Lawyers Learning from Lawyers
Lawyers and legal marketers seem to form a pretty tight-knit group on LinkedIn. Yet most of the attorneys who I know personally are nowhere to be found on the platform.
When I posted this observation on LinkedIn, I received a lot of comments along the lines of, “Same with me. Most of the attorneys I know are not active on LinkedIn.” Why do you suppose that is?
With more than 750 million users worldwide, it is by far the largest business-to-business social networking platform that exists. That attorneys—many who need to build their books of business and who operate in a B2B environment—would avoid LinkedIn seems counterintuitive and counterproductive. Yet, based on my own experience and the observations of those who concurred, there seems to be a tremendous opportunity gap between the attorneys who are already reaping the rewards of an active LinkedIn presence and those who remain on the sidelines.
I’m not an attorney. I don’t even play one on T.V. Yet, I'm blessed to mingle in this online cocktail party with some of the most generous, cordial, supportive, collaborative and generally friendly, wonderful people I've met anywhere. My network of lawyers seem to genuinely want to support, help, refer and train each other, and it's inspiring to watch.
So what's keeping my attorney friends on the sidelines?
The success stories who my partner Jay Harrington and I have had the privilege of showcasing on our podcast, The Thought Leadership Project—Frank Ramos, Laura Frederick, Patricia Baxter, Lisa Lang, Bryan O'Keefe, Scott Becker, to name only a few—demonstrate daily the power of the network and the importance of remaining active, visible and generous of one's expertise on LinkedIn.
Here are just a few examples, if you need the motivation to dive in yourself:
Getting to 20,000+ Followers on LinkedIn, with Patricia Baxter
How LinkedIn Led to a Powerful Network and, Ultimately, a Book Collaboration, with Lisa Lang
How to Be a Busy Lawyer and Prolific Thought Leader, with Frank Ramos
In a way, I’ve made it my mission to help some of my friends get over whatever apprehensions or barriers might exist. I’m guessing they are some combination of the following:
time
interest
command of the platform
tech-aversion
faith it can help build a practice
clear understanding of what colleagues are doing on LinkedIn
lack of awareness of the success stories that exist to emulate
Introducing the Thought Leader Collaborative
We are excited to announce a new membership community, called the Thought Leader Collaborative (the “Lab”), that reflect my personal mission to get every attorney I know off the sidelines and into the LinkedIn game. There very well may be “safety in numbers,” so we are aiming to create, curate and grow a peer-to-peer network of attorneys who aspire to become thought leaders and who want to leverage the power of LinkedIn to grow their legal practices.
We have discovered, documented and delivered a proven process to grow a legal practice on LinkedIn. As a member of the Lab, you’ll have access to:
A clear strategy to turn your subject matter expertise into thought leadership, and your thought leadership into new business.
Live monthly training on LinkedIn best practices and how they relate to your broader content marketing and business development efforts.
A growing library of checklists, guides and templates to help you put what you learn into action.
Peer-to-peer networking, referral and learning opportunities, including a private LinkedIn group only available to members of the Lab. (i.e., “safety in numbers”).
Monthly discussion and real-time (as well as recorded) Q&A sessions and opportunities to secure private coaching sessions, one-on-one, with either Jay Harrington or myself.
The Lab officially opens May 3rd, but we are pulling back the curtain today, so take a quick tour to see what’s coming! Visit the Lab at thoughtleadercollaborative.com, and subscribe to our email list to receive updates and announcements in advance of our go-live date, including special, one-time discounted pricing.
By signing up, you will also receive a complimentary copy of our popular resource guide: “How to Write High-Engagement Posts on LinkedIn.”
Stay tuned for more! We will soon be opening the Lab to members, with early-bird discounts available. We look forward to learning with you, networking with you, and growing as thought leaders with you, in the Thought Leader Collaborative!
Gain Visibility and Build Authority
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We help lawyers and law firms become go-to experts who build strong brands and generate and win profitable new business. Through our extensive experience serving law firms, we develop strategies and execute campaigns that position our clients for success in key markets and industries.
Contact us to discuss your firm’s marketing and business development objectives, and how our unique process can help achieve them.
We work with attorneys and law firms to deliver thought leadership PR in the form of written content, graphic design, multimedia and publicity.
From strategic planning to writing, podcasting, video marketing, and design, Tom and his team help lawyers and law firms turn expertise into thought leadership, and thought leadership into new business. Get in touch to learn how Harrington can convert your firm's expertise into thought leadership content that gets published on the media and platforms your clients and prospects turn to for answers.