Social Proof Builds Trust—Here’s How to Use It

If you want potential clients to invest part of their wedding budget with you, you already know you’re going to have to talk yourself up on your website.

But here’s the thing: literally anyone can whip up a gorgeous website and claim to be the best at what they do.

Clients are becoming increasingly skeptical as they hear more horror stories online from other couples whose vendors didn’t live up to their portfolio.

So what you need is a little something to back up your claims—that way, both couples and potential creative partners will feel like they can trust the quality of your work.

In the marketing world, we call this “social proof”—evidence supplied by someone else that proves your expertise. 

As consumers, we seek out social proof every day, even if we’re not aware we’re doing it. Maybe you ask your neighbor for their landscaper’s name because you like the way their yard looks. Or maybe you look up Michelin-starred restaurants for your trip to Italy.

To make it easier on your potential clients, you want to place examples of social proof throughout your own website. 

(Remember: the goal is always to get them to stay on your site—if they hop over to Google to check your reviews, it’s easy for them to get distracted, search for movie showtimes in their area and…boom, you’ve lost them.)

So let’s talk about the social proof you should be gathering and then using on your website—plus where and how to do it.

5 Key Types of Social Proof for Wedding Pros

Testimonials from past clients

This is the gold standard of social proof—a past client explaining, in their own words, why they chose to book you, what their experience was like, and how it made them feel.

A few things to consider: 

1. Don’t stash these on a separate page. Instead, carefully choose the best ones and add 1 or 2 per page of copy. 
2. Try to match the testimonial to the service. So if you have separate pages for wedding design vs. florals, pull a testimonial from a client who’s booked that exact service. (If you’re launching something new and don’t have a testimonial yet, then go for one that talks about your client experience, or you as a person.)
3. Don’t put testimonials in carousels. This is a hill I will die on. Every time I see someone do this, they’ve stuck some of the best stuff at the end, where people might never see it.

Also: edit your testimonials. Judiciously. This is one of the most common mistakes I see when service providers DIY their own website copy—long testimonials with a lot of filler.

Just because a client wrote a 300-word review does not mean that you need to use every word. Pluck out the relevant sentences. Be ruthless (just make sure your edits don’t change the meaning of what they said). Chop things up into shorter paragraphs.

“As seen in”

If you’re a wedding photographer, maybe your work has been featured in industry-leading blogs like Style Me Pretty, print magazines like Brides, or on popular Instagram accounts like Over the Moon. 

There are plenty of variations here—another popular option is an “As heard on” bar featuring the logos of podcasts you’ve spoken on.

I’ve also seen industry educators and service providers specify where their clients have been seen. This is ideal if you can clearly point to how your efforts got them featured—like if you do PR or submissions on their behalf.

When using this kind of social proof, confirm that you have permission to feature the logo. Some publications, like The New York Times, charge a licensing fee to display their logo on your site.

By the numbers

Especially if you’ve been around for a while, this can be a fun way to showcase your expertise.

My favorite way to play with this is to choose 2 (or more) “hard” numbers, then throw in a final number that’s a little more fun, like so: 

(I like to think of this as the McDonald’s trick. On every sign, below the word “McDonald’s,” there’s a little line that says “Billions and Billions Served.” They’ve been showing their numbers since 1955. If it worked for them…)

Don’t be afraid to get specific, either, rather than rounding your numbers. Buyers love specifics – they seem more credible.

Awards

If you’ve recently won an award, you’re going to want to make note of that on your website.

For example, if you’re a photographer and you were named one of Rangefinder’s 30 Rising Stars in the past year or two? You need that on your site. 

Does it matter to every single client? Definitely not (sorry). But it may make a difference to someone.

That said, awards with a specific year are better when they’re fresher or show a streak (you’ve been named the top florist in your town for 5 years running). If you won a bunch of awards five years ago but nothing since, it may not send the right message to show them all.

Badges & memberships

Basically, your clients see these as a stamp of approval showing that you meet someone else’s standards, whether through formal training, membership in an organization, or by pledging to adhere to a certain set of values.

For example, if you’re an active member in industry organizations like WIPA or NACE, you should mention that on your site.

Elopement photographers often choose to display a Leave No Trace icon on their site, so that potential clients can see their commitment to the environment. 

Likewise, many wedding businesses who’ve received Equally Wed Pro certification include the logo on their site so that LGBTQ+ clients know they’re an inclusive business. (And that they’ve literally put their money where their mouth is, in this case.)

How to Gather + Organize Social Proof

When it comes to testimonials, you should touch base with your clients shortly after their wedding to ask them a few questions. Notice that I didn’t say “leave you a review.” Yes, of course you want them to post reviews on Google and other platforms.

But when you send them a few questions in a form, you can guide them toward quotes that fill gaps in your social proof. (Maybe everyone raves about your photos, but not enough people talk about your client experience.)

Then you can ask them to transfer that information over to Google Reviews, The Knot, or any other platform where your clients find you. Make it easy—provide a link in your testimonial form.

For everything else, keep a nice little folder or Notion page where you can track awards, podcast episodes, memberships, and anything else you want your ideal clients to know about. (Your copywriter will love you for this, promise.)

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