LinkedIn is one of the best places for law firms to connect with other players in their space and introduce themselves to new, potential clients. With over 700 million members, there’s plenty of people waiting to come across a law firm such as your own. But with so many other firms out there, it could be difficult to formulate a plan and decide how you’ll reach that potential audience.
If you haven’t been creating content for LinkedIn, you’re already behind the curb. Content creation on LinkedIn increased 60% in 2020 and it’s only set to increase. Due to the tumultuous year that was 2020, (and no, we won’t say the C-word!) firms had to take to the internet to connect with all their professional contacts and reach out to target audiences. But before we can get to creating content and really using everything LinkedIn for law firms has to offer, we need to lay down the basics.
Make sure your profile reflects your firm
You likely created your firm’s LinkedIn profile ages ago, put in the sparsest details, and called it a day. No shame here – we’ve all done it. But if you’re going to be investing in LinkedIn for law firms, it’s time to give your profile a bit of polish.
When a potential lead lands on your profile, you want them to get a feel for your firm right away. That means being clear about your branding and visual identity. But, it also means being clear about your offerings and what your firm specialises in.
Make sure every photo is of the highest quality and is correctly sized for LinkedIn. Visuals make a big impact so it’s important to get them right! They’re a very easy win in terms of fostering trust and a sense of ease within your potential clients, too.
When it comes to being clear about your specialisation, your biography is a great place to start. Ensure it’s consistent with your firm’s messaging and the language used is in line with your tone of voice. Law firms often take an overly professional tone, but since this is a social networking site (albeit a networking site for professionals,) don’t be afraid to be a little more personal with your tone.
Maximise your headline
You’ve got 120 words to impress. That doesn’t sound like a lot, right? Well, most lawyers don’t even use all the characters available to them. They’ll call it a day by making their headline just ‘Partner’ or ‘Owner.’ That tells us next-to-nothing about your firm. Think about it – when you’re looking for an article to read, would you go for the one that just says ‘Footballer does a good thing’? No! You’d click on something with more information, like: ‘Marcus Rashford to receive MBE from Prince William for campaign to feed children.’
The same goes for LinkedIn for law firms. You’re in a sea of fellow ‘Owners’ and ‘Partners’. Take the chance to differentiate yourself with your headline. If you’re a property solicitor, your headline might be: ‘Commercial Property Solicitor in London | Partner at [Insert firm name here] | Expert in land disputes and freehold purchase.’ That paints a nice picture of who you are and what you specifically do. Much better than just ‘Partner’!
Don’t just be another number – customise!
You might have noticed that LinkedIn has helpfully created a web link for you. This happens when you start up a new account, but not to worry, you can easily customise it. You can edit the web link of your profile to your name or firm (or as close to your firm’s name as you can get it! It’s a first-come, first-serve kind of system.) While this is a totally free and easy-to-use feature, it really makes your profile look more professional and credible.
To get customising, click on your profile, and then click ‘edit profile.’ Still with us? Then click on the link under your profile picture and go into ‘settings.’ It’s that simple! It really gives your profile that ‘we know our stuff’ feel.
Find your voice and shout about it
Everyone has those few topics that they could ramble for hours and hours about. Because those topics are so near and dear to our hearts, we’ll all have a really unique and interesting take that other people likely haven’t heard before. That’s prime content for LinkedIn for law firms! You might think, would want to hear me go on about that? And to that, we say, out of 700 million people? At least a couple.
These ‘hot takes’ on legal news and events are what keep your profile as dynamic and shareable as possible. To really capitalise on these kinds of posts, be sure to always link them back to your offerings and services. You could even provide a link to your website or an appropriate blog post/landing page.
It always helps to have a distinctive tone of voice with these posts. Like we previously mentioned, don’t be afraid to be a little more personal with your tone. It can help you to stand out in the market when you’re not speaking in strict legal-ese.
Before you start posting, it can be helpful to figure out which topics you have a strong option about and what kind of tone you want to take.
Share and share-alike
The majority of people treat LinkedIn as a broadcasting platform. They forget the ‘social’ part of ‘social networking.’ You wouldn’t go to an in-person event and just start barraging people with your opinions without stopping and listening to their own. The same goes for LinkedIn for law firms. If you’re generous with your time, praise, comments, shares and advice, the more likely other people will be willing to share your own profile. Be a part of the community and the conversation, and you’re sure to see your shares soar.
To prep for community-building, be sure to expand your network of professionals and join groups that follow your specialisation.
If you’re a little too busy running a law firm to keep up with LinkedIn (understandable!), we’re here on hand to help. Contact us today for a free consultation to help launch some seriously notable networking!
