Sociopathic proof 2.0
Published: Sat, 04/20/19
One of the tasks on that list was:
“Ignore social proof when making buying decisions”
To which a few people asked why ignore social proof?
My answer:
By all means use social proof in your marketing. Social proof being, for one exsmple, if “xyz celebrity/guru/credentialed person/or person like me uses/endorses/sells it, it must be good enough for me.”
Robert Cialdini warned about this years ago.
And, it’s a very sound marketing principle.
But, like anything that works, it’s also used by the unsavory types, too.
The con artists.
The thieves.
And, especially, the various sociopaths skimming the shadows.
That’s why I didn’t say to not use it in your marketing.
I said ignore social proof in marketing before making a buying decision for your own purchases. It wasn’t all that long ago - and it still happens, it's just more sophisticated now, more of a 2.0 version - when the exact same affiliate gaggle of gurus would all blindly endorse each others’ big ticket products without even having consumed those products first, and people would buy just because their favorite guru said to buy it, sight unseen.
A lot of people got burned in this industry back then.
And, it was because people bought solely on social proof.
I’m not saying it can’t be a factor in buying something.
But, my opinion is it shouldn’t be the only factor.
That includes with anything I sell, too.
Yes, my little fledgeling... I use social proof a lot. And, it’s there to help sell my products. But, there’s a reason I have said repeatedly over the years to assume everyone is full of shyt (including me) when reading our ads, and make us demonstrate why you should buy, first.
Thus, the power of daily emails that let you demonstrate your knowledge every day.
And (if you do it right) in a way people look forward to reading and buying from.
That’s where my Email Players newsletter comes in.
The May issue is going to the printer soon.
I’ve got all kinds of goodies inside this one — including how to "get away with" selling each day and some other fun stuff you're not going to learn from the peanut gallery in your favorite Flakebook group.
Here’s the link to subscribe:
http://www.EmailPlayers.com
Ben Settle