Social Proof, do we need to bother?
TONY K SILVER
LINKEDIN PROFILER, EDUCATOR|SPEAKER. Are you frustrated & confused with LinkedIn? Is it not really working for you with a feed that annoys? With 16 years of helping people achieve their LinkedIn goals, I can help you to.
A question I do get asked when talking about LinkedIn recommendations with people. It seems that many are not sure, in fact in the 15 years and over 100,000 profiles I have looked at the average number people have is between 3 and 5 and they on average 2 to 3 years out of date!!
Now I have not checked everyone’s website but I am fairly sure that a lot of these people have testimonials and case studies on their websites, I often hear people speak about them.
Well, why are they there? Well of course it is social proof from satisfied clients which they want people to see so it may influence people to engage.
Social proof comes in lots of forms and is in front of us every day. For instance, you have a good friend and are having a chat when they tell you about this fab new Indian restaurant opened in a nearby location, great food, great service and superb food. Well, if you like Indian food, I can assure you that you are now considering if you yourself would like to visit this establishment because your friend has given it social proof.
Powerful, eh? How about when you are looking to make a purchase do you check the reviews, I know I do on most things, even those under a tenner to those that cost a lot more. When something you are checking up on has a stream of great reviews and a 5-star rating, this then goes onto your shortlist, you feel more confident that if you choose this then you would be making a good decision.
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Do you ever use your network when looking for a product and service? Again, I do and will look for opinions that will help me make a decision.
Adverts in all their various forms will often use some statistics like “8 out of 10 pet owners” etc to give some social proof and will also have people, some well-known, talk about how their product works and has helped them etc.
So yes, social proof does work so why do people not use it on their LinkedIn profiles? It gives you social proof that you do in fact deliver, so, wouldn’t you? With LinkedIn being a massive database people are doing comparisons so why would you risk coming out poorly by having very few and them being out of date?
With having looked at all those profiles, I can tell you that getting into double figures and having your last 2 recommendations current will put you in the top 10% of those that I have looked at, so it does not take much to get there and maintaining the current ones is just a case of asking regularly. For instance, I ask for 8 a month because I know that will get me the 2 current ones that are displayed. I also know I can control myself by asking for edits and not showing those that just don’t cut it.
An additional tip is to drop one in your about section, these can be really powerful
So, guess what? My call to action is to go ask and get those 2 nice fresh recommendations then keep doing it
International Pricing Speaker | Keynote Speaker | Portfolio Marketing Director #pricing #pricingstrategy #pricingoptimization
3 年I know this is something I don't do often enough, so great advice. It's one of the many 'to do' things that don't get done!
Business strategist and founder of Collaboration Global, bringing good people together to create positive impacts on our world. Collaboration is my passion, our route to a better future for all.
3 年Great advice TONY K SILVER it is definitely something lower down on my To Do list, which probably says more about my reluctance to ask than anything else. Thank you for the nudge ??
CEO - Cotswold Fayre & Flourish, Author "Forces for Good" & "The Fourth Bottom Line", Key Note Speaker & Podcaster
3 年You may well be right TONY but I have never looked at what people say about others on LinkedIn if, say, I am after someone with their skills. Inevitably what is there is sometimes lacking in authenticity - better to pick up the phone to one of their clients and get the real picture, isn't it?
Energising Resilience and Change Keynote and Event Speaker – Giving you the skills and confidence to become more resourceful and resilient in times of high speed change to improve performance and mental wellbeing
3 年Social proof is essential and especially on LinkedIn TONY K SILVER. the recommendations on LI have great credibility too because only the author can edit them. Unlike a testimonial on a website where they can be edited by the person they're about. Thank you for the reminder about putting a recommendation on your about page. I used to do that and stopped doing it for some reason.
Getting busy people fixing tough problems... Blending process improvement with behavioural science to unlock exceptional performance.
3 年A great reminder, and asking for recommendations is a habit I'm keen to develop. Those of us in business know the difference they can make, but I as a lot of my audience and clients are permanently employed (and maybe don't realise their true value), requests often aren't acted on.