Do You Really Look as Good as You Should on LinkedIn?

By Wayne Breitbarth, Andersen Alumnus and CEO-Power Formula LLC (Author of “The Power Formula for LinkedIn Success: Kick-Start Your Business, Brand and Job Search’)

I'm pretty sure that sometime in the last week or so you checked the ratings of a specific product and/or researched what others said about something you wanted to

purchase. What others are saying is called social proof.

Whether it's a hamburger, a computer, or even a new accountant, we are all looking for information (including social proof) to help us make our decisions.

Here's how Hubspot defines social proof:

Social proof, also referred to as "informational social influence," is the concept that people will conform to the actions of others under the assumption that those actions are reflective of the correct behavior. In other words, it's the mentality that, if other people are doing it, and I trust those people, that's validation that I should also be doing it. This third-party validation can be a very powerful motivator for your site visitors' and prospects' actions.

How's Your Social Proof

Is your social proof helping or hurting you or is it simply absent on most of your online addresses (website, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)? Do you have a 4.7/5.0 rating like your favorite restaurant on Yelp or Trip Advisor?

Even though it might not be quite as easy for you as an individual to accumulate a rating, there are specific things you can do to improve your social proof on LinkedIn.

I'm not just referring to the obvious LinkedIn sections—Recommendations and Skills and the Endorsements that attach to them. These are very important places to show social proof, but there are some other great ways to share positive ratings and reviews about you and your company.

Easy Ways to Share Your Social Proof

These LinkedIn profile sections and activities can help you highlight and share your social proof:

Add Media. There are lots of ways to use this add-on to your Featured, Job Experience or Educational sections. You can share video testimonials, traditional written customer recommendations, case studies, and success stories.

Projects. This is a good spot to include case studies or success stories, and you can link to web pages that include more details. You can also identify other LinkedIn members who were involved in a project and include a link to their LinkedIn profiles.

Individual or company status updates. Periodically share links in your status updates to case studies, success stories, and articles that highlight your capabilities.

Articles. You can display a long-form article, including an embedded video. This is perfect for highlighting customer testimonials and case studies. These will permanently show up near the top of your profile.

Honors & Awards. If you've got them, flaunt them.

Current Job Experience section. Extract a short quote from a recommendation and highlight awards you've received.

Publications. Link to articles on your website or other sources that display your experience or awards and honors.

Certifications. These are great social proof because others (certifying organizations) are saying you met a certain level of proficiency.

So why not get busy and take advantage of these opportunities. It just may get you to that 4.7/5.0 score—or, better yet, how about a phone call or email from that sought-after prospect.

If you want me to check out the social proof on your profile as part of my full profile critique and also help you develop strategies to skyrocket your business and career, then take advantage of my special one-hour $197 LinkedIn consultation. This consultation will take place on the phone, and I'll share my desktop screen with you. I will email your marked-up profile to you prior to our session. Click here to book your session.

Here are a few comments from my recent clients:

"Great job offer received via LinkedIn only two days after consulting with Wayne!"

"I highly recommend Wayne's 1:1 Linked In coaching session. Per Wayne's guidance, I reached out to the SVP of Client Success for a company I saw a suitable role. I used language Wayne provided in our 1:1 session to initiate the contact...Since then I've had an initial interview and interacted with the SVP multiple times."

"He made the learning experience fun, interesting, and was a big help to me. It has increased my exposure almost two-fold in a couple weeks."

SPECIAL OFFER FOR ALUMNI

If you'd like me to demo these LinkedIn features as part of a specially priced $197 one-on-one LinkedIn consultation, you can book your session here. I will share my computer screen with you during the call and send you a marked-up copy of your profile prior to the call.

Whether you’re using LinkedIn to find your next high-impact customer, raise your organization’s profile, or land the job of your dreams, this session is for you.

There are limited spots available, so don't delay. Book your session today by clicking here.