Does Your Law Firm Need a LinkedIn Group?

Do you wish you could get new clients just from your LinkedIn presence? Most professionals today have a LinkedIn account in order to keep connected with colleagues, recruit new employees, or even use advertising on the platform. However, a largely untapped opportunity is LinkedIn Groups for law firms.

In this year’s Social Law Firm Index, we discovered that law firms with active groups had higher levels of engagement. Firms like McDermott Will & Emery LLP even have multiple groups. It may seem overwhelming to create and manage a thriving LinkedIn Group that actually generates clients, so here we discuss best practices and tips for your success.  

Create a Group with Purpose

If you already participate in other companies’ or individuals’ LinkedIn Groups you might be able to see that some are more active than others. Before you even press the “Create Group” button, it’s essential to decide on a niche topic ( a practice area or even specific legislation could be your topic) and then develop your ideal target audience. Check out Good2bSocial’s Legal Marketing 2.0 LInkedIn Group for lawyers and legal marketers.

Ask yourself: what types of information and conversations will your target audience find valuable?

Establish Yourself as a Thought Leader

Share relevant blog posts, videos, and podcasts from both your law firm’s website and other reputable sources. When you create a group on LinkedIn, you are the leader. In order to spark engagement with members, ask questions, answer questions, and start conversations that will resonate with your audience.

It’s important to avoid self promotion of your law firm. Instead, you should focus on positioning yourself as an expert in your field. Be helpful and provide client-centric content – this is always the best practice for social media.

TIP: Sharing links from your firm’s website will drive site traffic, in turn generating leads.

Grow and Manage Members

In some ways, LinkedIn is today’s word of mouth. The more active members you have in your group, the more likely a connection will recommend your firm. Group managers are able to send invites, so use your existing LinkedIn connections to reach out to potential group members that you feel fit your niche audience.

Other good places to seek new members are LinkedIn Groups you’re already an active participant in. If you’re a member of other groups that share a similar target audience that you’re trying to reach, try politely mentioning your new group there.

Once you’ve promoted and grown your group members, you need to manage them in order ensure your LinkedIn Group continues to thrive. Monitor conversations consistently and be aware of any disrespectful, off-topic, or spam activity within your group. As your law firm will be associated with the group, you want to keep it as professional as possible.

TIP: As a manager you can utilize your group member list to send weekly emails and announcements to encourage activity.

Summary

LinkedIn groups for law firms or solo lawyers can help establish thought leadership, attract potential clients, and ultimately create a thriving social community centered around a topic that your firm specializes in. It may be difficult to grow your membership at first and some, but when successful, LinkedIn Groups are a free way to build connections and generate leads.