This is the fifth of a six-part series on the psychological factors behind brand loyalty and how it affects purchasing habits. See Part 1 here.

Social Proof. While web and social media have unquestionably changed the way people engage with brands, the core principles behind how consumers make purchasing decisions have withstood the test of time: word of mouth and peer reviews. Social proof, be it a conversation with a colleague about his new car or a comment on a restaurant’s Yelp page, is a critical factor in the buying process.

Each social networking site has a unique way of measuring the popularity of its content.  Twitter features the number of times a tweet is shared directly below the original message. YouTube videos with views in the hundreds disappear behind those boasting several thousand, even millions. And while Facebook has concealed the number of friends its users connect with, ‘likes’ and shares indicate the level of interest in posted content. These indicators serve to endorse content, or, in the case of a brand, products and services.

Like the expert endorsement discussed in the previous blog in this series, aligning your brand with someone your consumers know and trust can add credibility to your product. Utilizing the support of people your consumers personally know and trust, or at least share interests and values with? Even better.