When was the last time you checked your profile or updated it? If you are anything like me and many other professionals, keeping their LinkedIn up-to-date keeps sticking at the bottom of your to-do list. So, I schedule a review January each year if I have not had any reason to review during the previous year.
Also, as I collaborate with clients on this topic in connection with their business strategy (and it is covered in my book: Business Skills: Don’t be daft I am a lawyer’), I thought it might be useful to share some basic and advance tips for evaluating if your profile is fit for purpose.
It is worth reminding ourselves that one of the first things people do nowadays, when thinking about instructing a solicitor or any other professional, is to look them up on the Internet. Your LinkedIn profile may be one of the first results to come up. Therefore, it is important to keep it up to date.
I focus on two key areas in this blog. This will enable you to start 2024 with an attention grabbling profile for your potential clients and contacts to find you. Grab a coffee and in 10 minutes you can complete the basics – if you have more time then I have given you further tips in the Advanced sections.
1. Check the basics are correct
The Trap
When updating your profile headline and with your new role or organisation, it is a common mistake to forget to update all the relevant details on the rest of your profile.
Starting Point – Minimum
Become familiar with the instructions to change your profile set out in the profile section. There you will see some very clear steps on how to make amendments. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes as these can easily be corrected.
Have you started the year with a new promotion or experienced a career move during the last year? When updating your profile headline and with your new role or organisation, update your career list with this info and as importantly your contact details with links to your new email, telephone number, office and website where appropriate.
Don’t forget to spell check your profile information, as nothing creates a more unprofessional impression quicker than a glaring spelling mistake. The little details can make a huge difference to a LinkedIn profile, or in fact on any online profile you present to potential clients. These are also the easiest to correct when spotted.
Advanced – if you have more time
You can decide who you update – public or network in the visibility section in your profile. (Also, in the data privacy section you can decide who can contact you.)
As well as the normal information required you could add further details as this makes your profile look complete and comprehensive, such as:
• Honours and awards you have received
• Testimonials – try to keep these up-to-date as possible
• Volunteering work or any work placements if you are a student.
• Courses you have completed and the benefits for your clients
or if a student, topics you have covered, learnt and enjoyed
• Projects undertaken
• Additional languages you speak
• Memberships to any organisations you hold
• Listing your skills in the skills section
2. Make your job title more descriptive
The Trap
Just listing your profession or title such as a Solicitor, Director, Partner or Associate is a missed opportunity. A descriptive job title does two things in particular:
• It helps potential clients to find you.
• It gives those clients, and anyone else who finds you, a much clearer idea of how you could help them.
Starting Point – Minimum
At an absolute minimum, you should include your position, your expertise, and the name of your firm (where appropriate).
For example:
• Business and Commercial Property Solicitor at…..
• Legal Director of the Corporate Recovery Team at ….
• Solicitor and Head of Family, Childcare and Divorce at…..
For students, it is recommended that you list the year of your study – first- or third-year student at your university.
If your firm is in the Top 100 – why not say so? If you or your organisation has won awards, mention them in your job title – somewhere they are bound to be noticed.
For example:
• Partner, Catastrophic injury and biker lawyer at …… Shortlisted Law Society Solicitor of the year. 100% compensation available
• Managing Director & Employment Solicitor at ….Shortlisted for Law Society Excellence Awards ‘Personality of the Year’
N.B., I have seen some titles written in capital letters, bear in mind this can be interpreted as shouting so best to not use these.
Advanced – if you have more time
a) Make it about your clients
When working with my clients on their general or marketing strategy we examine what is different about your approach or is there something which you really should or want to ‘shout’ about. This will enable you to differentiate your specialism from another. See below for examples.
Short Linked-In real life examples:
• Commercially driven Employment Solicitor and HR Consultant at …..
• Expert Commercial Property Solicitor offering bespoke property solutions
Long Linked-In real life examples:
• Working with law firms, accountants and legal sector suppliers do better marketing and win more business* 20+ years’ experience in professional services* Chartered marketer and Fellow of CIM* A positive influencer.
• Employment Law Solicitor/Advising and Training Progressive Leaders to Best Protect & Support High Performing Teams/We CAN realise Potential + Boost Performance. Author, Campaigner and Founder of Thrive Law
• Award Winning Property Solicitor, Conveyancing Expert, Law Society Author, Lecturer and Trainer in Residential Conveyancing, Old Woman
N.B. In writing this blog I realised that my strapline was incomplete (oops!) which I have now corrected. Your linked-in profile is always a work in progress – hence reviewing it from time to time.
b) Spell out the benefits of your service
A common trap for lawyers is to assume that people know what benefits their services bring. Even if a well-informed potential client knows what your area of law entails, it helps to relate it to their everyday situations or needs. See below.
Your LinkedIn profile offers a good opportunity to explain your services. True, your profile is about you as a professional, but really the key message you want to convey is what you do for your clients and how this benefits them. So, where possible, your title and relevant parts of your summary should explain how your work solves problems, not just describe your role.
Examples of how this can be worked into your job title include:
• Specialist Employment Solicitor, protecting companies from Unnecessary Legal Action, Costs & Lost Business
• Solicitor specialising in Commercial and Business Law, helping regional companies to grow, prosper and re-organise
• Author: Business Skills? Don’t be daft I am a Lawyer! Motivational Trainer and Coach, enabling lawyers to master their business skills to serve their clients more profitably.
Whilst it does not appeal to me, if you have a premium account, you can add a ‘book appointment button’. This button takes your clients and prospects straight to a calendar which shows your availability to have a chat.
Also, premium account members are offered the help of AI to do this 😀
Next Steps
Is this something you think will be difficult to implement? Well my 2-hour workshop for you and your team, is about positioning you (and your team) as Trusted Advisers in your speciality and creating a strategic plant for leverage the most out of this platform.
For those who want a dazzling profile, which can facilitate the creation of strong business relationships, then I can offer a dedicated business coaching session focused on your own LinkedIn profile.
Contact me today to use the business social media platform to create growth for you and your firm – my telephone number is 07921540039.