Linked in is the big social media service for business. I joined it quite a while ago now, and although not essential, I think it is a useful service for lawyers. Certainly it is not as useless as some solicitors I have spoken to seem to think (mostly these are solicitors who have little experience of the internet).
I suppose the main thing it is used for is to keep tabs on your contacts. Once you are ‘connected’ to someone else on Linkedin, you get kept informed of their activity, such as whether they join a new group, update their profile, or post a status report.
I like this. For example if I learn that X has a new job I can write (or rather email or send a message via the Linkedin system) and congratulate him, and perhaps wonder if I might want to use his firm sometime. If Y has joined a new Linkedin group I will take a look at it and see if it is a group I might want to join too. And the status reports are interesting as they let me know what people are up to.
Likewise my contacts can keep tabs on me, and keep up with what I am doing with my business or otherwise (at least insofar as it is recorded on Linkedin).
I have also through Linkedin, found and re-connected with several people I had lost touch with, which is always nice.
Another interesting aspect is the groups. This is where you can join in discussions and perhaps through this get to know potential clients and colleagues. I have not found any clients yet but I suspect that this is only a matter of time. However I have enjoyed some of the discussions, particularly those on the Law Society Gazette Group.
If you are a lawyer, have you used Linkedin? What has been your experience?
NB My Linkedin profile is at http://uk.linkedin.com/in/tessashepperson
There is a lot of talk from digital marketing experts about the importance of using social media sites for law firms. However realistically, most lawyers, including managing partners, off very busy people and probably don’t have the time to devote to all the various social networking sites. The only one I’m convinced is really worth spending time on is LinkedIn. Some of the others seem over American, or predominantly social relevant than business orientated. LinkedIn is the exception. I took a few early on to concentrate on one social networking site only — I chose LinkedIn and I’m glad I did. I’m building up my contacts and use it as a useful tool to keep in touch with them and to inform them of developments in my law firm and on occasions to ask for information or favours. I’m just being to understand how to use it properly and I’ve no doubt that I will use it far more in 2010.
Tessa,
I think that Linked In is a useful tool, but you have to put a lot of effort in to get a return. I have been putting a lot of time into it recently because I can see that it can drive business if used properly. Proper usage, in my view, depends upon making good quality contacts (particularly from people in the real world) and also in being active, such as by answering questions posed by others and trying to earn “Best Answers” and thus “Expert” status. However, someone I spoke to who runs courses on Linked In says you only get results when you have in excess of 1,000 contacts! Gulp!
Michael Scutt´s last blog ..Villainy afoot!
It all depends, I suppose, on what you mean by ‘results’. I think Linkedin is primarily useful, for me anyway, as a communication tool.
For example I have a project running with some other solicitors (which I will write about here when it is in the public domain) and we are using our own private Linkedin Group to communicate with each other. It is proving really useful.
Its also a useful way of keeping tabs on people you know, so you can find their details easily or get in touch with them. I don’t expect to get any work from Linkedin particularly, if I do it will be a nice bonus!