LinkedIn continues to be the most important social media channel for business development. It enables you to quickly build and grow relationships, strengthen your brand and stay top of mind with key individuals in your professional network regardless of where they live. LinkedIn also gives you a treasure trove of valuable competitive intelligence, which can help you gain a serious advantage over your competitors.

LinkedIn also essentially functions as your very own website and a place where you can house and more importantly, showcase, your thought leadership content. You don’t necessarily need a blog today unless you’re planning on posting a lot of content every day.

I know that many of you have LinkedIn profiles and company pages, but you aren’t maximizing the platform because you’re busy, or you don’t know really how to use it or you just aren’t convinced that it’s worth your time. Let me assure you that it is 100% worth your time especially given that we have five generations in the workforce right now and clients are getting younger and are using social media more frequently.

In fact, to further underscore the importance of the social network, your LinkedIn profile is often the first or second Google search result when someone searches for you online. In addition, LinkedIn is free and easy to use.

Most people are using LinkedIn in very basic ways – so there is a lot of opportunity if you are looking to ramp up your LinkedIn game. Here are some creative ideas for using LinkedIn:

1. Thought Leadership Articles: Publish engaging and insightful articles on LinkedIn’s publishing platform. Share your expertise, provide industry insights and offer practical advice on legal topics relevant to your target audience. This will help establish you as a thought leader and build credibility and visibility within the professional community that can lead to new opportunities. You can repurpose your blog posts and either include the full text or a snippet linked to your website and/or blog.

2. Video Content: Create and share short-form video clips on LinkedIn that offer quick tips, highlight your services or provide legal updates. Videos capture others’ attention especially as they are scrolling quickly on their phones and can help you stand out on LinkedIn’s newsfeed. Consider using LinkedIn’s native video feature for more engagement or link to videos hosted on other platforms like YouTube. Ideas for LinkedIn video content include: case studies, product demos, behind the scenes, infographics, events, meet the team posts, social media holidays, Q&As on industry questions and with lawyers and alumni and FAQs on legal topics.

3. LinkedIn Groups: Join relevant LinkedIn groups within your industry or specific practice areas to engage in meaningful discussions, offer insights and share resources. Actively participating in LinkedIn groups enables you to expand your network, build relationships with people outside of your immediate network and position yourself as an authority in your field.

4. Employee Advocacy: Encourage your attorneys and staff to actively engage on LinkedIn and share firm updates, thought leadership content and industry news. This amplifies your reach and leverages the professional networks of your employees. Consider implementing an employee advocacy program to provide guidelines and incentives for participation. The difference between good LinkedIn company, pages and great length and company pages is the fact that your employees are actively participating in your content.

5. LinkedIn Live: Utilize LinkedIn Live to host live-streamed webinars, panel discussions or Q&A sessions. This feature allows you to engage directly with your connections and followers in real-time, fostering interactive conversations and showcasing your expertise.

6. Showcase Client Success Stories: Share success stories and case studies that highlight your firm’s achievements and favorable outcomes for clients. This demonstrates your expertise and provides social proof of your capabilities. Consider doing a Q&A with one of your lawyers and a client to bring the content to life. Of course, ensure you have appropriate permissions and confidentiality considerations when sharing client information.

7. LinkedIn Polls and Surveys: Use LinkedIn’s polling feature to gather insights and engage your connections. Ask questions related to legal trends, industry challenges or client pain points. Analyze the responses to gain valuable market intelligence and generate content ideas.

8. Collaborate with Influencers: Identify LinkedIn influencers or notable professionals in your industry and collaborate with them on joint content, webinars or interviews. This expands your reach to their networks and helps establish your presence among a broader audience.

9. Engage with LinkedIn Live Events: Participate in LinkedIn Live events hosted by industry experts or thought leaders. Offer comments, ask questions and engage with the speakers and other attendees. This can boost your engagement with your community and provides networking opportunities.

10. Use LinkedIn carousel templates: LinkedIn has made it even easier to publish content that is graphic and interactive with its carousel template feature. It can help you bring complex subject matter to life in a more creative and engaging way.

11. LinkedIn Advertising: Use LinkedIn’s advertising options to promote your firm’s thought leadership content, events or services. Utilize targeted advertising campaigns to reach specific demographics or industries, ensuring your message reaches the right audience. Content worth posting here includes thought leadership pieces and webinars.

When it comes to creating your own LinkedIn strategy, think about how you can address the concerns of your ideal clients. What are they struggling with? What problems are stopping them from reaching their goals?  The answers to these questions should be at the center of every piece of content you post. For example:

• Share tips and resources that will be valuable to them.

• Create content that provides real and actionable help.

• Craft your posts to answer questions, share useful information rather than brag about yourself.

• Keep the distinction between private and professional but don’t be afraid to inject storytelling and your personality into your posts.

• Regularly comment on posts with insights (your comments can be seen by others who are not part of your network and it’s a great way to dip your toes into LinkedIn) and sending messages to people you haven’t talked to in a while (use LinkedIn notifications such as birthdays, work anniversaries and new jobs as prompts). This helps to keep you top of mind and build closer relationships.

Consistently sharing valuable content, engaging with others, and monitoring and responding to comments and messages will enable you to stand out on LinkedIn. By leveraging the platform creatively, you can enhance your professional brand, expand your network and generate new opportunities for yourself and your firm.