Amp up your LinkedIn Profile with these 10 Tips for Lawyers
The new year is approaching fast and amidst the last-minute holiday shopping, you can be thinking of your professional goals for 2018. One of the best networking sources available is LinkedIn. Unlike other social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn is geared towards professionals, which makes it ideal for lawyers. It connects you with people that you may know through your course of business or other connections. Utilizing everything that LinkedIn has to offer can be extremely beneficial to your 2018 professional goals. Here are 10 tips for taking your LinkedIn profile to the next level:
- Grow your connections. Send personal invitations to people you may know and tell them how you know them. Conventions and conferences are a great way to network and then connect via LinkedIn. You may be surprised at how many people know each other within your circles. Connections on LinkedIn are also great referral sources. Seek out attorneys that work in other fields than you practice and refer out cases outside of your field.
- Use the Profile Strength Meter. LinkedIn provides a number of tools to help you understand how it works and get started. The Profile Strength Meter will tell you where to add more content and will provide an All-Star profile rating once the meter is full. Your search results discoverability will increase the fuller your profile is. On that note: your profile should be up-to-date, professional and free of spelling errors. Make sure to proofread anything that you write on LinkedIn and never publish an article without personally reviewing it.
- Schedule posts frequently. Along with making sure that your profile is up-to-date, you should also get into the habit of publishing regularly. Use LinkedIn Publisher or an outside managing service like Hootsuite to publish content to LinkedIn and all of your social media accounts. The more you post, the more visible your profile will be.
- Make sure you have a separate Firm Page. If you haven’t already created a separate page for your law firm. Post to that profile page with relevant articles or updates about your firm. Link to your firm’s blog and any social media accounts as well as your website.
- Be aware of ethics opinions. As with all platforms, you should be aware of any ethics opinions issued by your state. Steer clear of any potential conflicts of interest. Be very careful of listing yourself as an expert or specialist and make sure that others are not endorsing you in a field of law that you do not practice or listing you as a specialist when you have not been certified as a specialist. Pay special attention to state bar rules concerning advertising and marketing and how they apply to social media platforms.
- Toot your own horn. Don’t be shy about showcasing what makes you special. Add Skills to your profile, list certifications under “additional education,” add any special projects that you may have completed. Make sure to use your summary section to the fullest. This is the time to share what makes you unique, what makes you someone that a client would want to hire.
- Get and Give. Send requests for recommendations. Get them from a variety of sources and make sure that they are people that would truly recommend you. Never post fake recommendations and make sure that the people you solicit for a recommendation know specifics about you. While you are collecting recommendations, make sure to dish some out. Be honest and detailed when giving recommendations and endorse other attorneys or field experts where appropriate.
- Customize. Add media to your profile. Consumers are drawn to images and videos. There is no reason that your LinkedIn profile should be left out of this trend. Make sure you personalize your LinkedIn URL and all other areas of your profile. Where you can customize, do it. Use a call to action with your firm website links. Make people want to visit your blog. Utilize all of the features that LinkedIn has to offer. Somewhat new to all of the profile perks? Use LinkedIn’s Help feature to read through guides and information on how to get started.
- Know your target audience. Design your profile to appeal to potential clients. Showcase your experience according to what a prospective client might be looking for. Know that LinkedIn is a great referral source, feature skills on your profile accordingly. Be sure that your profile is professional with a photo that is a good representation of you.
- Pay attention to your professional headline. Avoid seeming unprofessional with a cheesy headline. Make sure it is clear and concise. Think about who is reading your profile and what you want them to know about you. It is your introduction to potential connections that don’t know you and are trying to learn more about you.
LinkedIn Novice? Unsure of where to start? Amicus Media Group can help. Connect with owner Bill Tilley today to learn more about the importance of your LinkedIn profile and how to expand your social media platforms. LinkedIn can help you grow your law firm practice, get the help you need today by contacting us today at (888) 700-1088.