If you’re connected with either myself or Marc Halpert on LinkedIn, the author of several LinkedIn books for lawyers, you’ll know that we don’t just preach about best LinkedIn marketing techniques. Our knowledge extends beyond reading (and writing — for Marc, at least!) LinkedIn books for lawyers. We diligently practice them, like true LinkedIn warriors! That doesn’t mean frequent posting. It means effective posting.
It also means that we have a lot of fun talking about this ever-changing topic.
So, to share some of that keen interest and curiosity with you, our dear readers, I sat down with Marc to talk about his book “LinkedIn Marketing Techniques for Law and Professional Practices”.
This three-part interview series addresses some of the more strategic aspects of LinkedIn for lawyers, as opposed to some the more tactical considerations. (Stay tuned. We will have more for you on that in the New Year)! It deals with gaining a better understanding of how to optimize your presence, not your settings, on LinkedIn.
We delved into three topics: ‘Why You Do What You Do’, ‘Your Network is Your Net Worth’, and ‘Why You’. All three videos and readable transcripts have been included here in this article.
And while there are a lot of insightful takeaways here, we also had a few laughs…
The benefits of LinkedIn books for lawyers:
Why You Do What You Do
Similar to the well-known WYSIWYG acronym (“what you see is what you get”), I asked Marc to delve further into the new acronym for professional practices that he has coined: WYDWYD (“why you do what you do”). As he explained, this is sourced from Simon Sinek, a British-American author, motivational speaker, and organizational consultant who presented the Japanese concept of ikigai, which translates roughly as “one’s reason for being”. Essentially, your life’s mission is your ikigai, an intersection of your mission (what you love), your vocation (what the world requires), your profession (what it is that you can get paid for), and your passion (what you are good at, what drives you).
“It’s an emotional thing, which is what stays with people,” I explain in the video, before delving into the various professionals that I help meet their practice goals: lawyers, doctors, architects, and other firms. “What that means to me, is that they move from the passenger’s seat of their bus, back into the driver’s seat.”
I find that by discovering and acknowledging your reason for being, you are able to do so much more than a basic marketing pitch of ‘this is what I do and this is how I do it’; indeed, you’re moving toward a more complex and intriguing explanation of your work. Your business’ elevator pitch — which once had less heart behind it — now conveys your true sense of self to any and all potential clients that may be interested in hiring you. You have moved beyond a simple résumé to tell people “what’s in your heart, what’s in your soul, [and] what’s in your brain.” In understanding what makes yourself tick, you will impress those interested in hiring you professionally, because they will clearly understand that “you’ve got your act together”. In a nutshell, this is why you do what you do.
This area of social media marketing is not just in LinkedIn books for lawyers, but is also something taught by Bekhor Management, and can be applied to your LinkedIn profile (just as is reflective in my own LinkedIn profile), where you share the amalgamation of your mission, vocation, profession, and passion within your first-person “About” section. This LinkedIn marketing technique shows potential clients that the common thread is that you are “completely client-centric, no matter what piece of [their] business [you are working on. They] get 110% of [you].” In writing your personal bio this way, you are iterating to anyone who reads it that you go above and beyond for your clients, letting them know that they can expect you to not only meet, but to exceed their expectations.
The bottom line is that the reason why you do what you do should always be very clear. This is an emotional aspect of your business that you should be sharing publicly; this knowledge resonates with individuals working within professional practices, those same people who want to “move from the passenger seat of their bus, back into the driver’s seat.” I have found that being able to give this to my clients is psychic compensation: you can’t package it, you can’t touch it, you can just revel in it. This is something truly energizing not just to Marc and myself, but for you, as well.
Your Network is Your Net Worth
When it comes to LinkedIn, it is critical for professionals to understand that their network is their net worth. By investing in this social media network with “body and soul,” you create a deeper and more enriched relationship not only with potential clients, but also with past and current clients. As well, you can connect with other professionals, both within and outside of your scope of expertise. In doing so, you build a stronger and more personable connection in which you can cajole, constructively criticize, and can ultimately give genuine “atta boys” and “atta girls” when they share their successes online with their network.
Cementing these business relationships in a sincere manner ensures that the network that you are building overtime will reflect on you positively; the amount of effort that you put into it is an investment with a guaranteed return. With the regular practice of this, you will be aware of and be able to omit any “weak links” within the nexus; indeed, removing weak links serves only to further strengthen your network and, as one can imagine, your own net worth along with it. With this fact being clearly outlined in Marc’s LinkedIn books for lawyers, it becomes clear how important this is.
On a personal note, I have begun a LinkedIn networking event with lawyers in the Greater Toronto Area thanks to the LinkedIn group, ‘Keeping it Social: Practice Development for Lawyers TORONTO’. Since October of 2018, we have worked in collaboration with the Toronto Lawyers Association to bring lawyers together to learn practice development tips and to network with one another. However, LinkedIn networking does not always have to lead to an introduction by means of a group.
As an example, if a professional reaches out asking for a recommendation to hire someone in a given field, you have two options: First, you can say something to the effect of, “I’ve got seven [people]” and proceed to hand over a list of the names, while allowing the inquiring individual to sort through it themselves. The second (and more valuable) option is to suggest only one or two people that you would most highly recommend, followed by making a warm introduction. In doing so, you can explain to your two connections what each does for a living and why they should be connecting together. Marc emphasizes that the way he likes to end his introductions, “especially on LinkedIn, is ‘please let me hear great things coming from this.'”
With something as simple as investing your time into your LinkedIn network, you are increasing your own net worth as a professional exponentially, and creating opportunities to strengthen your bonds with professionals across a wide scope of niches. Just you are “nurtured 49%, [you] nurtures them back 51%. That’s the deal.”
Why You
A big thing that lawyers (and other professionals) often become stuck on while creating their LinkedIn profile, is emphasizing why clients should be hiring them. In fact, this is something that LinkedIn books for lawyers will highlighy. Frequently, professionals have a habit of making a mental note of the things that they should be tackling — priorities such as perfecting their LinkedIn profile to grow their potential client base and network as a whole — yet put it off in favour of completing other tasks. Inserting yourself into Procrastination Mode is perhaps the worst things that you can do, as it prevents your network from knowing why you; that is, why should they be hiring you to represent them over your competition?
Now is the time to begin talking about yourself more professionally on LinkedIn, and here is how you can accomplish it.
As Marc notes, LinkedIn marketing for lawyers involves describing why you are better than your competition. So, I urge you to ask yourself this: what makes you a better hire over your competitor? Don’t shy away from discussing why you are the better choice, nor get “knotted up” in writing this explanation. The ability to articulate this crucial point may be the deciding factor of which professional someone decides to hire when unsure of selecting either you or your competition. Ensure that the language you are using in your personal LinkedIn profile presents you and your firm as the most ideal option. This holds true whether on your LinkedIn profile or on your website’s ‘About’ page.
As an example, I know that Bekhor Management stands out from the crowd. But why? Since the establishment of the firm in 2005, its launch was a return to my roots in architecture and healthcare; only this time, it was as a consultant. In combination with my history in both fields and my desire to assist professional firms with strategic thinking concerning their practice as a business, Bekhor Management was able to come to life and quickly begin exceeding all client expectations.
At the end of the day, you are your own best LinkedIn marketer. Talk about yourself, perfect your ‘elevator pitch’ (one for a really tall building, in which you are travelling to the top floor), and build up your profile using this as a starting point for all of the “good stuff”. If you can’t articulate your brand’s credentials, why should someone believe that you are the right fit for them? More often than not, clients aren’t going to give you a second chance. Make sure that your first shot is the best shot.
Marc and I both hope that we gave you some food for thought about your own profile and presence on LinkedIn, and maybe even entertained you in the process! With the availability of LinkedIn books for lawyers, it’s becoming simpler to market yourself the right way. Please do reach out to share your feedback here… or even on LinkedIn! After all, that’s what the robust machine was built for!
At Bekhor Management, our approach is focused on what really works to build and enhance small to mid-sized, law firms and other Canadian, professional services firms. We invite you to book an initial consultation if you’re looking for assistance with any aspect of your legal marketing.
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