One thing that you’ll learn pretty quickly about marketing is that people tend to follow what other people do. There is still a demographic that dares to be different, but the vast majority take much more comfort in doing and buying the things that many others have done (or bought) before them.

If you hear about XYZ product being the number one nationwide best seller, you feel a little more compelled to learn more about it or maybe even buy it. This is true of everything from books and movies to cell phones and high-definition televisions. As such, it’s important if you are achieving a certain level of success or popularity, you should let your audience and your potential customers know about it.

For instance, if you sell premium WordPress themes online, it pays to display a sales count of some of your most popular themes. You won’t want to display this number until it reaches something a little more substantial, however, as smaller numbers can have the exact opposite effect: deterring sales. You can do the same with your Twitter follower count, the number of RSS subscribers to your blog, and the like.

People follow other people. If you show them that many people before them have purchased your products or made use of your services, you are more likely to convince others to do the same.