As the holidays approach,
Hellerman Baretz Communications wanted to provide the LMA Capital Chapter with a special gift. So, we figured we'd give our fellow legal marketers some quick tips from the country's leading social media trainer (and HBC's new Director of Social Media Training), Viveka von Rosen, on optimizing your LinkedIn profile. You can bring these tips back to your firm or use them for yourself, but we hope you find them to be valuable.
1. Treat your LinkedIn profile like a website
Make sure it is formatted, clean, and free of spelling and grammatical errors. I strongly suggest creating your LinkedIn profile first in a Word document-not only so you can catch errors, but also so you can get a better idea of what your profile will look like on the LinkedIn website.
2. Know your keywords
Like any website, LinkedIn's internal search engines weigh your keywords heavily in searches. Make sure you place your most important search or keywords strategically throughout your profile. Some places you might want to consider are your:
- Professional Headline;
- Title Fields;
- Specialties;
- Interests;
- Recommendations; and
- Education (Activities and Societies).
3. Don't ignore the "post an update" function
LinkedIn's update function is much more robust than it used to be. People can now "like" and "comment" on your updates, which helps to build relationships within LinkedIn. And with the introduction of LinkedIn Signal, the update section can now be a functional part of your SME (Subject Matter Expertise) and content strategy. Make sure you take a little time each day to "like" and "comment" on the updates of your network, as well.
4. Personalize your websites
When you edit the websites listed in your profile, the drop-down menu gives you the option of "other." When you click on that, a new field opens up that allows you to type in your business name, website name, call to action, or description of your website. Instead of "Company Website" or "Personal Website" this section can read "ABC Associates" (law firm name) or "My ABC Associates Bio."
5. Limit the invitations you send out
You only get 3000 invitations in a lifetime, so use them wisely. Even though LinkedIn gives you the tools to upload your entire Outlook or personal email list, make sure you only invite people who are already on LinkedIn and don't invite more than 2500 people (leave a few invitations for the future).
By Viveka von Rosen, Director of Social Media Training at Hellerman Baretz Communications for the November/December 2011 Issue of the Capital Ideas Newsletter