Why Trust Is the Highest Commodity in Marketing—And How to Create It
Imagine, you are meeting a stranger.
What is the first thing you do?
Most likely, your ancient part of the brain takes over and in a split second you assess whether this person is to be trusted or not.
In the old days, your life might have depended on it.
The same survival mechanism is being applied when smb visits your website. People, consciously and subconsciously figure out pretty quickly whether you and your product is to be trusted or not.
And if you are not, the gig is up. You can have the best product in the world, but the door to making a potential sale is slammed shut.
What will you find in this article?
In this article, you’ll discover exactly why trust is the secret behind every triumphant company—and how you can start building it today.
By the end, you’ll know proven ways to turn skeptical visitors into lifelong customers, stacked with social proof that drives results.
Social proof is any element where a 3rd party (customer) has confirmed that your solution is good.
Why do you need trust and social proof?
You’re here because you want your company to stand out, win loyalty, and see real growth. You do it, by showcasing that your company can be trusted.
With millions of new companies, fake news and scams, trust as a commodity is more scarce than ever.
Big brands with big marketing budgets are winning. Brand awareness=trust. So, how do up’n’ coming companies gain trust?
Social proof. Let’s see what are the elements of social proof and how to use them in real life.
How Trust Drives Real Business Results?
People buy from brands they trust.
BUT, trust isn’t just a “feel-good” metric. It directly impacts sales, pricing power, and retention:
Higher conversion rates: Social proof elements—testimonials, ratings, logos—will boost signups.
Lower customer acquisition cost: Trusted brands need fewer touchpoints to close a deal.
Stronger loyalty: Customers who trust you will stay through product hiccups and price changes.
Turn Trust Into Action: Social Proof, Everywhere
9 Elements of Social Proof and How to Use Them
You want prospects to feel, “This company is for people like me. Others have won—so will I.”
Trust in marketing is established through a mix of authenticity, transparency, and visible proof points that resonate with customers.
Here’s how to do it.
1.Client Logos:
Showcase logos on your homepage or pricing page. “Trusted by 6-10 businesses” means more than a paragraph of self-praise.
Display on you homepage, “Trusted by” section. Instantly signals:
“real companies buy this”;
removes doubt for new prospects;
inspires confidence;
increases trial conversions by leveraging FOMO and authority.
Example of my client logos on my homepage.
2. Testimonials & Quotes
Include detailed quotes with names, photos, and company names. Shows others have succeeded.
Builds emotional trust, and directly improves conversion rates—prospects want validation before buying.
Like this:
"Automating payments with [Your Product/Service] saved us 10 hours per week—our best decision this year." – CFO, [Client Company Name]
Example quote from my client that I use on my homepage and sales materials.
3. Video Testimonials
Display a short client testimonial video on your website. Send your client a couple of questions or even a fully written copy and ask them to record a 2-3min video with their phone. Quick edit and upload to Youtube. Embed video on your homepage.
Video increases relatability and credibility, using emotion and authenticity to drive decision-making faster than text alone.
Example video testimonial thumbnail image
4. Case Studies
Show before–after stats and a customer’s story. Keep it short—problem, solution, outcome.
Proves outcomes for businesses “like me,” making benefits tangible, reducing risk perception, and accelerating the purchasing cycle.
“Even as an up ’n’ coming company, sharing two or three case studies places you ahead of larger competitors in authenticity and trust.”
Start doing customer interviews and putting together case studies immediately. At first, 2–3 case studies is all you need.
To be honest, so many companies with hundreds of customers probably have around 4–6 case studies. By having 3, you are already ahead of the game.
One case study can be broken down into several pieces of social proof: a case study page, multiple customer quotes used across your web, customer logos, and pictures.
Example of my Case Study page.
4. Media Mentions
“Featured in Forbes” or “Techcrunch” is instant credibility.
Whenever mentioned in the media, put the media outlet logo on your homepage and a link to the article. Usually your company is mentioned when you raise money or your company is being acquired.
External validation by reputable organizations: signals expertise and puts the brand in the same league as known industry players.
My own example:
I am a total unknown globally, but when I worked at Weekdone I had my content published in Business Insider, Inc., and gained a contributor status on Entrepreneur Europe.
I’m not currently featured on any of those, but they raise my credibility because they are well-known brands. That’s why I display their logos on my about page.
Example of Media Logos Displayed on my About Page
5. Reviews, Awards & Badges
Display top review-site badges (G2, Capterra) and relevant industry certifications. Can be a smaller award as well.
Independent recognition of quality/service; badges “shortcut” perceived due diligence and can tip the scales in competitive markets.
Build a public presence on trusted review platforms (Capterra, G2, GetApp). Don’t just collect reviews—respond to them, update regularly, and consider sponsored features to boost visibility for early-stage brands.
Have you received any awards, even very small? Best design of something, from a small local institution? Still use these logos. It still suffice as external proof.
You don’t need “Fortune 500” validation. Any external recognition, no matter how niche or minor, is better than none and can tip trust in your favor when you’re less known.
Example of a review site badge - Capterra
6. Creative, but True Statistics about Your Company
Counters across homepage (“1M+ people served: nr. of users”)
Authority by volume; signals popularity, social validation, and the wisdom of the crowd—reduces emotional friction and reassures hesitant buyers
Maybe you have only 10 clients, but they’re big in size. Combine their user counts for bigger impact—‘Serving 3,000 people worldwide.’ Or if your software automates tasks, use ‘9,874 tasks completed’—and make a real-time homepage counter.
When client brand names aren’t viable, numbers themselves (users, milestones, completed tasks) become trust-building social proof. Relatable, quantifiable proof works as well as famous logos.
My example:
I was Head of Marketing for an IoT company from a small, unknown country - Estonia. We couldn’t use big client names like Uber as a client reference, but we showcased numbers:
250,000 vehicles connected
operations in 40+ countries
vehicles traveling a combined distance of 100,000 km (enough to circle the world 2.5 times).
Not bad for a small firm from nowhere, right?”
Example of stats on a homepage from comodule
7. Using Influencer and Expert Associations
Quotes, references and contributed content by industry leaders or influencers.
Credibility leap via “borrowed trust”: prospects trust experts, so being endorsed is a fast-track to authority and trust.
Perhaps one of your founders or investors is a known figure. Use: ‘Founded by [well-known person]’ or ‘Backed by [well-known person/company].’
When I worked for an OKR (Objectives and Key Results) Software, John Doerr (ex-Google), who championed our methodology, was referenced. Even a passing association with his quote gave us serious credibility in the OKR space.
Connecting your story or product with established industry experts, even indirectly, can lift perceived trust dramatically.
Example of how a company uses a well-known expert as social proof
8. Real-Time Activity
“X just signed up,” trending sales popups, tasks done, users joined, 3 rooms left. There are various ways to use real-time activity to act as social proof.
“Wisdom of the crowd” triggers—creates urgency, FOMO, and validates that others are buying right now, catalyzing immediate action.
One of the best to do it is Booking.com or airline companies. With real-time activity they indicate that what they are selling is popular and urge you to take action by showing how many places are left. You can do it too.
Example of how booking.com uses real-time activity to influence your behaviour
How to Start Building Trust Today
Showcase early customer success:
Even 2-3 detailed case studies can make a significant impact, as most companies only showcase a few, despite having hundreds of customers.
Do interviews with early adopters and break their success stories into multiple quotes and visuals that can be used across webpages and sales materials.
As an up’n’coming company use your close relationships with initial customers to quickly create authentic, engaging content.
Leverage the close relationships with early customers to produce authentic, multi-format stories:
Add a relevant quote or case study to the top of each landing page
Update logos and testimonial sections on your website regularly
Share quick wins and stats on LinkedIn—social proof works in feeds too
Respond honestly to reviews, both good and bad
Turn every happy customer into a “success story”
Final Word
Trust turns a maybe into a YES.
Start simple. Let real customers speak for you. The results? More signups, faster growth, fewer objections.
Want the next step? Ask a current customer for a quote today—or compile your first mini-case study.
I mostly used my own examples and stories, but here are some additional sources about social proof: Custify, saaswebsites, loyaltysurf, landingi - thanks for the helpful articles!
Need help with social proof or marketing?
I can:
teach you how to do it
consult you - make sure you do it
or do some of it for you.
Take your pick.
