Peer pressure gets a bad rap. How many after-school specials from the eighties and early nineties, were made to show us how ‘everyone else is doing it’ will lead to disaster and regret? Yet today, while there is still the occasional ‘very special episode’ of the newest teen TV dramas, peer pressure is used more than ever. Only now, it’s called ‘social proof.’

What Proof?

‘Social Proof,’ also known as informational social influence, is a psychological occurrence, when the individual is guided and influenced by the group. It explains why people are compelled to see why a crowd is gathering, and why sitcoms use laugh-tracks. People are more apt to think a joke is funny, if they hear other people laughing.

With the advent and explosion of Facebook, Twitter, Digg and other Social Bookmarking sites, even blogging, we are more susceptible to social proof than ever before.

This doesn’t have to be a bad thing. And it’s a powerful influence you can employ.

Here’s how it works…

Chances are you’ve already joined several social media sites, have a Facebook page and a Twitter account, and you have a litany of social bookmarking and commenting buttons at the end of every blog post, paragraph and video you post on your pages. You’ve joined the social networks to connect with customers and make new connections. You’re putting yourself, your company and your product out there.

Social proof comes into play when an individual, let’s call him Bob, decides to join your network because six of his friends already have. Or he signs up for your newsletter because four of his pals receive it. Or he bookmarks your page because there are 73 likes. Bob might even buy your product because there are convincing video testimonials from people like him on your page.

You can utilize social proof by leveraging social media. Sometimes it’s a numbers game – a large RSS subscriber list or Twitter following can convince others to join. A post that has a few reader comments will inspire more. There’s also a domino effect with Digg, del.icio.us, and other social bookmarks.

Sometimes it’s a personal factor – Facebook’s Like button will display the user’s friends who have liked the content. There’s also MyBlogLog, a Yahoo service and widget that shares the photo and profile of the recent blog readers. You can use it to connect with the webmasters of sites you visit, and learn more about your own readers and visitors.

Everyone Else is Doing It…

If Bob gets email from a friend to check out a site or sign up for a newsletter, he’s more apt to do so. You can tap into that power of social proof by asking your newsletter recipients to invite three of their friends to join. You can use the power of reciprocity by offering a great deal or a good giveaway in return for the recommendation.

The more you know about your target customer, the more you can directly appeal to him or her, and use social proof to market and sell your company and your product. Everyone else is doing it, why shouldn’t you?