What social doubts of customers can threaten your business?

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The power of social proof has long been beyond doubt. However, it’s worth remembering that it works the other way too. You may be destroying trust in your company right now. Let’s figure it out.

People have a herd mentality. They move in a flock close to each other, like a flock of birds, sometimes without even realizing the motive for their actions. And this is one of the most powerful engines of social media marketing.

Psychologists call this phenomenon social proof, which exploring amazon: the essentials Wikipedia explains as follows: “people accept the actions of others as an attempt to express the correct behavior in a given situation.” Incidentally, Wikipedia is a prime example of social proof.

But don’t forget that social proof has its downsides. After all, if it claims that users are interested in your brand, then the flip side says that other people don’t need you. You can call it “social doubt.”

Literally, it's "a feeling of uncertainty or lack of confidence," as Google tells us. In reality, that's what happens: a buyer feels a little unsure when deciding whether to buy a product or service.



Perhaps our examples will better explain what social doubt is.

Single social media buttons with counters
Let's imagine a situation: you get to a company's website, study detailed information about its offers and purchasing options. And then you see a "Like" button without likes. A reasonable question arises: "Even if the company that runs the site doesn't like what's posted here, why should I like it?"

Let's say there's even 1 like, which could well have been put by the page owner. But doesn't he have a family, a staff, a marketing team? No, he's alone, so there's no chance that he has a customer support team ready to help the client.

Sometimes social media buttons with counters on websites can be located on pages where the owners do not conduct any business. For example, on the contact page. In fact, this is not social proof, but social doubt - an element of negative impact that can lead to the departure of potential clients.

Leaders with a small following
If you have social media icons on your site, pay attention to the number of your followers. After all, a small number of users who like your company may raise doubts. If not many people trust your brand, you are probably not a leader among competitors. Why should a potential buyer make a purchase?

Even if you have a small following, someone may want to know your brand's official social media handles. Perhaps to mention it when sharing a positive or negative experience with a product. Often, visitors click to contact customer support. So, if you're active on social media accounts, it may be worth keeping their icons on your site.

How many followers does it take to cause social doubt? There is no single answer to this question. It is assumed that a big brand should have a large fan base, but everything is relative. Look at the positions of competitors to see how your brand compares to them.

Advice: if you want to place social media icons on your website, first carry out a comprehensive effort to attract subscribers to your brand on VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Facebook, Instagram.

Your social circle
Influencer marketing is a powerful form of social proof through social media accounts. But be aware of the flip side of the coin: social doubt can arise if you choose influencers who evoke negative reactions from potential customers.

For example, companies pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for access to Kim Kardashian's Instagram account, which has 9.4 million followers. But what would a user do if they saw a celebrity promoting your products? It would probably cause social doubt and not encourage them to buy.

At the same time, you don’t need to completely abandon the choice of an opinion leader. After all, people with a large social pool in any case have their share of opponents. The main thing is to understand your buyer and know which opinion leaders are suitable for your niche.



Today, social media is a vital channel for customer service. If customers want to get to know your brand on social media, make sure you don’t make these mistakes. The support service plays an important role, and it should always be on hand to really help meet the needs of your target audience.