How to Use LinkedIn, No. 2 US Social Network, to Market Your Firm
Can you use LinkedIn to market you and your law firm? Absolutely.
LinkedIn, which is an online network geared towards professionals and businesses, has surpassed Myspace to become the number two social networking site in the United States behind Facebook.
LinkedIn had around 33.9 million unique visitors in the month of June alone, reports CNN. And, with the use of "company pages," a LinkedIn feature, businesses - including law firms - can help shape their professional image. And, below are some helpful tips that can help you get started on LinkedIn.
Why should you care? LinkedIn can be a useful tool to attract clients who may want to "check up" on your firm by analyzing whether or not your firm is reputable via its company page. It can also be useful when you're looking to hire new attorneys, as many professionals are using LinkedIn now to expand their professional contacts.
Set up your company page. The first step to utilizing LinkedIn is to set up your company page, which includes assigning someone as an "administrator." Company pages are like an individual user's profile, similar to a Facebook page. The difference is that with LinkedIn, companies can post up job openings. LinkedIn also allows companies to track analytics of their company webpage, which is hidden to public viewers of the company page.
Decide what content to put up on your company page. LinkedIn company pages let viewers have the option to "follow" the business, which means the viewer will be able to "subscribe" to the business. Law firms can utilize this function to set up Twitter feeds and RSS feeds that will update the subscribers with news about the firm. Firms can create unique content to put on their LinkedIn page, which can then keep clients and potential employees updated.
Using LinkedIn for law firm marketing and recruiting can be useful - especially now that the networking site has garnered a huge audience.
Related Resources:
- New LinkedIn Company Pages: A Step-by-Step Guide for Content Marketers (CMI)
- LinkedIn Hits 100 Million Users: New Clients May Await You (FindLaw's Technologist)
- Lawyers Advise Clients Not to Get Too Chummy with Employees on LinkedIn (FindLaw's Strategist)