Are You Making this Huge Linkedin Mistake?

Woo hoo! Congratulations! You’ve got a profile on Linkedin!

But wait, something’s missing…

Would you believe that some professionals don’t put their picture on their Linkedin profile? Yep, it’s sad but true. Someone goes to the trouble of creating a Linkedin account, enters their professional information and then stops short. No profile picture. (And too often, nothing but job titles in the career section – a serious waste of marketing real estate, but we’ll tackle that in another post.)

Why is not having a profile picture such a big deal? Let’s start with a practical reason. Close your eyes and imagine:

You and I just met at, say, a conference. Based on our conversation, you know that my life would be so much more fulfilling if I used your company’s services.  Post conference, you’re back in your office, going through the stack of business cards you collected and you’re dutifully firing off Linkedin connection invitations, because you want to keep in touch. I receive your Linkedin request and don’t recognize your name. I can’t remember where we’ve met. I click through to see your profile, hoping that your face will jog my memory.  Nada. Silhouette city. I decide to ignore the invite until I can recall who you are. I get busy.

Seeing your face is vital to spark a new relationship. And if you want to grow your network and the relationship, it’s a must. As human beings, we are visual creatures. Seeing a person’s face forms the foundation for working together by building what’s known as the “know, like and trust factor.”

Before someone is willing to buy your products or pay for your services, they have to feel that they know you, that they’d enjoy doing business with you (like) and that you wouldn’t steer them wrong (trust).  Seeing you – physically or virtually – is an important building block for all three points of the KLT factor.

A real connection starts with a face. Your face.