When the coronavirus pandemic forced millions of musicians into their homes, music software company JamKazam saw its free user number increase with 2600%.
Yes, that’s two zeros.
JamKazam is multi-track music platform and social network, enabling musicians to play music together in real time from different locations over the internet.
But JamKazam is not the only winner.
In April 2020, streaming company Netflix reported a 22% growth. I must admit, I have also yielded to temptation and allowed my family members to experience the joys of streaming.
One of the primary selling points of Netflix over the years has been its algorithm, how it gets to know your viewing habits, using them to craft a platform experience that is unique to you and your TV and movie tastes.
Last year, HBO – one of the Netflix competitors – was making a crack about Netflix’s algorithms with a new site and campaign called “Recommended By Humans,” in which HBO enlisted real people to recommend their favorite shows (and paid them), and collected a huge supply of social media suggestions for people to dip into.
Recommended by humans - Use social proof in your marketing
HBO said that Recommended by Humans is a recommendation tool that does not rely on algorithms or on your viewing history to recommend shows, ‘but on real people, because that’s where the best recommendations come from’.
Great campaign from HBO!
”The best recommendations come from real people."
HBO
In marketing, it’s hard to overestimate the power of testimonials. How other people think about a product is probably one of the most crucial drivers for buying behavior. Testimonials, success stories, cases studies… all these social proof tactics use the same psychological trigger to make people want to buy. People buy stuff, because other people have bought it too and talked about it.
Companies who use testimonials and case studies in their marketing realize that this mechanism is very powerful. And it’s probably more important now in times where everybody is shopping online.
If you are a marketer, you are crazy not to invest in social proof.
If you are a freelance marketer, copywriter or content specialist, then case studies and success stories are a huge opportunity too. why? Because sales people need case study content all the time to push prospects through the sales funnel.
In my new online course, called Case Study Writing Expert, I teach freelance writers how to write killer case studies for clients and boost their writing income.
Case Study Writing Expert is right for you if you are:
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Want to use this COVID-19 time to become a smarter and more versatile freelancer? Then I hope to see you soon on Case Study Writing Expert.
