The Friday Five

Five Quick Ways to Boost Your Visibility

By Laura Ernde

Remember thinking that working from home would give you more time to work on marketing and increasing your online visibility?

Does it seem like there’s never enough time in the day to juggle work as well as all the new responsibilities COVID-19 has brought? On top of that, you may feel hidden away while working from home with no access to in-person networking opportunities.

With that in mind, here are five ways to make sure you improve your online visibility — and stay top of mind to potential clients — that don’t require a huge investment of time.

1. Freshen Up Your Bio

Your digital presence is more important than ever, so don’t let it get stale. I recommend reviewing your bio at least a couple of times a year, if not quarterly. Check the bio on your website as well as LinkedIn. Those are bound to be your most visible pages on the internet, so you want them to accurately reflect who you are and what you do.

When you review, ask yourself these questions: Is it easy to read? Does it reflect your latest accomplishments? If you were a potential client reading it, would you want to work with this person? Here are some more great ideas to get you thinking about how to improve your online bio.

2. Rock a Virtual Meetup

Many of your favorite conferences and meetups have transitioned online, so it’s easy to set aside an hour here or there to attend an event without the hassle of traveling. Even better, seek out opportunities to lead a webinar on a timely topic of interest to potential clients.

Smaller meetups or Zoom breakout rooms offer more visibility. But even on a larger webinar or Zoom call, look for attendees you already know or new people you’d like to connect with. Reach out after the event with an email or to schedule a phone call.

3. Be Active on LinkedIn

You want people to visit your LinkedIn bio and get in touch if they need your help, right? But when it comes to social media, the operative word is “social.” The more active you are on the platform, the more likely it is that people will notice what you’re doing.

And while some people prefer Facebook or Twitter, LinkedIn is the most popular social media site for lawyers, according to a 2019 American Bar Association survey. This makes sense, given that it’s designed for professional networking.

Try logging on for 15 to 20 minutes a day. React and comment on your colleagues’ posts. Share an informative article or news that your network might find valuable. It can be as simple as that. (Here’s a quick infographic on advanced LinkedIn tactics to inspire you.)

4. Build Trust by Creating Content

One of the best ways to showcase your thought leadership is by creating content that appeals to your target audience. Identify the challenges your clients are facing and create content that will be helpful to them. For lawyers in many practice areas, COVID-19 has presented numerous opportunities for educating clients about new laws and how to deal with the many challenges the pandemic presents.

If you’re intimidated by the idea of writing a blog post or article, remember that you aren’t writing a law review article or dissertation, so it shouldn’t require much research. Break up the task into smaller pieces. Start by jotting down a few topics you’ve been discussing with clients recently. Later, sketch an outline that you can fill in when you have time. Or, work with a professional writer who can speak with you about a topic for 30 minutes to an hour and provide a draft you can edit to your liking.

5. Repurpose Content

If you don’t have time to create new content, perhaps you have a library of older blog posts, podcasts or webinars you can repurpose. Can you update it for COVID-19 times and republish it on your website or LinkedIn page?

Or, let’s say you recently presented a webinar on applying for a PPP loan. Can you turn that into a blog post, contributed article or guest post? Here are tips for creatively repurposing your writing and more tactics for repurposing podcasts and videos.

When you publish an article, don’t forget to share it on social media, with a sentence or two to summarize. And if you wrote about something a while back that suddenly becomes relevant again due to recent news or events, by all means, share it again.

I hope you’re staying healthy and safe. These ideas should help you stay visible from the comfort of your home.

Illustration ©iStockPhoto.com

Subscribe to Attorney at Work

Get really good ideas every day for your law practice: Subscribe to the Daily Dispatch (it’s free). Follow us on Twitter @attnyatwork.

More on Attorney at Work

share TWEET PIN IT share share
Laura Ernde Laura Ernde

Laura Ernde is a San Francisco-based communications consultant. Informed by her background as a legal journalist and State Bar communications director, she helps lawyers and law firms create compelling content to engage with clients and potential clients. She serves on the programming committee of the Legal Marketing Association’s Bay Area Chapter. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

More Posts By This Author
MUST READ Articles for Law Firms Click to expand
envelope

Welcome to Attorney at Work!

Sign up for our free newsletter.

x

All fields are required. By signing up, you are opting in to Attorney at Work's free practice tips newsletter and occasional emails with news and offers. By using this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understand our Privacy Policy.