If you want to be seen as an expert in your space, LinkedIn is an important tool. One of the best ways to use this tool is to create proprietary thought leadership. Since LinkedIn is still the only business-first social platform, your personal profile will thrive when you highlight your expertise and brand. By creating thought leadership, you can build an entire social page out of your business. Here’s what lawyers need to know about establishing LinkedIn thought leadership for law firms.
1. Choose Who Should be the Face of Your Firm on LinkedIn
Often thought leadership for law firms works best when it’s centered around real people. The obvious answer is that whoever begins to optimize their profile for thought leadership is more likely to become the voice of your firm on the platform. People who create regular content are more likely to establish their own brand as well as strengthen the brand of their firm. They’ll be the front line of engagement for your firm. Larger firms are likely to have more than one person in this role. The important factors for becoming a thought leader are:
- Being an expert in the field (note: this doesn’t mean being an expert in content creation – that can be figured out).
- A willingness to put themselves out there as a firm ambassador
- Comfortable on camera for purposes of photos, videos, etc.
2. Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile to Build Thought Leadership
Real thought leadership starts with your personal profile. As you set up your personal profile(s) and company page, make sure to demonstrate your authority in the subject matter your firm covers. The idea is that when someone visits your lawyers’ LinkedIn profiles or company pages, they know immediately what you do, who you help, and how. Focus on the value you provide. Begin with a strong headline that’s optimized with keywords and carry the themes and keywords into your description, featured links, published articles, activity, and content. Additionally, the mobile app has a few features that you should take advantage of. For example, there’s a name pronunciation tool that lets you share how you pronounce your name. Also, in LinkedIn creator mode on your mobile device, you can create a 20-second cover story video that will display when people hover over your profile.
For company pages, include a thorough description of your firm optimized with keywords and make next steps clear with a CTA and contact information. For both profiles and pages, you should have a branded profile picture and header. Consider providing a header with your firm’s branding for your lawyers.
3. Understand Content Ideas for Thought Leadership for Law Firms
Just like in any social channel, you need to understand what works for capturing attention. You need to develop a content strategy that not only positions you as an expert but humanizes your firm brand. Remember that you need to be willing to offer your personal perspectives along with more subjective news, updates, and trends. LinkedIn recently increased its character limit to allow more flexibility in content. Look for ways to offer compelling, thought-provoking content to your audience. It’s important to diversify your content and try different types, but there are three types that tend to work well both in the LinkedIn algorithm and with audiences.
- Polls – Post short multiple-choice quizzes that invite people to vote on a particular topic. This is a great way to curate information from your audience and create engagement or networking opportunities.
- Carousels – These posts are more like document-sharing features than image-based. Carousel posts allow you to upload and share a PDF file that you’ve created (on Canva, for example). These are great for sharing items like eBooks or guides.
- Videos – Video has become a powerful tool across all digital platforms. People prefer to consume content in this format and it allows you to connect with your audience and build trust and authority.
- Newsletters– This is a type of LinkedIn article that gets posted on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. This is an opportunity to continuously educate and connect with your audience.
4. Prove Authority and Credibility
As you position your firm and its lawyers as thought leaders, it’s important that you prove credibility and authority. You can do this by using real life examples in your content that showcases your lawyers’ years of experience and expertise. You should also point to your credibility and expertise in your profile and company page bios.
5. Remain Educational
The vast majority of the content you and your lawyers post should be educational in nature. Focus on breaking down complex legal topics and answering your audience’s most pressing questions. Remember your audience’s pain points and work to mitigate them with your content.
Takeaway:
Thought leadership for law firms is crucial to being seen as an expert and having people turn to you and your firm to solve their problems. Remember that people are looking for authentic and genuine perspectives, along with real value. For example, creating imperfect videos can be just as effective as highly produced and polished ones. The important thing is starting from a strategy that is based on audience insights and your firm’s unique value propositions. If you need help creating an impactful content strategy, ask our experts for assistance. We help firms to produce content that their audience wants to read.
