An Effective Way To Build Credibility & Trust On LinkedIn

Did you know that over 1 billion names are searched in Google every day? This means like it or not, chances are, you have been Googled by a client, past employer or even a first date.

Have you Googled your name lately to see what results show up? What others find about you online and the conclusion they draw from that information will naturally lead them to what we call: “The Moment of Truth”. The moment where they decide whether or not they are going to:

• Buy your product or service
• Attend a meeting you have requested
• Connect with you on LinkedIn
• Attend your seminar/webinar or meeting

Etc... Latest statistics show that out of the 1 billion searches, close to 94% of them don’t look past the first page. And because LinkedIn ranks higher than all other profiles including other social networks and website builders; chances are people will look at your LinkedIn profile first before moving to any other site. Now whilst there are many different strategies you can implement within your profile to develop trust and rapport with your target market, none are quite as powerful as receiving:

“TARGETED RECOMMENDATIONS”

What you say about yourself in the business community usually holds very little weight compared to what others say about you. Today, close to 90% of all purchases are made based on the reviews and recommendation customers read online.

A recommendation on LinkedIn is very similar to reviews especially if your service or product is geared towards B2B consumers. And unfortunately, this is where most businesses fall short.

They either have little or no recommendations listed within their profile or the recommendations they do have listed are not targeted towards solving the challenges and objectives their core target market are facing. To avoid this trap here are our top 4 tips on how to build a profile that conveys trust and credibility by using the power of recommendations:

Specific

Look at the top 3 objections or challenges your clients face and ask your existing/current clients to write a recommendation on how you have managed to solve those particular issues for them. Within your recommendation, in a few points, list the areas you would like covered.

Personalized

When requesting a recommendation, ensure your request is personalized. There is nothing worse than receiving a recommendation request where the name, heading, and copy are very general. You need to make each person feel special.

Follow Up

Out of the 101 recommendations we now have, we can honestly say that close to 40% of them we would not have received if we didn’t follow up on the original request. In this fast paced world we live in, it’s quite easy for your contacts to get distracted or busy. So make it a priority to follow up on your original request.

Research

Put some time aside and research 15-20 of your competitors on LinkedIn to discover the average amount of recommendations each competitor has on their profile. Then make it your goal to have at least 20-30% more recommendations than what they have.

Don’t worry too much if you only have a few or even no recommendations currently for this position, this is a work in progress.

When people search for you, recommendations are usually an area they look into and if they see you have more recommendations than your competitors, this is going to further build your credibility in their eyes. Oh, and one final tip, stay away from contra deals where people promise to write you a recommendation in exchange for one from you.

This is not only unauthentic but could potentially damage your long term brand when people look and see the number of recommendations you have given out compared to those who you have received.

Thank you for being part of our community; your support fuels our passion. Until next time, stay inspired and stay connected!