personal branding

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Right now, online networking is the most important tool we have to stay top of mind with clients, prospects, employees, alumni, the media, recruits and others who are interested in updates about your company and its people.

Please always remember that now more than ever, it’s what you say and how you say it that is so important in how your company will be viewed in the market.

This is the time to invest in enhancing and maximizing your LinkedIn company page as well as trying to grow and delight your followers. Doing so can lead to greater brand recognition, enhanced market position and new business opportunities.

In many ways, your LinkedIn company page is a second company web site, and as LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network where many people go directly for information and research, it may be even more important than your actual web site.

Your company page gives you a platform to post information about what you do and promote important news, insights, events and services. It’s one of the most powerful online marketing tools for companies of any size if you consistently post and engage with your followers.

In order to maximize your LinkedIn company page, you’ll need to do three things 1) grow your company page followers, 2) drive awareness of your page and 3) post content that helps and educates others.

Regardless of how many followers you have, you have to keep them engaged with helpful posts or they will lose interest in your company and your company won’t appear in their news feed. You can do this by consistently posting helpful, non self-boasting content to provide value to your followers.

Here’s how:

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I read a great article in Social Media Today, which brought to my attention the fact that LinkedIn is providing free mindfulness courses on its LinkedIn Learning platform to help individuals cope with the coronavirus and the isolation many of us are feeling. I wanted to pass along this information to you as I know I could sure use some extra tips on how to practice mindfulness, calm my anxiety and stress levels and be more, well, myself again. Stay safe.

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I know so many of you feel out of sorts right now. Me, too. Our daily routines have been thrown a huge curveball, but this is not the time to…

Alexis Robertson is the next Woman Who Wows. I met Alexis through LinkedIn and have admired her thoughtful posts. It’s another reason why online networking is so important – she lives in Chicago and I live in NYC but I feel very connected to her.

She is currently the director of diversity & inclusion for Foley & Lardner LLP where she provides firm-wide strategic direction and oversight on all diversity and inclusion related matters.

Alexis joined Foley from Baker McKenzie, where she was North America manager of Diversity & Inclusion. Prior to joining Baker McKenzie, Alexis spent two years as a Legal Recruiting Director for The Partners Group where she focused on placing diverse attorneys with law firms and corporations.

Alexis earned her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and practiced with Kirkland & Ellis and Seyfarth Shaw following graduation. She earned her undergraduate degree from the American University in Washington, D.C.

Learn more about her.

I asked Orange County-based Gia Altreche to be part of the Women Who Wow series because she is a leader in the legal marketing industry and an advocate for the profession and diversity & inclusion. Gia is the Director of Business Development and Marketing at Newmeyer & Dillion LLP and serves as co-chair of the Legal Marketing Association’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee and Shared Interest Group. Learn more about her below.

Why did you choose your profession?

Technically it chose me. It was during a post-college adventure to find a marriage between the legal field (initially intending to go to law school), and human communication (a love I found in my last year in college, which slightly derailed the initial focus) that ended with my resume miraculously in the hands of my now mentor, who was the Head of Business Development & Marketing at a major law firm in Phoenix, AZ. Talk about the power of networking!

At the time, I didn’t know legal marketing existed, but quickly learned it offered access to both play a role in advocating for my community, while continuing to study and nurture the role of human connection in business. Plus, being surrounded by the crème of the crop legal minds across a variety of industries, seeking out continuous education on the ever evolving role and how I could support their efforts was greatly satisfying. Learn more about her and her career path below.

Homework

When I speak at conferences or conduct client trainings, I usually end my presentations with “homework” for attendees. While not actually required, I always suggest that attendees take the time to do these to-do items, because I always want to leave attendees with actionable takeaways they can implement right away to enhance their business and brand.

I know so many of you feel out of sorts right now (that includes me). Our daily routines have been thrown a huge curveball and staying home is our job right now to keep ourselves and others safe against the spread of the coronavirus.

That being said, this is not the time to stop marketing yourself or your firm. In fact, you want to be top of mind, and you can easily do that through the many online channels available to us – with LinkedIn being the most powerful social platform to build professional relationships. The key is to be helpful, non-boastful and to provide value-added content and information.

I am seeing the lines between our personal and professional lives become blurrier by the day as many of us want to be more connected to people in general. This may result in you receiving friend requests on Facebook and follow requests on Instagram from colleagues and clients – it’s up to you how you want to handle these but please always exercise caution with what you post on any social media platform, and stay away from discussing politics and religion.

In case you are looking for some “homework” in the marketing and business development area, here are a few ideas to keep you busy. Reach out to me with any questions.