Word-of-mouth has always been one of the most powerful – and valuable – forms of marketing, and the age of social media has clearly accelerated the pace and efficacy with which word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM) campaigns can spread.
Beyond simply liking or following a page, brands are constantly seeking ways to integrate social proof into their marketing efforts. With Facebook controlling much of what goes on in their closed network, Google clearly saw a valuable opportunity to weave social proof into their search results.
By adding social information to search, Google can not only make search more useful to its users, but also make more money out of this utility from advertisers.
Read full story at: http://www.tnooz.com/2012/12/14/news/the-social-foundation-how-social-proof-increases-clickthrough-on-all-search/
