It’s time for your mid-morning coffee. You jump up from your desk and head to the elevator. You have a quick catch-up with a colleague on the way down — she doesn’t have time to join you but wishes you a happy weekend. In the foyer, you bump into a client. Two minutes of pleasantries and the suggestion of a potential future collaboration, and you’re out the door. The barista greets you with a smile — he already knows your order.
It all seems to happen so effortlessly. But actually – building those relationships took time.
What if you had small, easy habits that helped you to be front of mind with potential clients needing your legal expertise? It’s easier that you might think…
Post engaging content
If you want to have a conversation with someone, you’ve got to speak. Posting content on LinkedIn is your no-cost opportunity to get yourself in front of the people that matter and get them talking. But for that to happen, your content must be engaging.
Everyone likes getting something for free, so provide value in your content.
Share your take on emerging trends in the sector you service. Or create a daily habit of documenting the issues you have been dealing with or the frequently asked questions – then once a week create a piece of content that broadly discusses different approaches, angles and actions that clients could have taken.
Of course, this isn’t about free legal advice without context! It’s about generic advice that shows that you both have the expertise and care about your clients enough to give some knowledge away without expecting anything in return.
Comment on other people’s posts
Show people in your network that you are taking the time to read their content by commenting. They’ll feel noticed and rewarded, and you’ll shoot to the top of their mind, which is great for retaining clients, securing referral partners, or lifting your profile in your industry sector. It’s a win-win-win, with the added bonus that if you have a regular habit of commenting on other people’s content, when you do press publish yourself, LinkedIn will boost your content. i.e. LinkedIn knows that ‘givers get’ and the clever algorithm is coded to prioritise those who regularly comment on other people’s posts.
Here’s a quick tip when commenting: if you want to ensure you grab the author’s attention, tag them by typing @ and then, without adding a space, their name. Click on their photo when it appears; backspace if you want to remove their last name to look even friendlier.
Personalise connection invitations
If you want to add someone new to your LinkedIn network, let them know why. Click ‘Add Note’ to personalise your connection invitation. This reassures the receiver that your intentions are legitimate and that you’re not just spamming as many LinkedIn members as possible.
If you can make someone feel singled out in a positive way, they’re more likely to accept. Perhaps mention an event where you heard them speak, reference an article they were mentioned in, or simply mention in the invitation to connect how many connections you have in common.
Online and in person
With the right approach to technology, we can keep front of mind to all those many people who impact our professional success. LinkedIn doesn’t replace that all-important human-to-human contact. But it will save you time!
Karen Tisdell, LinkedIn profile writer and LinkedIn trainer (not affiliated with LinkedIn) will be facilitating our upcoming webinar Grow Credibility and Client Confidence with LinkedIn on October 17th
