business referrals

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LinkedIn has never been more important than it is right now – not only because it has nearly 700 million users globally, but because during this time of social distancing, and this pause in in-person networking –social media is the most effective (and efficient) way to build your brand and business.

LinkedIn is a great place to network with other professionals who could become business partners, referral sources, clients and employees or employers.

While quality is always better than quantity when it comes to the number of LinkedIn connections you have, most business professionals who use LinkedIn can greatly increase their connections with a strategic plan.

Join me in spending the month of August strategically building your LinkedIn network. Aim to get to at least 501 connections (which will add the coveted 500+ connections mark right on your profile instead of your actual number of connections – some believe those LinkedIn users with 500+ connections are somehow more accomplished). I know all of you know more than 500 business professionals out of the millions who are using LinkedIn. If you’re already at the 500+ mark, aim to increase your connections by 10 percent this month. Here’s a plan for how to do this for business professionals of all levels and in all industries.

LinkedIn has never been more important than it is right now – not only because it has nearly 700 million users globally, but because during this time of social distancing, and this pause in in-person networking –social media is the most effective (and efficient) way to build your brand and business.

LinkedIn is a great place to network with other professionals who could become business partners, referral sources, clients and employees or employers.

While quality is always better than quantity when it comes to the number of LinkedIn connections you have, most business professionals who use LinkedIn can greatly increase their connections with a strategic plan.

Join me in spending the month of August strategically building your LinkedIn network. Aim to get to at least 501 connections (which will add the coveted 500+ connections mark right on your profile instead of your actual number of connections – some believe those LinkedIn users with 500+ connections are somehow more accomplished). I know all of you know more than 500 business professionals out of the millions who are using LinkedIn. If you’re already at the 500+ mark, aim to increase your connections by 10 percent this month. Here’s a plan for how to do this for business professionals of all levels and in all industries.

When it comes to strategically building your LinkedIn network. There are four primary ways to do it:

  1. Reach out
  2. Accept connection requests
  3. Connect to people who are suggested by LinkedIn
  4. Use groups – they are among the most powerful networking feature in LinkedIn

If you are starting from scratch or building a profile from a low number of connections, start by adding everyone in your professional life as a connection, current colleagues, former colleagues, clients, referral sources, former classmates and certain friends and family members who make sense from a professional standpoint.

Then incorporate these steps:

This is not the year to take a break from social media during the summer. Instead this is the time to focus on your business development and branding efforts.

I don’t know anyone right now especially (or ever) who would say they have enough clients or work. I think everyone is nervous about the economy, the ability to maintain their current volume of work, bring in future clients and support their people.

That being said, it’s incredibly important to ensure your current clients are happy and that you are consistently generating new sources of leads and referrals.

Here are 25 ideas on how to do that, which now involves shifting your strategy from in-person networking and client entertaining to having a strong online presence and thought leadership platform. If you have never used LinkedIn, written an article or blog post or spoken at a webinar, now is the time to pivot to doing all of these. It is never too early or late to start marketing yourself or your firm.

My guess is that many of you have more free time now due to the pandemic, which had slowed down deal flow and litigation activity.

Plus working from home eliminates…

I am thrilled to be featured in a recent Practising Law Institute (PLI) #inSecuritiesPod podcast along with the brilliant Deborah Farone.

In the podcast, Deborah and I discuss the…

Thank you to the New York Law Journal and Mid-Market Report for publishing my new article, “20 Ways Small- and Mid-Size Firms Can Appropriately Market Themselves During the Pandemic.”

Your most important job right now is to lay the foundation for when we return to “normal” and also to be ready, willing and able to assist your clients during this time of great change, confusion and stress. Empathy is the single most important characteristic you can have right now to build stronger relationships.

In case you are looking for some “homework” in the marketing and business development area, here are a few ideas to keep you busy during this period. 

It’s a challenging time for everyone in terms of generating new business right now. Some clients are reluctant to engage with outside counsel and certain matters have been put on hold with the world being in such flux.

If you are a senior associate or junior partner who has lost momentum on building your book of business and/or brand due to the pandemic, or you’re just starting to think about developing new business, I have a few ideas. Consider doing these now to lay the groundwork, put yourself in a strong position in the future when it comes to lead generation.