There are two types of people searching on LinkedIn for an attorney in your practice area: people who already know your name and people who don’t.
Imagine one of the following seeks an attorney with your experience:
Conference organizer
Reporter from the business section of the local newspaper
Editor of an industry magazine read by clients
Podcast host
Potential lateral partner
2L student seeking summer associate role
Start-up founder
Recruiter for an in-house counsel position
Nonprofit executive with an empty board seat
How will they find you – and not another commercial real estate attorney in town?
Here’s a quick way you can improve your profile to increase the likelihood you will be the lawyer they find in a LinkedIn search.
Headline
The title of your current position is automatically placed in your profile’s headline. Perhaps yours states:
Attorney
Partner
Founder
Shareholder
If so, then there are several thousand like you in your state.
The words in your headline are the key to be found.
When was the last time anyone looked for a Partner? Never.
Let’s compare:
Attorney at Black, Brown and Green LLP
Intellectual property attorney for technology, hardware, software, data privacy, cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) companies, international and start-ups. Licensing, litigation, transactions, and M&A.
With its specific details, the second headline utilizes 211 of the 220 characters that LinkedIn allocates to that space.
Note that the headline clearly addresses the benefit to the reader. It draws power by avoiding legal jargon (like escrow) and employing straightforward words that would likely be used by someone who is not an attorney:
Licensing
Litigation
Transaction
Specific industries
There is no need to mention your law firm’s name; it is displayed to the right of your headline. Anyone who knows the name of your firm will likely look at the firm’s website.
Keep in mind that your headline is visible, with your photo, whenever you are active on LinkedIn. That means, anytime you:
Send an invitation to connect
Write a post about legal developments in a client’s industry
Post a comment on another person’s post
People will see your headline.
Remember that, in those instances, only the first 40-50 characters will be viewed. Therefore, front-load the most impactful words.
Now, return to the list of people who you wish to find you in their search on LinkedIn. Does your headline address their interests and needs? Revise it accordingly.
Photo
Now that someone has located your profile, 30% of the time they spend reviewing it is studying your photo.
When do people look at your photo?
Before they meet you, whether in person or virtually
When they follow up with you, after you’ve met, to remind them that you are the same person they spoke with
Your photo should be current, taken within the last three to five years.
If your hairstyle or hair color has changed, or a man’s facial hair is different from that in the picture, it’s time to take a new photo.
And if you are not proud of your photo, you definitely should arrange for a new one.
There are many other niches on your LinkedIn profile that merit your attention, such as:
About: use 2,600 characters to describe the issues you commonly address and list the types of clients you work with
Featured: a library shelf where you display articles, client alerts, links to podcast appearances, and more, all enhancing your background and client successes
Experience: list your current and previous positions, with a modest level of detail
Publications: whether in legal or business newsletters
Projects: conference presentations, panel discussions and podcast appearances
For step-by-step instructions on these and other profile components, you may request a 50+-page e-book, Three Steps for More Success on LinkedIn, here.
Finally, set a quarterly reminder to review your profile and update it with your latest activity.
Remember, it’s not only potential clients who seek an attorney with your experience and industry knowledge. If you want to be found by conference organizers, podcast hosts, reporters, and recruiters, among others, you must strengthen your LinkedIn profile to become more visible in a highly competitive market.
Janet Falk, Ph.D., is a Communications professional with more than 30 years of experience. As Chief Strategist at Falk Communications and Research (www.JanetLFalk.com), she advises attorneys at small law firms and with a solo practice on Media Relations and Marketing Communications to: attract new clients, remain top of mind with prior clients, keep in touch with referral sources, help recruit associates, generate a news story about litigation that puts pressure on opposing counsel, and achieve business goals.