The Firm: Is LinkedIn Premium worth the investment?

By Jane Pribek The Daily Record Newswire Milwaukee's Amy Brophy Westrup, of MKW Consulting LLC, is BFFs with the CIO of IBM. OK, that's a lot of capital letters, and Westrup and IBM's CIO aren't really that tight. But they are connected on LinkedIn, via a relationship Westrup fostered using LinkedIn Premium. Not only are they connected, but more importantly, through that relationship IBM ultimately became a major client at Westrup's former business. So, not too surprisingly, Westrup's a huge fan of LinkedIn Premium. Now that she's working her own solo consultancy, she's kept the premium account, saying it's well worth the additional $20 per month. She said lawyers who take the time to explore the possibilities of LinkedIn Premium can benefit from it, as well. LinkedIn created the premium account about five years ago, but now it seems they're making a big push to free accountholders to try upgrading. If you're on LinkedIn, you've probably received an email recently asking you to try LinkedIn Premium for free for one month. To be precise, there are three levels of premium accounts. The $20 price quoted above is for the lowest level, "Business" premium. You can be charged as much as $100 monthly for the "Executive" account. But if you're like me, even an extra monthly outlay of $20 sounds like a lot, and there'd better be compelling reasons for the investment. With the Business account, you get an additional dozen features unavailable for free accounts. There are three that stand out as valuable for lawyers. First is the ability to contact anyone with InMail, with a guaranteed response. Westrup used InMail to contact IBM's CIO and ask if he'd like to participate in an expert virtual panel. She personalized it so it didn't read like a sales pitch. She explained what's in it for both of them. Moreover, she noted that they're both members of two of the same industry groups on LinkedIn. It was something they had in common, and she'd posted communiques within those groups that she believes have bolstered her credibility. While he ultimately declined, he did send his second-in-command for the panel. Attorney Eric Raskopf also said he has used InMail to expand his network. For example, he sent an InMail to a speaker at a conference the day after the event. Before connecting, the two met over lunch, discussed what they had to offer and determined it was a mutually beneficial affiliation. He said the critical components were a well-written InMail and offering to meet in person. While most of Raskopf's connections have been made by direct interactions, a sizeable amount was fostered by InMail. Almost all of his InMails have gotten responses, he said. And, LinkedIn gave him credit for the InMails that went unanswered, in the form of additional InMails. Raskopf's network went from about 100 to 280 contacts in a few months time, he said. InMail is an effective way to reach out to someone, said West Des Moines lawyer Bret Dublinske, another premium account holder, because it's not just a random email that might get stuck in a spam filter. The recipient can see your profile and credentials immediately -- as opposed to having to spell out in a "cold" email why you should be taken seriously, if the reader even gets that far. The second useful premium account feature is access to someone's full profile, subject to whatever privacy settings they've put in place. This is useful for research. Many attorneys regularly "CCAP" prospective clients, Raskopf said -- referring to the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access public records' website ("CCAP" is a verb for Wisconsin lawyers now, like "Google" is for everybody). Consider LinkedIn for similar purposes, he said. Importantly, with a premium account, you can see someone's complete profile and not just the abbreviated "public profile" that's available to anyone. Along these lines, Daniel Finerty, a Milwaukee employment lawyer, said attorneys in his practice area on both sides can benefit from LinkedIn Premium to see someone's full profile including their connections, status updates, changes to the profile, etc. He used to have to send discovery requests seeking such information. Dublinske also finds the full profiles extremely useful when he's searching for potential co-counsel in other states, or to see who he's really up against with regard to opposing counsel. A third premium feature that might be appealing to lawyers is the ability to see who's been looking at your profile. With a free account, LinkedIn will tell you how many times someone has viewed it, and will tell you a viewer's industry and location, but not his identity. It's just human to be curious about who's been checking you out. Was it that former suitor who dumped me 20 years ago and is now deeply regretting it? But it goes beyond satisfying curiosity. Dublinske said if you know someone's looked at your profile that might very well change the dynamic of your next direct interaction with that person. When I interviewed him, for example, he said he'd noticed that I'd read his profile. (I'm assuming he checked out mine, too, to make sure I was legit.) Moreover, this feature tells you which keywords in your profile the searcher used to find you. Finerty said that's valuable in managing your online presence, and knowing what resonates with prospective clients, versus what doesn't. In addition -- and let me emphasize that no one I interviewed told me this -- I'm guessing it's extremely helpful for job hunting. If a prospective employer has looked at my profile, I'm going to push harder with that lead, assuming it's a job I really want. The bottom line To make the most of a premium account, take the time to complete your profile, including a professionally-taken photo and recommendations. If your firm has marketing staff, enlist their help, as well, Westrup said. "A good profile will help people searching for attorneys know what your capabilities really are," Finerty said. And don't just invest time upfront in your profile; commit to the site and make the most of your account. But it's not for everyone, Westrup noted. She recommended that the most social-media savvy member of each practice team try a premium account. He or she will likely take the time to experiment with its features, and can be tapped by others when the premium features can help the group. Or, if money's really tight, just sign on for a month here and there, as needed -- although Westrup believes that once you really get into using the premium features, you won't easily give them up. Finally, think of LinkedIn and LinkedIn Premium as one of many tools. Effective marketing still requires powering down the computer occasionally to attend functions, speak publicly, etc. "It's rare to create a solid business relationship by online exchanges only," Finerty said. "LinkedIn is not a large part of my marketing practice, but it has opened some doors." Published: Thu, Jul 14, 2011