LinkedIn is a powerful way to build your reputation within your area of practice, establish your image as a thought leader in the legal industry, and connect with potential clients. When people need legal help, they don’t just choose the first law firm that pops up. They research their options, and a professional LinkedIn profile that highlights your expertise can boost your credibility. As you build out your LinkedIn profile, make sure you include these four elements.
1. An Eye-Catching Headshot
This is essential if you want visitors to see you as a professional and savvy attorney. An out-of-date headshot, low-resolution image, or image with the photographer’s watermark will make you look out of touch and behind the times. Going with the default gray box and generic outline is even worse, indicating to visitors that you don’t care enough about your profile to put up a photo.
If you don’t have an impactful headshot, this is a great time to consult with a headshot photographer. You’ll want to choose a photo that showcases your professionalism but also shows hints of your personality and what makes you unique. Consider using one with a white background for greater contrast and visibility. LinkedIn has indicated that profiles with photos are 14 times more likely to be viewed than those without a photo.
2. A Powerful Headline
Your headline is your chance to give a sneak peek at who you are, who you help, and where you’re located. Today’s Internet browsers have extremely short attention spans. Including unnecessary information or excessive descriptors is more likely to make a visitor scroll away or click back than it is to encourage them to reach out to you. The ideal headline will make visitors who read it feel like they know who you are and what you bring to the table as a legal professional. When it comes to your headline, pay close attention to what you do for a living, who you help and serve through your law practice, as well as the location of your practice as the headline is important searchable real estate for your LinkedIn profile.
3. Background Image That’s in Line with Your Brand
Your profile is an excellent place to extend your branding efforts. Your background image should fit with the imagery and mood you try to set with your logo, website, and all other marketing components. To start, make sure the photo you use is aesthetically pleasing. One that is too small will look pixelated when blown up as a background image, while one that is too busy or cluttered might deter users from learning more about you.
You may want to use one that nods to your work in the legal industry, makes visitors think about the results you provide your clients, or showcases your work environment. Remember that people generally seek out an attorney because of a unique pain point they have. A high-quality background image that includes your law firm’s name, practice area information, and contact information is a must-have.
4. Your LinkedIn Summary Statement
The Summary Statement is the meat of your profile and the amount of time you spend on it should reflect that. Use this space to house first person text that shares what about you makes you an obvious choice over competitors. You can rest on the information that you share with clients during an initial consultation about your law firm’s results or background that makes you different or better from other firms.
When you are drafting your summary statement, keep in mind that even though this section will have a lot of information doesn’t mean it should be wordy. Remember that many visitors are skimmers, and they won’t read long paragraphs. Break up your content with short paragraphs, bulleted lists, and headings that highlight your main points.
Utilize relevant keywords in your content. Make it easy for people searching for your services to come across your LinkedIn profile. This also means using city and county names to draw in local visitors.
With a strong LinkedIn profile, you have the foundation for an effective business development platform for your law practice. Continue to build on it with well-researched and share-worthy content to make the most of your LinkedIn presence.
