I want to let you in on a little secret: Today, Black Friday, didn’t just happen, it was manufactured. People didn’t miraculously figure out that the best shopping deals of the year were today (there not, by the way). Black Friday was a fake.

Many moons ago, retailers figured out that the Friday after Thanksgiving represented a tremendous opportunity.  On this particular day, most people are off from work, they don’t have a religious restrictions, and since the spent the prior day with their family they want to get out of the house.

What retailers did was come up with a strategy to get us running to the stores.  How? Social proof.

This group of retailers hired actors to come to their stores on the first Black Friday and told them to just push on the doors trying to get in.  Then they called the news outlets.  The news channels broadcast it (it is kinda a slow news day). We sat at home and saw it, and felt the urge to do the same (that is the essence of social proof – we copy other people’s behavior).

I don’t suggest that you fake interest in your business (it feels awfully unethical to me), but I do suggest you show your prospects social proof.  Show prospects testimonials of others who have shopped with you.  Have the name of every person who has eaten at your restaurant posted in really tiny letters on a really massive wall.  Put videos of past customers on your website. Show your prospects what you want them to do, but showing others who have done what you want.

You don’t need to manufacture interest, just show the activity you are already getting prominently and others will copy the behavior and buy from you too.

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