Business Development Leveraging Growth Opportunities

How LinkedIn Can Be Your Most Effective Business Development Tool

Imagine a big networking event filled with your firm’s best clients. Some are mingling and greeting the attorneys and other clients, some are starting a conversation about the hot topics in their industry, and others are pulling your attorneys aside, looking for guidance and ideas. This fabulous networking event isn’t in a hotel ballroom — it’s LinkedIn. 

Deb Feder
Deb Feder

Chief Executive Officer
Feder Development, LLC

The synergy between LinkedIn’s platform and an attorney’s goal of sharing expertise that positions them to be the counsel and trusted adviser clients are looking for makes the platform an important tool to consider for a professional’s practice growth goals. Through meaningful interaction between platform users, content can support the reputation of attorneys and the law firm and further the reach of your expertise with clients (and prospects). LinkedIn can be highly effective and helpful for attorneys and legal staff looking to bring in new business, engage with current clients and share their expertise with a broader audience.

IT’S EFFICIENT 

According to data from the 13th Annual B2B Content Marketing survey conducted by the Content Marketing Institute, 21% of business-to-business content marketers found LinkedIn extremely effective (with other social media channels all below 9% in the same category). Even better, 93% found it at least somewhat effective. Given the focus on keeping business development and the creation of thought leadership effective and efficient, LinkedIn is a win-win for lawyers and firms.

  1. Creating posts is more accessible than writing long-form journal articles, scheduling and preparing a webinar, or traveling to a conference. While each of these other activities is worthwhile, LinkedIn content is more accessible through a busy day. 
  2. Content can be repurposed for other thought leadership opportunities (see the list above), allowing attorneys or legal marketers to share more information over time. In addition, testing the content on LinkedIn makes the webinars, panel discussions and keynotes more informed by the feedback and conversations driven from the short-form content.
  3. Embracing a culture that celebrates and recognizes each other’s accomplishments allows the accolades to not feel like a glossy announcement and instead showcase the collaborative nature of your entire team. Attorneys and firms can cross-share posts and updates, allowing for an even farther reach of the content and expertise. 
  4. LinkedIn is an excellent place to test content, given the strong presence of professionals, businesses and decision-makers. Using LinkedIn posts to ask appropriate questions and engage with a post allows firms and attorneys to understand the perspective of clients. 
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ENCOURAGE ENGAGEMENT 

Engaging on LinkedIn is important for lead generation and bringing additional clients, or more projects, into the firm’s pipeline. LinkedIn is 277% more effective in creating leads than Facebook or Twitter. Putting that in perspective, since LinkedIn is a platform where professionals engage with other professionals and seek to showcase their knowledge and business focus, the social media site is the perfect place to drive the next meaningful conversation for every level of your firm.

“LinkedIn can be highly effective and helpful for attorneys and legal staff looking to bring in new business, engage with current clients and share their expertise with a broader audience.” 

Creating meaningful content that generates new business can be simple. Here are a few ideas to support attorney engagement on LinkedIn: 

  1. Encourage attorneys to share their insight on client alerts and industry news. Going one step further than reposting the firm’s alerts allows clients to understand the attorney's expertise and get the more detailed update they need. 
  2. Attorneys should accept client connection requests and follow updates from their clients and organizations by selecting the proper notifications. This allows attorneys to offer congratulations when news happens and stay on top of clients’ updates and announcements. 
  3. Active engagement on the platform reminds clients of the attorneys’ knowledge and expertise, especially as it changes over time. It is also a great way to highlight the capabilities of firm colleagues, fostering the possibility of introductions and cross-selling between attorneys. LinkedIn is often a good reminder of the resources in a client’s network, and a simple way to remain top of mind for when they need to seek advice and counsel.
  4. Showcasing the whole firm’s approach to staying on top of news and industry alerts helps boost the professional presence of attorneys and the firm’s profile as experts in the field. Deciding to engage with legal updates and news allows your attorneys to be in the center of discussions as they unfold. 

One of the cornerstones to creating and growing a healthy book of business is showcasing the expertise and experience of your entire team. Using the organic post feature of LinkedIn is an efficient, effective and low-cost option for firms of any size to implement and see results. Encouraging attorneys to continue expanding their network, engaging with content and sharing their own makes LinkedIn an important tool in the firm’s business strategy. 

 

About the Author

Deb Feder, Chief Executive Officer of Feder Development, LLC, is a business growth coach and strategist focused on helping lawyers and leaders build outstanding careers. Prior to founding Feder Development, Feder practiced corporate law for 15 years. She is the author of After Hello: How to Build a Book of Business, One Conversation at a Time.