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I went to a Jazz game a couple nights ago with a good friend. We had some great seats on the fifth row (I was within spitting distance of Kevin Garnett.), and the Jazz won 106-91!

One thing that caught my attention that had nothing to do with the game was the way Albertsons used social proof as a marketing tool. During one of the time outs the announcer told the audience that some prize was to be given to one individual who had their Albertsons card with them (By the way, Albertsons could do a lot better with their search marketing.

I couldn't find a single page describing their card on Google, let alone the actual official name of the card.) The audience was told to hold out their card so that someone could be chosen. Of course they delayed actually choosing someone for almost a minute as hundreds of fans frantically waved around thier Albertsons card hoping they would be chosen, while non-card holders couldn't help but noticed how many people already had a card and wondered how they missed the boat. It was kind of like Albertsons was saying "Look all these people that use our card and shop at our stores. You should get a card and shop at Albertsons too so you can be cool like everyone else."

Social proof can be a powerful marketing tool. If you can get your customers to vouch for your product (or at least make it look like they are) and find a way to advertise it to your potential customers your job as a marketer becomes a lot easier. People don't want to feel left out and often look to others when making decisions they are unsure of. By being aware of social proof and taking actions to leverage it you can be there when people are looking around to others when trying make a purchase decision.

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Chris Sandberg is an independent internet marketer from who blogs regularly about search marketing and internet business.