linkedin for lawyers_part 2

LinkedIn for Lawyers

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LinkedIn for Lawyers (tutorial)

Part 2: Time-saving Steps toUnderstanding, Building& Interacting withLinkedIn Connections

The Second Step inDeveloping Your LinkedInPresence & Strategy


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Introduction to the 4-part SeriesWhy This Content

We’ve created this content because we know that:

And that’s understandable.

The Typical First-timer’s Approach The Bandaid Approach

The reason most do-it-yourselfers fall short in taking advantage of powerful networking tools is because producing an Integrated Digital Marketing Presence (in this case, your profiles and profile maintenance) is an all-access show on the surface but, in fact, can be a specialized art under the hood.

Many people set up digital accounts incompletely and then – oftentimes – wonder why they bothered. Aside from being able to say, “Yes, I’m on XYZ Platform,” the real value of utilizing these marketing tools is primarily lost – or gains are so incremental that Digital Platforms are easily dismissed.

But the value of doing Social Media right is not lost to all ...

• the nuances of – and requirements for – developing digital networking can be overwhelming for those who have other business matters to attend to;

• the common denominator across new users is that people often lack the time and knowledge needed to figure out how best to proceed and, perhaps most importantly...

• most new users lack the “big picture concept” in making the most of social media outlets and their presence on them.


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Those Who Work Strategically

Those who take a strategic approach to inte-grated digital marketing and its components are outpacing their competition in ways the unbaptized can’t see. While digitizing your brand (well) even on one platform may seem overwhelming, a step-by-step, well reasoned approach makes all the difference in how these tools work for you.

Table of Contents

Series Introduction: Why the Contents of this E-book Series are Critical/Table of Contents

Welcome and Agenda

Part I: What are “Connections” and the “Degree System”?

Part II: With whom should I connect, and how?

Part III: Should I invite or accept a connection with anyone who asks?

Part IV: What privileges and responsibilities come with being connected to someone?

How to get the next book in the series | Contact us

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WelcomeWelcome to the second of four short e-books we’ve written to guide your steps in developing a productive LinkedIn presence.

For easy reference, our other step-by-step titles include:

• LinkedIn for Lawyers Tutorial (1): Understanding LinkedIn & Time-saving Steps to Effective Profile Building• LinkedIn for Lawyers Tutorial (3): Time-saving Steps to Making LinkedIn Groups Work for You (Advanced)• LinkedIn for Lawyers Tutorial (4): Time-saving Steps to Developing Thought Leadership (Advanced)

We suggest that you implement the actions within each e-book before moving on to the next one.

As well, we hope that you’ll find this e-book and the other three in the series to be helpful in developing a meaningful understanding of what LinkedIn is, how it can help you and how to set up your professional pro-file effectively and completely.

The Agenda

The goal is this e-book primer is to answer the following questions about LinkedIn:

1. What are “Connections” and the “Degree System”?2. With whom should I connect, and how?3. Should I invite or accept a connection with anyone who asks?4. What privileges and responsibilities come with being connected to someone?

Tutorial: Time-saving Steps to Understanding, Building and Interacting with LinkedIn ConnectionsThe Second Step in Developing Your LinkedInPresence & Strategy

LinkedIn for Lawyers (Part 2)

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Let’s Get Started with Book 2

What are “Connections” and what is the “Degree System”?Connections are just what they sound like: Those who will affiliate themselves with you and your pro-fessional work. When stated so starkly, the value of your affiliations comes into clear focus.

LinkedIn’s algorithm for displaying connections and their relationship to you plays off the “6 degrees of separation” theory - the one that states that in the human chain, every living being is connected by six or fewer links (hence, LinkedIn). The transparency of our connectedness is part of the real power of LinkedIn.

Degree of ConnectednessWith an acceptance from someone you’ve invited to “connect” with on LinkedIn, you’ve created a 1st-degree link between the two of you - a connection that others on LinkedIn can see. On your own LinkedIn account, you’ll also see a 1st-degree-connection icon next to your new connection’s name - both in search results and on that particular person’s profile page.

As you begin searching for new connections to add on LinkedIn, you may notice a 2nd-degree icon or a 3rd-degree icon next to the profiles of those you search. As you can guess, a 2nd-degree relationship status indicates those who are connected to your 1st-degree connections but not directly to you. Second-degree contacts are ripe to connect with when the time is right.

Third-degree connections are those who are connected to your 2nd-degree contacts. After you do a bit of exploring on LinkedIn, you may be surprised to find out just how closesly you are connected people you know of but have never directly met.

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With whom should I connect, and how? There are four types of connections beneficial to those in the legal profession.

Begin with colleagues or other attorneys and legal professionals you already know. It’s always good to keep in front of them because you never know when they may want to reach out for help or ask you for a recommendation based on your professional assessment of their skills.

Next, once you’ve introduced yourself and established a relationship with leaders or key people in your target market, invite them to connect. For an example, a real estate attorney would do well to connect with realtors and banking professionals in their target area; if you are a corporate lawyer, VPs of Legal Affairs at major corporations may be a part of the population you would ben-efit from networking with.

Next consider current or past clients. This group may provide potential future opportunities; maintaining connections is also a helpful way to nurture client loyalty.

Fourth stay in touch with past friends and classmates. They, too, might be - or might provide - great leads.

Beginning to Add ConnectionsLinkedIn can upload your contacts automatically, giving you a chance to review that list before inviting someone to connect. To begin the process, click “connections” on the home page; after being taken to that page, on the upper right-hand side of the page, you’ll see an image of a per-son with a plus sign next to it. Click the person+ and select “sync contacts from email.” LinkedIn will upload your address book instantaneously, and you’ll be able to see who is already on Linke-dIn from the list of potential contacts LinkedIn derives from your mail contact list.

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Note: Click CONNECTIONS - if you click the ADD CONNECTIONS button, you be be taken you to a similar (but not exact) interface.

When you select “Sync Contacts from Mail,”you will have the option to delete contacts you do not wish to invite to connect with.


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Advanced searching:

Once you’ve uploaded your contacts and decided which ones to reach out to, next use the “advanced search” option to search for additional people. If you find someone with whom you’d like to connect, first see if you share any mutual connections. If you go to the person’s public profile and look on the right-hand side of their profile page, LinkedIn provides a graphics that tells you through whom you’re connected. Ask your existing connection if he or she can make an introduction to the new person. Please remember that what you are now wanting to do is to build a relationship. Don’t sell at this stage.

InMailIf you would like to reach out to someone on LinkedIn via email, you can contact them through the LinkedIn In-Mail system. You already have email access to each of your connections, as noted above, but should you wish to InMail someone with whom you are not connected, you can agree to the LinkedIn free plan’s surcharge to send the email. The Premium LinkedIn plan typically allows you to send some number of out-of-network emails at no additional charge.

Company SearchIf you have a particular company that you are hoping to connect with or to land as a client, chances are that the company you want to search will have a LinkedIn corporate page; otherwise, LinkedIn also offers you the option to return profiles of people who work at that company. When you choose this latter option, LinkedIn will also show you your connection (1st, 2nd, 3rd or no connection) to the various employees at that firm.

Note the 3rd-degree CONNECTION at the top right of this profile.

Note: You can choose to send this person an InMail, should you wish. Currently, InMail to people with whom you are not connected is either free or surcharged, depending on whether you have a Premium or Free LinkedIn account.


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I.I.I.Should I accept a connection with or endorse anyone who asks?The answer to whether you should connect with anyone who sends a request or endorse someone for skills is sensitive but straightforward. While clearly you have no responsibility for the professional conduct of your connections, those who would like to connect to you, or those who ask you to endorse them, it would be naive to say that there exists no potential for judgment. Obviously, this is especially pertinent when you are endorsing someone else’s skills by vouching for their compe-tence. The bottom line is simple: Use your judgment.

What privileges and responsibilities come with be-ing connected to someone?

Endorsements

One of LinkedIn’s greatest features is its Endorsement function. Obtaining for yourself and giving endorsements to others is a privilege and a responsibilty.

These endorsements, which are viewable on your profile page, are part of the reason that LinkedIn has such credibilty. Use your judgment, endorsing those

whose skills you are familiar with and can vouch for.

Maintaining a Polite, Professional Demeanor

In the next E-book, you’ll learn about LinkedIn’s GROUP features and how to

particpate outside your immediate cir-cle by being an asset to those around you. For the time being, remember to maintain a non-spammy professional demeanor on LinkedIn. It’s fine to be

social - and even encouraged - but consider LinkedIn a platform where

what you have to contribute and how you present yourself is the bottom line.

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Additional If you want to get started with expanding your network in a signficant way, we recommend reading our e-book titled LinkedIn for Lawyers Tutorial (3): Time-saving Steps to Making LinkedIn Groups Work for You (Advanced).

Our closing note: We recommend thoughtfully building your LinkedIn presence instead of jumping in “unschooled.” It is important to resist the temptation to pitch yourself through posts and solicitous comments until you feel grounded in the etiquette of LinkedIn. Once you do start becoming active, it’s best to begin providing thoughtful contributions to conversations started by more established users; the more helpful you are to others, the more valuable your pres-ence will be perceived (conversely, the more pitchy your digital voice is, the more people will tune you out).

LinkedIn is a key part of a successful inbound marketing strategy for attorneys and other professional service providers that aims at attracting highly qualified leads. Inbound’s client-centered information delivery system em-ploys the most advanced marketing and metrics-based tools available. If you would like to learn more, please con-tact us to set up a consultation with an Inbound Marketing Consultant.

O’RyanCordes is an Inbound, Social Media and Integrated Marketing Agency for the professional services sector.

linkedin for lawyers_part 2

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