subject: 5 Ways To Tweak Your Linkedin Profile For Your Law Firm [print this page] LinkedIn is the most robust and valuable social media network for professionals. As an attorney, it is important to build your online presence in a network such as LinkedIn. There are over 43 million registered LinkedIn users and growing. That is a large enough pool of professionals and fellow attorneys that it can't be ignored.
Here are 5 suggestions for jump starting your LinkedIn presence:
1. Make A Good First Impression - Whether you like it or not, a good first impression is critical when networking professionally. Making a good first impression can be the difference between success and failure with you networking. Your headline and picture are your first impressions on LinkedIn. Utilize a professional picture on your profile. Your headline should be straightforward and represent your niche in the legal world. If you are looking for lawyers to add to your law firm, looking for employment at a firm, or looking for advice on a case, then put that in your headline.
2. Create A LinkedIn Url With Your Name - Make sure you help brand yourself by creating a custom LinkedIn url. Your LinkedIn url should appear as http://linkedin.com/YourName. If it doesn't then change it. This will help users find you on LinkedIn as well as in Google searches.
3. Integrate Keywords In LinkedIn Profile - By adding keywords for you legal niche throughout your LinkedIn profile, you will be more likely to come up for "people searches". This will help when employers, law firms, professionals, clients etc. search LinkedIn for a type of lawyer they are looking for.
4. Add Up To 3 Links On Your Profile - LinkedIn allows you to add 3 links to additional sites on your profile. Take advantage of this. Add links to your firm's website, other social media profiles, or even your own blog. You should customize the links so they say something meaningful such as My Law Firm's Website or My Twitter Profile.
5. Search For and Join Professional LinkedIn Groups - LinkedIn has a "groups" feature where you can join discussions with like-minded professionals. You can share news stories, discuss best practices, network, etc. It's a great way to utilize LinkedIn and grow your connections.
