You’ve poured your heart and soul into your WordPress site, but visitors just aren’t taking the plunge. Wondering what others are doing to get conversions?
There’s a secret weapon websites use to build trust and convince visitors to convert: social proof.
Think of it like online word-of-mouth. By showcasing real customer activity on your site, you subtly nudge visitors towards trusting your brand and taking action.
Imagine seeing a notification popup saying “Jane from New York just bought this product!” or “John just signed up for our free trial!” Suddenly, your website feels less lonely and a whole lot more trustworthy.
That’s where social proof notification tools come in. These handy plugins for WordPress automate the process too! They track activity on your site and display notifications about recent purchases, sign-ups, and even reviews.
Intrigued?
Let’s dive into the best options to supercharge your WordPress website’s social proof game!
What to Look for in a Social Proof Notification Tool
Finding the right social proof plugin is like picking the perfect sidekick for your website. Here’s a breakdown of the important features to consider:
Features:
This is all about what kind of social proof you can show off. Great tools will let you display different things, like recent purchases on your site, people signing up for your email list, social media shares, and even positive reviews from customers. The more options you have, the more ways you can convince visitors that others are enjoying your stuff.
Customization:
A good tool lets you control who sees what notification. You might choose to show notifications based on where visitors are from, which pages they’ve looked at, or even what they’ve added to their shopping cart. Plus, some tools let you change the look of the notifications to match your website’s style.
Integrations:
Does your website use WooCommerce to sell products online? Do you collect email addresses with a mailing list service? A top-notch social proof notification tool will work well with these other tools you might already be using. Look for integrations with popular WordPress plugins and services to make things run smoothly.
Ease of Use:
Nobody wants to spend hours figuring out a new plugin. The best tools are simple to install and set up. They should also have a clear and easy-to-understand interface that lets you control everything without needing a tech expert by your side.
Pricing:
Budget is important! Many social proof notification tools offer both free and paid plans. Free plans often have limitations, while paid plans unlock all the features. Think about what you need and compare the features to the cost to find the best option for your budget.
Now that you know what to look for, let’s take a look at the best options on the market when it comes to showcasing your social proof.
Best Social Proof Notification Tools for WordPress
Here are the best social proof notification tools I’ll cover in this guide:
1. TrustPulse
TrustPulse is the best social proof notification tool that allows you to showcase real-time activity on your site, such as recent purchases, user signups, and even positive customer reviews.
Imagine a little notification popping up on your screen that says “David from Chicago just purchased this course!” TrustPulse makes these social proof notifications a reality for your WordPress website.
People are naturally influenced by the actions of others. Seeing notifications that others are buying your products or signing up for your services subconsciously tells visitors that it’s safe and worthwhile to do the same.
These notifications can also create a sense of urgency, especially when they highlight limited-time offers or products with low stock. This can nudge visitors to take action before they miss out.
So for instance, if you’re an eCommerce business, you can showcase recent purchases and customer reviews to convince visitors that your products are popular and trustworthy.
If you’re looking to get more leads, then you could display notifications of recent opt-ins to build trust and encourage visitors to subscribe to your email list.
WIth TrustPulse, you can go beyond capturing recent activity. It can track visitor count too.
That means you can also show the number of people that have taken action or shown interest, such as “100 people have read this blog”.
You can even create your own notification message to alert customers to on-going sales, product promotions, newsletter signups, and more.
For all notification types, the popups are clickable so you can send them to the URL of your choice.
Now TrustPulse offers a range of features to customize your social proof strategy:
- Target Specific Visitors: Show notifications based on which page or URL the visitor is browsing.
- Track Specific Activity: TrustPulse lets you track recent sales, signups, form submissions, clicks, and so much more
- Seamless Integrations: TrustPulse integrates with popular tools like WooCommerce and Zapier, making it easy to track all kinds of activity on your site.
- Easy Customization: Match your website’s design with the ability to customize the look and feel of your notifications.
Is TrustPulse Right For You?
If you’re looking for a user-friendly and powerful way to leverage social proof and boost conversion rates on your WordPress website, then TrustPulse is definitely worth considering.
It’s a great fit for businesses of all sizes, from solo entrepreneurs to established brands, who want to build trust and turn website visitors into loyal customers.
2. Smash Balloon
While TrustPulse focused on general social proof notifications, Smash Balloon takes a different approach specifically for WordPress websites.
It’s a suite of plugins, each designed to integrate a different popular social media platform directly into your site.
So, if you already have social media engagement, Smash Balloon might be the perfect fit.
You’ll have a live feed showcasing your latest Instagram posts or displaying positive Facebook reviews directly on your WordPress website.
It offers individual plugins specifically designed for popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
By showcasing your social media activity directly on your website, you encourage visitors to follow and engage with your brand on those platforms. This can lead to a more connected and interactive online community.
You can display social media reviews and comments on your website which will act as social proof, building trust and demonstrating the value you offer to potential customers.
Is Smash Balloon Right For You?
If you’re actively building a social media following and want to leverage that engagement to enhance your WordPress website, then Smash Balloon is a great option.
It’s also great for eCommerce Businesses. Showing Instagram feeds showcasing user-generated content featuring your products can be a powerful way to influence purchase decisions and build trust.
3. Thrive Ovation
Thrive Ovation is a tool that lets you collect testimonials from your customers and then display them on your website.
You can create a dedicated section on your website featuring quotes from satisfied customers raving about your products.
Thrive Ovation lets you customize how they look on your website. You can choose the layout, font styles, and colors to match your website’s overall design. This way, the testimonials blend in seamlessly and look professional.
While core functionality revolves around collecting and displaying testimonials, Thrive Ovation offers additional features for a comprehensive approach:
- Easy Collection Methods: Multiple methods to gather testimonials, including on-site forms, email capture, or manual import for existing reviews.
- Customization Options: Design attractive and visually appealing testimonial layouts to seamlessly integrate with your website’s aesthetic.
- Targeting Capabilities: (Depending on plan) Choose where to display testimonials for maximum impact, such as specific product pages, landing pages, or blog posts.
- Integration with Thrive Architect: (For Thrive Themes members) Seamless integration with the Thrive Architect drag-and-drop page builder for even more control over testimonial placement and design.
Is Thrive Ovation Right For You?
Thrive Ovation is a great fit for anyone on WordPress who wants to build trust and credibility with testimonials. This could be bakers with delicious cookies, consultants with happy clients, or bloggers with insightful content – anyone who can benefit from showcasing the positive experiences of their customers. However, keep in mind that Thrive Ovation is part of a larger suite of tools from Thrive Themes, so there’s no standalone option.
4. OptinMonster
OptinMonster isn’t your typical social proof notification tool for WordPress. It’s the best lead generation and conversion optimization platform that offers a variety of features, including social proof notifications, to help you capture leads and boost conversions on your website.
While TrustPulse focuses specifically on social proof popups, OptinMonster provides a wider toolbox. You can create a variety of opt-in forms, including notification bars, lightbox popups, slide-in forms, floating bars, and even gamified spin-to-win campaigns.
These campaigns can be used not only to display social proof notifications but also to capture email addresses, promote special offers, and encourage visitors to take specific actions on your website.
The thing about OptinMonster is that you have to create the campaign. You can use templates and the drag and drop builder to do that.
Then you can add targeting rules to control when, where, and to whom it appears.
You can also integrate the campaign with your email or CRM account. So all new leads are automatically added to your contact list.
Here’s where OptinMonster shines:
- Drag-and-Drop Builder: Create visually appealing opt-in forms without coding knowledge.
- Exit-Intent Technology: Capture leads as visitors are about to leave your website with targeted opt-in forms.
- Mobile-Responsive Design: Ensure your forms look great and function flawlessly on all devices.
- Target Specific Visitors: Trigger social proof notifications based on visitor behavior, location, or browsing history for a more personalized experience.
- A/B Test for Optimal Results: Run A/B tests to experiment with different social proof elements, layouts, and targeting options to identify the most effective approach for your audience.
- Seamless Integrations: OptinMonster integrates with popular email marketing platforms, CRMs, and eCommerce tools, streamlining your marketing efforts.
Is OptinMonster Right For You?
If you’re looking to supercharge your online sales and leads, OptinMonster is a great fit.
This is a powerful marketing tool that lets you create all sorts of campaigns including popup notifications, floating bars, and scroll boxes. You can even create abandoned cart reminders to recapture lost sales, and leverage product recommendations to boost order value.
For bloggers and content creators, OptinMonster allows you to create targeted opt-in forms featuring social proof elements like social share counts or positive comments from readers. This can significantly increase your signup rates.
5. Social Warfare
Social Warfare lets you add beautiful and functional social sharing buttons to your WordPress website. While Social Warfare doesn’t display traditional social proof notifications, it fosters social proof in a powerful way by encouraging content sharing.
The more shares your content receives, the more credible and valuable it appears to other visitors. Social Warfare helps spark this snowball effect. Imagine a well-written blog post with hundreds of shares – that builds trust and positions you as an authority in your niche.
This plugin creates sleek and customizable buttons that encourage visitors to share your content on their favorite social media platforms.
You get to choose from a range of pre-designed themes to match your website’s aesthetic or create a custom design with complete control over colors, fonts, and styles.
Decide where you want your social sharing buttons to appear. Popular options include above or below your content, floating to the side of the page, or even within your content itself.
Go beyond basic share buttons. Offer visitors options to share specific quotes or images from your content, maximizing their potential to engage on social media.
You get full control over how your headlines, content descriptions, hashtags, featured images, and more are posted across 20+ social sharing platforms.
By making it easy for visitors to share your content, Social Warfare helps you build trust and credibility with a wider audience.
Is Social Warfare Right For You?
If you’re looking to increase the reach of your blog posts and build social proof through sharing, Social Warfare offers the tools you need.
6. Shared Counts
Shared Counts takes a straightforward approach to social proof for your WordPress website. It’s a free and lightweight plugin designed to display the actual share counts from popular social media platforms directly on your website.
Similar to Social Warfare, it lets you show the number of times your content has been shared on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
The plugin automatically gets real-time share counts from various social media platforms, ensuring your displayed numbers are always accurate and up-to-date.
This feature can motivate readers to share your content by displaying the existing share counts. This social proof can encourage others to share as well. Or it could highlight the popularity of your articles and stories with real-time share counts, grabbing visitor attention and potentially increasing readership.
For eCommerce sites, you can showcase the popularity of your products by displaying social share counts next to product descriptions. This can build trust and encourage buying decisions.
The plugin integrates easily with most WordPress themes, ensuring a smooth and visually appealing display of social share counts.
Is Shared Counts Right For You?
If you’re looking for a user-friendly and straightforward way to showcase real social media share counts and leverage social proof on your WordPress website, then Shared Counts is a great option. It’s a perfect fit for those who prioritize simplicity and accurate data, without the need for complex features.
7. WPForms
WPForms is the best form builder that can make collecting testimonials and reviews a breeze.
Its intuitive drag-and-drop interface allows you to build custom forms without ever needing to touch a line of code.
No need to start from scratch! WPForms offers testimonial form templates within its library of over 1800+ options. This pre-built template provides a solid foundation for gathering the information you need from your customers.
Want to include a photo upload option? WPForms has a file upload feature where users can send their files along with the form.
You can even add a rating field, allowing customers to give your product or service a score, providing an extra layer of social proof.
With this plugin, you can also create surveys or polls to get feedback from your audience. The results can show how much people like your business or what you do well.
WPForms has a lot of potential if you think outside the box! Perhaps you run a cooking class and want to showcase student success stories. Use WPForms to capture photos of delicious creations alongside student testimonials, building trust and attracting potential new customers.
Is WPForms Right For You?
If you’re a beginner and want a user-friendly way to collect testimonials and reviews, WPForms is a great option. The drag-and-drop interface and pre-built testimonial template make it easy to get started.
8. SeedProd
SeedProd is the best website and page builder for WordPress. You can use it to create high-converting landing pages, integrate social proof elements, and ultimately boost website conversions.
So for instance, you can create a dedicated landing page specifically designed to capture leads or sales.
There are readymade sections and blocks. You’ll find plenty of options for social proof and testimonials. You can also link to your social media profiles on these pages.
By placing customer testimonials directly on your landing pages, you can build trust and encourage conversions.
Plus, SeedProd comes with conversion-optimization features like countdown timers to create a sense of urgency.
Is SeedProd Right For You?
SeedProd is best for those who want a comprehensive solution for building landing pages, integrating social proof elements, and optimizing conversions.
That’s it! The world of social proof notification tools can seem overwhelming at first glance. But with a clear understanding of your needs and the strengths of each option, you can make an informed decision.
Here’s a quick recap of the tools we’ve explored:
- TrustPulse: Best for showcasing recent activity notifications on your site to leverage FOMO (fear of missing out).
- OptinMonster: Go beyond basic notifications and leverage social proof through targeted campaigns.
- Smash Balloon: Showcasing social media feeds on your website to build social proof and increase engagement.
- Thrive Ovation: Best for those who prioritize building trust with testimonials collected directly from their website.
- Social Warfare: A user-friendly option for encouraging social sharing and building social proof indirectly through increased content visibility.
- Shared Counts: A lightweight plugin perfect for showcasing real social media share counts and building trust with your audience.
- WPForms: A fantastic option for collecting high-quality testimonials and reviews, as well as running surveys and polls.
- SeedProd: A comprehensive solution for building landing pages, integrating social proof elements, and optimizing conversions – ideal for those who want an all-in-one approach.
Remember, the best social proof tools are the ones that seamlessly integrates with your existing workflow and marketing strategy. Consider your budget, technical expertise, and desired features to make the perfect choice for your WordPress website.
If you haven’t installed a plugin before and need a walk through, see our guide on How to Install a WordPress Plugin (Beginner’s Guide).
Next, I’ll tackle some questions we frequently get asked at WP101.
FAQs on Social Proof Notification Tools for WordPress
What is social proof?
Social proof refers to the psychological phenomenon where people are more likely to trust or take action on something if they see others doing the same. In the context of your website, social proof notifications can be testimonials, reviews, social media share counts, or other elements that showcase positive customer experiences.
Why should I use a social proof notification tool?
Social proof notifications can be a powerful tool for building trust with website visitors. By showcasing positive experiences from other customers, you can:
- Increase conversions and boost sales
- Improve brand credibility and reputation
- Reduce customer perceived risk
- Motivate visitors to take action
Which is the best WordPress social proof plugin?
The best tool for you depends on your specific needs and budget. Here’s a quick breakdown to help you decide:
- Collecting testimonials: Thrive Ovation, WPForms
- Boosting sales, leads, and subscriptions: OptinMonster
- Encouraging social sharing: Social Warfare
- Displaying real social media share counts: Shared Counts
- Building landing pages with social proof: SeedProd
Is TrustPulse free?
TrustPulse starts at $5 per month with a 14-day money back guarantee.
Are there other social proof tools that are not mentioned here?
Yes, there are! At WP101, we suggest tools and plugins we can truly recommend. More tools include WPfomify, NotificationX, Provely, and Provesource.
Is there a real-time notification plugin for WooCommerce?
Try WooMotiv – a live sales notification plugin for Woocommerce.
Can I use social proof notifications without a plugin?
Yes, you can manually add testimonials, logos, and other social proof elements to your website code. However, using a social proof notification tool can save you time and effort, offering features like automatic updates, customization options, and easy display options.
How much do social proof notification tools cost?
Many social proof marketing tools offer free versions with limited features. Paid plans typically unlock additional features and customization options. Pricing varies depending on the tool and the plan you choose.
I’m not very tech-savvy. Are social proof notification tools easy to use?
Most social proof notification tools are designed to be user-friendly, even for beginners. Many offer drag-and-drop interfaces and clear instructions. Tools like Trustpulse also automate the process such as tracking user activity and creating the popup notifications for you.
If you’re still unsure, consider options with good customer support.
Do social proof notifications really work?
Yes, social proof notifications can be a highly effective way to build trust and boost conversions on your website. Numerous studies have shown the positive impact of social proof on consumer behavior.
I hope you found this guide helpful. You may also want to see our Ultimate Guide: 40+ Top WordPress Plugins You Need.