The Marketing Mentress: LI Tip #99 - Three Keys That Will Give Your LinkedIn Profile Huge Credibility.

What kind of an impression is your profile leaving with your potential clients?

All too often when I view a profile on LinkedIn, I can see right away that they have failed to build the kind of credibility they need for business.

They may have a professionally done headshot and a great headline, but does the rest of their profile match?

Here are some key things that will build trust with your potential clients that most people forget entirely.

1. Have you added video, pictures and power point to your summary and your experience?

Is your entire profile devoid of all colour that can be conveyed through pictures and video?

People are visual by nature, and when they see colourful pictures and videos or power

points, they want to see what you did.

So download some pictographic items to your profile.

2. Have you written a recommendation for anyone lately?

Personally, I like to be pro-active with this one. I write a glowing recommendation for someone and send it to them through the InMail platform on LinkedIn. Here's what I say: "Hi So and So, I have written this recommendation for you, but for you to accept it, you need to send me a request for a recommendation. Then I can copy and paste this into the specific area and send it off to you. That way, you can then easily add it to your Recommendations on LinkedIn. Best, Christine"

The written recommendations are huge on LinkedIn!!! I cannot stress enough how important these are to your credibility.

When people see these wonderful things that other people have written about you, they are much more likely to ask you for more information about what you do.

3. Have you endorsed anyone today?

Endorsements have been put down by many people, but when others view your profile and see that there have been 99+ endorsements on your skills, that's huge! It gives you credibility you would never have had without the skills endorsements.

I used to think that this was devalued by so many people who would connect with me, and then immediately endorse me for skills. These were people I had not done business with as yet and we had only just met on LinkedIn. So, how could they endorse me for anything without knowing me?

Then I was invited to a big LinkedIn conference in Vancouver. I thought that it would be great to meet other LinkedIn experts and pick some brains, so to speak. However, I discovered that there were not many people there that I knew.

The big shock came at the end of the presentation. Suddenly there on the big screens either side of the stage was my headshot! Yes, my headshot from LinkedIn! The announcer on stage asked me to come up and receive a special award for having the most endorsements of anyone in BC!

I about fell off my chair! I could not believe my ears!

That day changed my attitude about endorsements on LinkedIn. I always accept endorsements no matter who they are from. The only caveat for me is that when I endorse others, I need to know them and their business enough to feel like I can honestly endorse them because either I have used their services, or know people who have been pleased with their services.

These three areas are very often overlooked, and yet they offer huge credibility if you will just plump up your profile by adding all three.

Got any LinkedIn questions? Send them my way and I will write a blog about your answer.

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress