Are you using your Recommendations to their best advantage?

LinkedIn Just added a new feature. You can now add your recommendations to the Featured Section. I went ahead and gave it a try. Mehh. No.

LinkedIn is constantly adding things that don't make a lot of sense. This is one of those.

I have been experimenting with new styles of testimonials this year. It's been fun, and I want to share some of the results with you.

What do you do with those great testimonials/recommendations after you get them?

Potential clients would rather hear that someone had great results with you and what their situation was vs. you telling them anything.

I know that many people struggle with this. Sharing recommendations feels self-promotional, and braggadocious somehow.

My clients have had excellent results with sharing them on LinkedIn.

Here are a couple of examples -

Tana Hutchinson

Joanne Black

And here is one of mine

So, what are some of the best practices for sharing Recommendations?

1. Use photos of real people, stock or the actual person giving the recommendation. For Joanne's and mine, the photo is the actual person and we asked their permission first. The photos make the situation more real, and it's easier to create an emotional connection. For Tana, I use stock photos. There are some great ones out there these days.

2. You don't have to feature the entire recommendation. In fact, it's more effective to pull out a key snippet. What is the most important point from a potential client's point of view?

3. Use some of your personal branding and keep it consistent with the rest of your posting by using color, accents, and your logo... Keep the look and feel of your brand intact.

4. If you are using stock photos, make sure you are using photos that look like your target audience. Help them see themselves in the position of the happy client.

5. Set the stage well. What was the situation? Why did this client come to you? What was the result after receiving your expertise?

6. Add a call to action. A calendar link or the link to your website. A case study or white paper. A question - Are you looking for similar results? What is your biggest challenge right now? Get people thinking.

So, You can take a pass on LinkedIn's newest feature.

But, I do recommend thinking about how to leverage all the wonderful things past clients have said about you.

There is tremendous credibility in the success stories of your clients. Include this in your strategy for hitting the ground running in 2025!

Until next time... 

Angela

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