Welcome to the first newsletter of 2023! For those of you who have recently subscribed, welcome to The Link Tank; my newsletter always focuses on the practical – real implementable strategies to increase your LinkedIn ROI, sometimes focusing on the what but always focusing on the how!
The economic and psychological consequences of COVID in 2020 persisted far into 2022 and now we’re adding the possibility of a recession. As word of firm layoffs enters our newsfeeds, anxiety levels rise. However, it is mitigatable.
It is positive that several of the world’s leading legal firms use LinkedIn marketing as part of their brand-building and engagement strategy but where should you start?
Let’s look at a plan that reflects the changes you may be experiencing and how to assist expand your practice’s revenue. Here’s how to not only survive but thrive …
Annual analytical review
You’ll want to evaluate your measurements for the whole year, not just a few terrible weeks or one exceptional month. What worked in 2020? What was successful in prior years but unsuccessful in 2022? Keep in mind that analytics are a long-game strategy, not a fast fix while reviewing and evaluating historical data to predict the future.
Consider the seasonality of your practice area when establishing objectives for 2023: prospects, conversions, retained clients, and marketing KPIs including social media, website traffic, and profile interaction.
Your company’s SEO plan
SEO takes time. Do not be disheartened if your Google ranking and web presence have not yet achieved their full potential. You can utilise LinkedIn SEO techniques to make it simpler than ever for your pages to be discovered.
eg.
Customise your LinkedIn URL –
Step 1: Go to the top of your LinkedIn homepage and click on the “Me” icon. From there, you should see a drop-down menu. Choose “View profile.”
Step 2: Head to the top-right side of the page and click the button that says “Edit public profile & URL.” You will find that this option opens up a new tab in your browser.
Step 3: Under the “Edit URL” tab, click the small pencil icon next to your current URL. Doing so will mean that you can edit the link to make it shorter and snappier and above all include key words regarding your role / services
Analyse present advertising plan
Are you A/B testing your Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads? You will need to observe how users interact with your website in order to choose which pages to test. A/B testing is an excellent method for doing this, since it may give insight into your average client’s thoughts, what connects with them, and their problem areas.
You can analyse the efficacy of your PPC campaign and identify any weak places in your emails, landing pages, or website after doing an audit.
Caveat, LinkedIn ads are notoriously expensive and you will need deep pockets for relatively low conversions. In my personal opinion, most companies / members here do not need them to gain traction, viability and business generation (my clients don’t!))
Evaluating the market
Digital marketing has risen in popularity, particularly in the aftermath of the pandemic, but now that we’ve returned to the office and workers are reorienting to weather the storm of layoffs, many marketers are emphasising the distinctiveness of in-person events and direct mail.
We continue to observe a priority on the health and happiness of lawyers and associates. As organisations grow increasingly concerned with their employees’ mental health and how it impacts their performance, this is advantageous for both clients and attorneys. Importantly, healthy and happy attorneys are far more likely to deliver superior work, resulting in pleased clients.
Put your strongest face forward
Here are the four components of your profile that provide the greatest return on investment. Review these and revise as necessary to increase interest in your company’s services.
Experience & Practice Areas
Potential customers want to choose a lawyer who has a specialised, in-depth understanding of their situation. This increases their trust in hiring you.
Make certain to: Target three to five practice areas for your profile.
If you want to attract more potential clients and compel them to reach out to you, draft your headline to speak to your target audience and optimise it for LinkedIn’s search engine.
People are probably not searching ‘Managing Partner’ when they are looking for legal services. Phrases like this have little impact and take up valuable space on your headline. LinkedIn gives you 220 characters and spaces so use them wisely!
Eg. ‘Private Client Lawyer specialising in Tax, Wills and Estate Planning at ____, _____ & _____.
‘Supporting Landlords in Commercial Litigations to Achieve Successful Outcomes’
As soon as you edit and optimise your headline, it will be indexed in LinkedIn’s search engine, available to those who search by those keywords.
TOP TIP: Remember when you comment on a post, the first 40 characters show up so it is crucial that the first part of your headline piques people’s interest to click “see more”.
In 2023, it is evermore important to add hashtags to your profile under your headline eg. #tax #litigation #internationalarbitration #lawyer as people can use the “talks about” filter when searching for legal services
Networking
This is crucial for both referrals and reaching potential clients.
Set yourself a goal to connect with 5 potential referees and 5 potential client EVERY DAY.
You will see your network grow consistently with quality connections.
Contrary to what most people think, networking for lawyers is not just about accumulating contacts by adding new business cards to your Roladex of professional contacts. It is the skilful art of building connections with other like-minded professionals in the industry, akin to planting flowers for gradually creating a landscaped garden 🏡
(DM me if you’re a lawyer who is short of time (are there any who are not?!) and I can provide some effective solutions.)
Client Reviews
Clients-to-be rely on favourable testimonials from those in similar circumstances as themselves. Get those LinkedIn recommendations on your profile quick smart this year!
Refresh your highlighted reviews frequently to demonstrate that your practice is prospering and to remain current. Ask for feedback as part of the closing process with every client (and don’t be afraid to ask many times – it’s not always top of people’s priority list!). be courteous and state how much you appreciate(d) working with them on their case.
Politely request a recommendation that outlines your best skills. You should only mention skills which you used when you and your connection worked together.
If you get along with your connection really well, and you’re pretty much certain they’d happily give you a recommendation, you could offer to draft the recommendation for them 😉
Pricing
Second only to ‘Review stars’, ‘Free consultations’ is one of the most frequently used criteria in search results! Yes, lawyers and free can sometimes go hand in hand!
Include your hourly pricing, especially if it is a sliding scale, and emphasise whether or not you give free consultations or an introductory rate. People appreciate transparency.
Legal Matters & Results
Clients-to-be are interested in the results of situations comparable to their own, as well as proof of what success means to you.
Highlight what success looks like in the About section of your profile. Choose highlighted testimonials that assist tell the tale of the great results you’ve achieved for former clients and add important victories to the Projects Section:
According to a survey by Avvo , 27% of clients began their search for a lawyer/solicitor using online reviews and the vast majority of them eventually hired a lawyer via the internet.
Growing your law firm is a multi-step, long-term process. No strategy offers immediate results but if you don’t start, you can’t make enjoy positive results! Start sharing the results of your labour immediately by employing tried-and-true, cost-effective ways to engage audiences and cultivate lasting connections with those in need of your assistance.
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I hope that you found these LinkedIn tips and strategies useful. If so, do click on the 🔔 on my profile to be notified of my new posts and follow #Trevisan to see LinkedIn strategy tips in your feed that amplify your presence here.
⏩ If you are looking for a bespoke “done-for-you” LinkedIn marketing strategy for 2023, schedule an initial phone consultation here
⏩ For 1-2-1 and group LinkedIn training options, please learn more here
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