Linkedin Recommendations
I believe that next to your Linkedin Profile (your personal brand see my earlier post Branding and Linkedin Continued…) is the second most important element in your Linkedin page is your Recommendations. Before we dig into the details on the how to do Recommendations, let me share with you why I feel so strongly about their power.
Personal Experience
Last Christmas, my wife asked for a new winter coat. This is dangerous business for any husband. You need to get the style, the color and size right—otherwise the present goes back. I went on line and found a coat I thought fit all the requirements. I asked my 13 year old daughter, Laura, for her opinion. She thought it was a very nice coat. Then, she read the comments section from women who had already purchased the coat.
She said, “Dad, you don’t want to buy this coat. Read about all the trouble women are having with this coat.” I read the comments and she was right. I left the website and found a different coat. (My wife loved it!)
Websites
When I work with small business owners creating their websites, I have them put a testimonial on every page of their site. My logic is that for most internet buyers, the business is a stranger to them. They expect the business to say good things about their products. Before they buy, they want to hear what other people like themselves have experienced with the product.
Small Business Owner and Believability
Many small business owners think their “smallness” gives them an edge with customers. It’s true. When all things are equal, most customers would rather buy from a small business and have a personal transaction. However, customers do wonder whether the small business can deliver on the promises they make. They know that larger, brand name businesses are more impersonal. They also know large businesses have been proven in the market place. Their products have been purchased by many people and if they were not working, people would not buy them. Small business must overcome a believability issue.
Social Networking
Dave Evans in his wonderful book, Social Media Marketing, One Hour a Day, says the real power of social media programs comes with the consideration phase of the buying process. He says there are three steps in the buying process: awareness, consideration and the purchase. Social media programs allow consumers to share their experiences with products. These experiences carry a larger weight than traditional media when people are considering a particular purchase.
He shares his own experience of trying to decide between a PC and a MAC computer. He asked for people’s advice on his social media program. Many people shared their experiences with both types of computers. Their information helped him decide which computer to purchase.
Linkedin Bonuses
Recommendations within Linkedin reflect this changing landscape of business credibility. Here are three Linkedin bonuses that come with Recommendations.
1. Statistics show that after the Profile, Recommendations are the most read section on a Linkedin page. People want to know what others are saying about you. If your page does not have Recommendations, they wonder, “What’s wrong with this person?”
2. When you give a Recommendation to another person in Linkedin, your Recommendation is noted on the right side of your Linkedin page. It is also found on the page of the person receiving the Recommendation. Both of these items give you more visibility and an additional touch point for the search engines.
3. Each time you receive a Recommendation or give a Recommendation, an alert is sent to all of your connections. This gives you added exposure with your connections.
Conclusion
People buying from strangers on the internet; the small business extra burden for creating believability; the power of social networking and social media to influence the consideration phase of the buying process are just some of the reasons the landscape of credibility has changed for small business owners. This makes the Recommendation step of your Linkedin page all the more important.
To be continued, your comments are welcomed…
Al Hanzal
