Lost about LinkedIn? Here Are 7 Tips for Legal Professionals
March 21st, 2017 by
LinkedIn was used by 467 million users in 2016. A simple search in LinkedIn showed 384,071 lawyers. Not only are these numbers worth giving LinkedIn some notice, but the B2B and B2C client acquisitions are increasing at rates over 100% each year as well. There is no longer a reason to put off establishing yourself and your law firm on LinkedIn. If you are lost on where to start, here are seven simple tips to improve your LinkedIn presence.
1. Know the Laws and Ethical Guidelines for Your Area
This is the legal profession after all, so there are very particular rules to follow when marketing yourself. Depending on the state in which you practice, the words “specialist” and “expert” may be against ethical guidelines. The New York City Bar came out with a formal opinion on the matter in late 2015, which applied general advertising rules to social media explicitly. Though this is a great platform to reach out to colleagues and clients, make sure to follow the guidelines.
2. Create Your Profile
If you have already done this step, you are already ahead of the game. If not, signing up for a free profile is the easiest way to start. This will open the wide world of LinkedIn to you. You can also associate yourself with a firm profile. If your firm does not already have a profile, you can check to see if it meets LinkedIn requirements for company profiles and follow the steps to get one created yourself.
3. Optimize Your Profile
Once you have created your profile, there are some things that you should add to your personal profile to help you stand out. These include:
- A professional photo
- A headline
- Title and description of your legal experience
- Skills sections
- Interest section
- Education section
- Volunteer experience & causes
These sections have varying character counts, ranging from 100 to 1000 characters. All of these sections need to be unique and targeted to give clients a good view of the kind of attorney you are. However, these sections, especially skills, can lead to ethical issues so make sure to follow guidelines.
4. Make Connections on LinkedIn
After making and optimizing your profile, it’s time to make connections. These can easily be drawn from your already existing email connections through some simple downloading steps. This will automatically give you instant connections to people that you already interact with, both colleagues and clients. Adding yourself to your firm’s page will also allow other attorneys at your firm to find you easily.
Continually adding more connections from outside of LinkedIn and through LinkedIn will build a network to interact with, share information with, and get new clients from.
5. Join LinkedIn Groups
Groups on LinkedIn are a great place to find pertinent information to share with your colleagues and clients. You should join your local Bar Association page, your former law school, and other ABA organizations that apply to your practice areas. Those can just be a jumping off point for what groups you should join. The possibilities are endless.
6. Engage with Other Users
Engaging with users on LinkedIn can be done in a large variety of ways. Just made a new connection? Message them and remind them how you know each other. See an excellent article? Comment on it. Know a fellow attorney you have seen in action? Verify one of their skills. Not only will this build the strength of your connection but it will also get others to interact with you. 50% of LinkedIn members said they are more likely to buy from a business they interact with on the site.
Another good way to keep up to date is, if you have a smartphone, download the LinkedIn app to keep up to date without your computer.
7. Post Content
This is the last tip on the list, but it just might be the biggest. LinkedIn is a professional network that connects professionals with each other. This is a perfect place to share industry specific news. If you already run a blog, make sure to share the content on your profile. Found an article that pertains to your practice area? Share it on your page with your take on the information. Have some information to share about a case? Share that on your page. The more content you post with your unique voice, the more you build your authority on LinkedIn on the topic. However, make sure to include proper disclaimers with any content you share that could be construed as legal advice.
Great content on LinkedIn can grow your connections with those within the industry and those that need the help of attorneys. By following these tips and making your presence known on LinkedIn, you can increase your impact online and offline. For more strategic advice about LinkedIn, contact an expert from our team.
