to also do business with you. Trusting a business is one thing – trusting the reviews and testimonials of other consumers is another, and it’s proven time and time again to be a highly effective marketing tool. That said here are some helpful tips on how you can use the positive feedback from your customers to your advantage.

Give them a prominent spot on your website.

What good are customer testimonials going to do you if they’re hidden somewhere that your prospects can’t easily find? You should be proud of the good work you’ve done, and how satisfied your customers are, and you should share that pride by displaying your positive reviews at the top of your web pages, and at several locations throughout your site. You worked hard to get those reviews – now it’s time to show them off!

Promote them offline.

Many businesses proudly display their positive feedback online on their websites and social media profiles, but fail to recognize the importance of also promoting them offline. Consider posting a billboard in your office, store or restaurant on which you can pin printed-out versions of all the glowing customer reviews you’ve received. If a customer sends an email, writes a hand-written note, or posts a review on Yelp or any other media resource, print it out and post it!

Incorporate them into your sales pitches and marketing materials.

Think about it – if you’re marketing to people who have no experience dealing with you, how will you convey the message that you are a quality business with whom they should work? Sure, you can tell them yourself, but it would be much more powerful to let your already satisfied existing customers do the talking for you by including excerpts of testimonials in your emails, letters, and other marketing materials.

Use LinkedIn to your advantage.

LinkedIn is an excellent marketing tool for businesses because it has a built-in resource for writing reviews and recommendations. Ask your colleagues, coworkers and customers to consider visiting your profile and lending a few kind words on your behalf. Once you have established a number of glowing recommendations, encourage other people to visit your profile and read these reviews by including a link on your website and in your email signature.

When it comes to spreading the word about your products or services, one of the most powerful tools you can use is the positive feedback of your existing customers. Remember, people are naturally drawn to things with which they can relate. By leveraging your existing client base to connect with your prospects, you can capitalize on this concept and use it to your advantage.