How to Use LinkedIn Groups to Get New Clients

Learn how to use LinkedIn groups to get noticed and find new business for your firm with these tips.

Some attorneys will say, “I’m on LinkedIn, but I’ve never gotten any new business from it.”

Well, are you actively using it to add value and develop relationships?

When you attend a networking event, you don’t just stand in the middle of the room expecting people to walk up to you and offer you their cases. You talk to people, exchange business cards and follow up. Social media works in a similar way. The more you use it and the most strategic you are about using it, the more effective it becomes.

The saying “if you build it, they will come” cannot be applied to a LinkedIn profile. However, it can be applied to your LinkedIn presence. Spending adequate time building your network and building relationships on LinkedIn WILL make new clients come to you.

How can you accomplish this?

LinkedIn groups.

As defined by LinkedIn, groups are pages you can follow on your LinkedIn account that will allow you to interact with professionals in the same industry or with similar interests to share content.

Here are some key ways attorneys can use LinkedIn groups to get new clients:

Boost your profile SEO

Joining and participating in groups not only helps you develop relationships, but it also makes your profile more likely to show up in search results.

Since LinkedIn will list the groups you are a member of on your page, those group names contribute to the relevant keywords on your profile, which will help your name appear in LinkedIn’s internal search results. Industry-related groups add to the keywords on your profile and location-specific groups, such as your local bar association, will add to your geo-specific SEO.

This is an important as more people look for services through LinkedIn searches. You want to make sure your profile is one of the first search results when someone looks for an attorney with your practice area. Otherwise, you risk losing out on potential new business.

Keep in mind that simply joining a group will not benefit your search ranking as well as actively engaging with it.  

Find clients or referral sources

Again, when you network you don’t walk up to random people on the street and ask them if they need legal services. You network where your target audience (or best referral sources) hang out.

Groups can help you find your target audience on LinkedIn. Join groups where your prospects and best referral sources go for information. By engaging in conversations, you’ll have an opportunity to show off your expertise, which is often the best way to attract new clients.

Remember you should always be adding value to the conversation rather than selling yourself. Helping other LinkedIn users with your legal knowledge is a great way to contribute and it will get you noticed.

Connect with other lawyers

Groups give you the chance to connect with other lawyers who aren’t in your current network. Participating in LinkedIn groups with other attorneys yields similar benefits as when attorneys work together in a shared office space. You will get to know each other better, which often leads to referrals and knowledge sharing.

Law Firm Suites client and guest blogger, Joleena Louis, has done this successfully with her matrimonial practice.

“Recently I had coffee with a solo from California while she was visiting Manhattan,” says Ms. Louis. “A few months later I referred a former client to her who was looking for an attorney in her area, and she eventually referred someone to me as well.”

Ms. Louis met this attorney through one of the LinkedIn groups where she posts articles and regularly engages in conversations.

Active attorney groups you should consider joining include:

• e-Legal. This group is very active and has become a popular networking source for attorneys in every practice area and firm size.

• ABA Law Practice Division. This group is especially good for solos and small firms engaged in the business aspects of operating a law firm. It provides practicing lawyers with information regarding marketing, management, technology and finance.

• Successful Small Law Firms Attorneys can come to this group to discuss strategies related to practice management, marketing and using technology in their practice.

Get involved in a mix of groups where you’ll find other attorneys, potential clients and other professionals who provide services to prospective clients. You should always be adding value to these groups, whether you’re posting your most recent blog article or you’re commenting on a post to offer advice based on your legal expertise. In the end, your efforts will produce new revenue for your firm.