I recently had an opportunity to lead a discussion at an “all hands” law firm meeting around best practices for professional profiles — website bios and LinkedIn profiles. The firm had asked their attorneys to review their bios for updates, so we talked about what people could do to improve their individual online presence. Following are a few key takeaways that apply to any professional service provider’s personal online profile.
Is your professional profile content up to date?
When was the last time you reviewed the content of your bio? If you haven’t looked at it since you joined the firm several years before or when the firm did its last website overhaul, then it is most certainly out-of-date. Depending on the pace of your practice matters and the amount of marketing activity in which you engage, a bi-annual, quarterly or monthly review might be warranted. Check for the following:
- Is your professional profile up to date, reflecting the kind of work you’ve done recently?
- Does it focus on the kind of work you’d like to do more of going forward?
- Are representative matters fresh, relevant and timely to market trends for your practice?
- Are you connected to the right practice, industry and service areas offered by the firm?
- If connected to a firm service area, does your profile narrative reflect experience in that area?
- Are your organizational activities current (e.g., noting the beginning and end of leadership roles)?
- Have you received any new recognitions, such as inclusion in directory listings, awards or certifications?
- Have you published articles, blog posts, podcasts or been mentioned in any news stories worth noting?
- Have you moderated or spoken at any conferences, firm webinars or client meetings that show subject matter expertise?
Does your profile tell a compelling story that earns the potential client’s interest?
When preparing your profile, keep potential site visitors in mind. Your audience may include current, former and prospective clients and referral sources. It might also include journalists and conference organizers, as well as parties to legal matters, such as opposing counsel, witnesses, mediators and others. You’ll want to find a balance that takes each of those audience segments into consideration.
Good writing follows some tried-and-true rules of thumb. In the context of a professional profile, think about the following:
Don’t bury your lede
Earn the reader’s interest by starting your profile with information that lets them know up front what’s in it for them. Don’t let the first sentence be “Jane Doe is an associate in the business practice at ABC law firm.” They can likely see that from other parts of your profile page. Think about your strengths and jump right into the compelling reasons someone should hire you:
- What are the problems that you solve for clients?
- In which industries do you have specific experience?
- What makes you different than the competition?
- Do you have impressive success stats, case counts or high-profile engagements?
- Do you have unique expertise or prior business experience that shapes your practice?
- What is your philosophy or approach to your practice?
Write to be read
Is the writing clean and interesting?
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- Does every sentence or paragraph start with your name? Break up the monotony with smooth transition phrases and contextual markers.
- Would a layperson understand what you do? Focus on the impact of your work on a client’s business or life, rather than the technical tools you use to achieve that success. No one really cares that you’ve written a bunch of motions.
- Avoid long meandering sentences that should be broken down into shorter, punchier copy.
- Would a list of items currently captured in a long sentence or paragraph be better served as a bulleted list?
- Break up large blocks of content with (SEO, keyword-friendly) subheads to guide the casual page skimmer to sections of your narrative that are of the most interest to them? Use phrases someone would likely type into a search engine.
- Show don’t tell: Include descriptive language about interesting matters you’ve handled. Don’t expect your reader to take at face value your claim that you are experienced. Paint a picture of what your work looks like in the real world. Even if you can’t mention a client by name, demonstrate the value and extent of your work by describing its scope or impact.
Align Your Third-Party Profiles With Your Firm Profile
While you’re tackling the task of updating your website bio, take a critical look at the rest of your online presence. This might include listings or profiles posted to organizational membership directories or referral networks. Make sure the updates you make to your website profile carry over to LinkedIn and any other places you might have an online presence.
For LinkedIn specifically, take care to ensure:
- You have a current, quality profile picture and banner image that is personalized and professional.
- The headline that appears below your name is descriptive of your role. Avoid saying “Partner at ABC firm.” Instead, try something like “Transactional real estate attorney” to let people know what you actually do.
- Your “About” section is up-to-date and aligned with your website bio. Have you used a first-person voice that humanizes what you bring to the table?
- You have filled in all relevant sections, including organizational activities and recognitions.
During the client discussion referenced above, one attorney mentioned looking at her LinkedIn profile and realizing that the “About” information was significantly out-of-date. She noted, “My practice isn’t the same as it was five years ago. We evolve, and it makes sense that our profiles should, too.”