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Content marketers now have a new way of reaching their target audiences on LinkedIn using live video.

Recently, LinkedIn, the most powerful social network for professionals, added a livestreaming option in beta to a select group of users.

Called “LinkedIn Live,”  the platform will provide its 600 million plus members and businesses the option to share and stream live video content such as  Q&As, events, conferences, earnings calls, award ceremonies, company announcements and more.

According to Social Media Today, it makes perfect sense for LinkedIn to put increased emphasis on video content because its users are 20x more likely to share a video on the platform than any other type of post (wow!). To further support video on its platform, LinkedIn also launched video sponsored content and video for company pages early last year. The addition of LinkedIn Live will also enable LinkedIn to build on the ‘record levels’ of engagement that it says it is currently seeing on the platform.

LinkedIn has lagged behind its competitors when it came to providing users with video content options. This is interesting because because the platform says that video is the fastest-growing format on its platform alongside original written work, shared news and other content, so it seems like it’s in LinkedIn’s best interests to embrace in the technology that will support what its users want.

Launching first in the United States, LinkedIn Live is invite-only for now. In coming weeks, LinkedIn will also post a contact form for others who want to join. It’s not clear when and if LinkedIn will make it possible for everyone to create LinkedIn Live videos, but it is expected that is what will occur given how they rolled out LinkedIn Publisher.

So what can law firms do with LinkedIn Live? Here are some ideas (just keep in mind that your content must have a topical/timely aspect to it in order for it to be worth going live). 

I’ll be presenting a workshop at the 2019 Legal Marketing Association’s Annual Conference (which is the premier yearly gathering of legal marketers) on how to align your social media efforts with your business development strategy with Jennifer Simpson Carr on day two of the LMA Annual Conference (at 1:30pm on April 10). This is going to be a hands-on, immersive program with lots of actionable takeaways for marketers of all firm sizes and levels. It’s another reason that we hope you stay until the end of the #LMA19 conference. Here’s a sneak peek of our session! Thank you to Rob Kates for filming this segment. 

If you could hear directly from your clients about what they want and need, wouldn’t you jump at every opportunity to listen? And even better act on it?

With that in mind, I try to attend as many events featuring in-house counsel as I can, even if what they largely say is the same, because I appreciate their insights especially when it comes to what they value most when working with outside counsel. And every year, what they say they need and want most from their outside counsel – transparency, responsiveness, cost-sensitivity, understanding my business, anticipating my needs and providing value-added content and educational add-ons – continue to be a challenge for some firms and their lawyers to consistently hit the mark in all areas.

A law firm’s most precious assets are its clients, which are the source of both today’s business and tomorrow’s referrals. Therefore, you’d think that firms would strive to integrate the voice of their clients into all they do. But not all of them do, or maybe they try but just can’t.

Law firms always need to remember that their clients do not need to work with them. They need to want to work with them. And it is all within the power of law firms (and their lawyers) to achieve true client satisfaction and long-term loyalty by providing the highest-quality legal services, quickly resolving client issues, being a fierce client advocate who anticipates and solves problems and adding consistent value throughout the client lifecycle.

In today’s competitive environment, law firms must adopt a client-centric perspective in everything they do in order to remain competitive. Every single touchpoint matters and will be remembered, and a misstep can be very costly.

Here are some ideas from recent panels featuring the voice of the client that I hope inspire you on how to enhance attorney/client relationships at your firm: 

It’s never been more important to stand out from your peers in this crowded, saturated market. Becoming totally immersed in your clients and prospects by learning as much as you can about them is one way to separate the good lawyers from the great lawyers.

This requires time and effort by asking smart questions and conducting thorough research (for example, by setting up free Google alerts on your top clients/prospects so that you are informed about important news about them, and using social media tools such as LinkedIn to learn about job moves and updates of your important connections). Today, most people just don’t send emails announcing their new positions anymore – it’s now up to you to do research.

Being aware of major developments and news affecting your clients’ organizations enables you to better anticipate their needs and it shows that you care. In this case, knowledge is power.

So how do you put this into practice? 

Recently, social media strategist Spencer X. Smith (if you’re not following him you should!) said something on LinkedIn that really resonated with me.

It was about the idea of using your social media platforms and reach to promote the successes of others vs. only posting about yourself (or “me-centric” posts), and he talked about the fact that each of us has the ability to do this  within our own networks to significantly strengthen our professional relationships.

Harnessing the power of your own social media platforms to promote others and build stronger relationships and your brand is actually very easy and incredibly worthwhile.

The ultimate goal of content marketing is to drive readers to take action, preferably in the form of hiring you. So it should go without saying that it’s not how often you post content to social that makes a true impact, but rather what you say and how you say it. But it’s not always easy to generate a steady stream of strong content to fill your editorial calendar year-round. That’s where owned media or “evergreen content”​ can save the day. I often call this my “what to say when you have nothing to say”​ strategy. By incorporating evergreen posts, your end result will be a much more sophisticated content strategy with higher engagement.

The ultimate goal of content marketing is to drive readers to take action, preferably in the form of contacting and retaining you and your firm. So it should go without saying that it’s not how often you post content to social media that makes a true impact, but rather what you say and how you say it. The quality not the quantity of your posts should always be your primary focus.

But it’s not always easy to generate a steady stream of strong content to fill your editorial calendar year-round, especially when you work at small- or mid-sized firm, where it can be a challenge to regularly achieve top-tier media placements.

That’s where owned media or “evergreen content” can save the day. I often call this my “what to say when you have nothing to say” content strategy, because it really is just that. Don’t mistake this for spam or posts about nothing – because they aren’t as you will see – in fact, by incorporating evergreen posts into social media, your end result will be a much more sophisticated content marketing strategy with higher engagement. Here’s how to do it. 

One of my biggest LinkedIn pet peeves is when people who I’ve never met send me connection requests. Most of them have no personalized message at all (another pet peeve of mine). Some are accompanied by super salesy messages. Others say things like (these are real messages I’ve received):

  • “LinkedIn suggested you as a marketing leader with whom I should connect. if you are open to it.”
  • “I think we can mutually help each other, let’s connect.”
  • “You seem interesting, let’s get to know each other.”
  • “I want to tell you about a terrific new product we have”
  • “Came across your profile here and noticed we had LinkedIn groups in common, was intrigued and would love to connect. I see your an attorney in New York. Excited to learn more about what your up to professionally.” (Just oy vey on this one. Note: I am NOT a lawyer, which is clearly noted on my profile, and the grammar errors with “your” instead of “you’re” are just sloppy – there is no room for careless mistakes here. Also, having “LinkedIn groups” in common is not a reason to send a connection request.)
  • “I developed a method that gives you many leads and more on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and many others in 24 hours! I would love to run a quick test 🙂 What is your PHONE NUMBER?” (Note: So many things wrong with this one as well – but especially the exclamation point, the smiley face and the all caps, not to mention the false promises!)

Um, how about no to ALL OF THESE. Please make it stop.

Let’s be honest, if I’ve never met you before, why would I want to connect with you this way? LinkedIn is a professional network to grow relationships with people you already know. It’s not a place to mine for new connections and find leads, although I know some in the sales profession may disagree with me.

While many firms are content producing powerhouses, pushing out alerts, social media posts and other information daily via the many distribution channels with which they engage their target audiences, they often fail to take the time to think about the how, what, when, where and why of the content they are creating and disseminating and how it will help/benefit their clients and other influential readers.

For example, do you ever feel as if you are a content machine who is just going through the content motions, following orders of those around you, because “that’s the way they’ve always done it,” or because you don’t want to question a partner or someone more senior to you?

If so, take a moment to give yourself a “content timeout” so you can really think about why you are doing what you are doing. If it doesn’t make sense with your brand and business development goals, immediately change your course. Taking the time to ensure that your content marketing strategy and your BD strategy are aligned will enable you to create more focused, strategic content that will better engage and resonate with your target audiences (more on this below).

Remember that the goal of content marketing is not just about populating your social media feeds with a steady stream of content. Rather, the goal is to use content as a differentiator and a tool to help position you and your firm as a thought leader, which will help to keep you top of mind with key individuals. Here are a few things you can do right away to take your content strategy to the next level to help you achieve these goals.

Always a bridesmaid and never a bride no more! After several years of speaking at the Legal Marketing Association Annual Conference’s pre-conference programs, I am excited to report that for the first time, I will be speaking at the main conference! Please stick around for day two of #LMA19 in Atlanta when my fellow Legal Marketing Association’s Social and Digital Media Special Interest Group co-chair Jennifer Simpson Carr and I will present a deep-dive workshop on “Beyond Branding: Aligning Social Media Strategy with Business Development Goals” at 1:30pm on Wednesday, April 10!

In the program (for marketers of all levels and firm sizes), we will explore how social media has developed into a powerful tool that often leads to new business and enhanced client relationships. Attendees will learn how to effectively use social media for lead generation through practical, innovative, actionable and budget-friendly strategies and tactics. Learn more about our session and how to register.