Thoughts on LinkedIn

Social networking is all the rage! Sure I dabble in twitter and Facebook. But I need results, not just ether in the atmosphere. I don't by into the mantra that you have to be actively riding every marketing vehicle out there (I learned that expensive lesson with Yellow Pages advertising). After all, I still need time to practice line in between all my visits to the plethora of social networking sites that are running rampant.

I like LinkedIn. I use it as a research tool (learning about parties in my cases, etc.) I network on it. I have actually landed a client via my LinkedIn profile. It does not immediately knock you over as a new business powerhouse, but I think it is productive and fun.

Here are some thoughts from Joshua Fruchter, Esq.

Came across a case study on MarketingSherpa that offered some useful tips on using LinkedIn for lead generation. While the case study was based on the experience of a marketer at a software company, several of the insights would be applicable to lawyers seeking to use LinkedIn to develop more business. How do you engage in the LinkedIn process?

In a nutshell:

1. Join groups related to your area of expertise (e.g., private equity group for a private equity lawyer), but focus on groups with a highly engaged audience, rather than simply the largest audience. This means looking for groups where the discussions elicit multiple comments from members, rather than just one or two (or none). You can perform this research by reading through recent group discussion posts of groups you have joined both to assess group members’ interest areas, and how much activity new posts tend to generate.

2. Freely share white papers and other resources with your group, but not in a "salesy" manner. For example, in the case study, when promoting a new white paper, the marketer would write a message to the group announcing the new title, sharing a link, and asking group members to provide feedback on the white paper itself.

3. Monitor ongoing conversations to find opportunities to comment on other people’s topics. You may include a link to marketing collateral when appropriate, but often consider just sharing an opinion or giving feedback on other group members’ comments.

4. When providing links to materials on LinkedIn consider creating custom landing pages that specifically address the LinkedIn audience for a more seamless transition.

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Please be sure to visit www.hardinglaw.com, the website for the law firm of Harding & Associates, for more information on California family law.