Are you showing up? Would you do business with an individual who has NO photo on their Linkedin profile? Let us know or why not. This question was asked by a member of Inbound Marketers.
This has been a rule of mine when managing groups..some people really oppose in having a picture so they upload clip art or their art or an ad. Here’s what these people expressed their viewpoint about showing up on Linkedin.
Kevin – I’m less likely to do biz with someone who doesn’t post a photo. Rightly or wrongly, I think: What are you trying to hide?
Louise – Some people are very security conscious and would never post a photo. A photo is nice, but since I can post a photo of a model out of a magazine and claim it is me, what value does that photo have when judging my capabilities to do a job? I know it is hard to admit, but since we all “judge a book by it’s cover” and our photo is our cover, people will want to see a face, before making a decision to trust someone.
Doug – I would vote, no photo, no business. If you are not willing to stand and be counted, then how do I know you are not scammer or spammer, harvesting info. If you are willing to show that you are legit, then I would feel better about pursuing business with you. To me no pic, means you might as well be anonymous. Mark it would be unlikely that I would do business without a photo. If you do do business, it will soon be reviewed that the person is a fake and untrustworthy.
Darryl – It would be very unlikely that I would do business with anyone on Linkedin that doesn’t have a photo and verified profile. Keep in mind this is Linkedin & where business people & businesses connect.
Kari – Having a picture on your SocMed profiles is a great idea to make connections feel more personal and trustworthy. Pictures are assets. May want to consider advice from privacy and security pros when posting your picture (or one of a kid or that expensive new car) online. Some unscrupulous buggers even steal online pictures to use in creating false profiles or to extract location information embedded by some cameras. When selling ourselves as trustworthy business partners, it pays to consider your image as an asset.
Julie – People like to do business with people they can see. I read a report that showed that having not just a photo, but one where the reader can specifically see your eyes, is an important factor in building trust.
Lisa – I have been working online for 13 years and know that having a photo of yourself/logo is part of branding you and your company.I do not add others without a photo/logo for the simple fact that they appear to have something to hide.
Claire – No. There is no excuse for not having a photo. Would you meet someone in real life wearing a bag/cartoon mask over your head? Like it or not, the online world is no longer one where anonymous chat room culture prevails.
In my opinion, A picture is important. LinkedIn is a discussion oriented site. A posted Pictures become a part of your brand and the perception of “being real”. Neil – When no picture is present, if what was said interests me, I try to find the web page, blog and “see” who is behind the post. The picture probably does impact perception and receptivity so not having one can put folks off. I like to see a picture posted for all of those reasons.
Matthew – My first impression of a person on LinkedIn who doesn’t have a photo says to me that a) the person is paranoid of the internet or b) too lazy to do the bare minimum when setting up their account. Or a combination of the two. The internet is a global market place and if somebody isn’t willing to participate on that level, especially on a social/business networking site such as this, it suggests a lower level of confidence and engagement. There was the comment above regarding how we all do business/e-commerce on sites without photo ID, such as Amazon, Best Buy etc., but those e-commerce sites are NOT networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. It’s a completely different level of expected interaction.
Marta – LinkedIn is a networking tool, like a Chamber of Commerce Mixer, or a Seminar, or Tradeshow. As someone else pointed out, you wouldn’t go up and talk to someone with a mask on or a paper bag over their head. LinkedIn is all about B2B (business to business) relationships, not B2C which is aimed at consumers or business entities acting as consumers, (e.g. buying office supplies from online stores, buying books on amazon, etc…) A business would use Facebook for that type of networking/advertising, not LinkedIn.
Heather said she is here to represent her company, not herself. My opinion is that in this particular space, the two are intertwined and cannot be separated. A company presence that is faceless, nameless is a website or a yellow pages listing, not a person networking here. I admit, I use a beautiful scenery photo in Classmates, and may use other than my own photo in Facebook. But here, I want to show I am a real person with a trustworthy smile.
Jim – I think having your picture, together with a fully fleshed out profile is crucial to showing the world that one is serious about their business, has a bit of digital acumen, and is open to interaction. Having a generic grey silhouette is tantamount to wearing a mask in your store!
Mari-Lyn – There are over 100 comments..these are just a few. My take is that you are branding yourself, no photo tells me you are hiding, don’t get to know me because I am not worthy, and you really don’t want any business and don’t trust me.
If you are updating your profile and you don’t have a picture for a few days so be it. Overall, it’s easier now to get a photo uploaded.
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