LinkedIn Touts 200M Members: Time for Solo Attorneys to Join Too
LinkedIn now boasts more than 200 million members worldwide. So if you're a solo or small firm attorney and you aren't on LinkedIn, you are giving up business.
It's not just that the networking site could potentially be useful for some attorneys. The free service is a business booster for any small firm or solo practitioner in terms of both client acquisition and connecting with colleagues.
Not all social media services are necessarily good for your practice. But LinkedIn seems especially well-suited for the needs of a solo attorney.
Unlike Facebook or Twitter, LinkedIn is strictly professional. The most important piece of any profile, after the user's name, is their industry and place of employment.
When people visit the site, they go there with business in mind. That means potential clients are looking seriously for a professional service rather than just stumbling across your profile online.
Another big part of LinkedIn is the recommendations feature. When attracting clients, one of the big selling points is whether other clients liked working with you.
That information may be on your law firm's website already. But if they find you via other Internet sources, it may be missing. On LinkedIn you have the opportunity to request and receive recommendations from other users. Both clients and colleagues can review your services, which provides free and objective advertising for your firm.
LinkedIn isn't just for connecting with people you know. The site also allows users to view profiles of their second- or third-degree connections. That provides a built-in way to get your name out to the friends of your clients. Those second- and third-degree connections can find you independently and may be more likely to hire you than if you didn't have any connection at all.
LinkedIn is free, so there's no excuse for not signing up. No time for that? One of our Social Media Solutions packages can help. When it comes to solo attorney marketing, this is one option you can't afford to ignore.
Follow FindLaw on LinkedIn and on Google+.
Related Resources:
- Three Ways Attorneys Can Get More Out of LinkedIn (FindLaw's Strategist)
- How to Use LinkedIn, No. 2 US Social Network, to Market Your Firm (FindLaw's Strategist)
- Legal Technology (FindLaw)