How To Use Instagram To Gain More Clients For Your Law Firm!

For years, attorneys have used social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin to build their businesses, but Instagram is another potent social media tool that claims over one billion active users. In the past, law firms have overlooked Instagram, but since the number of adult users has increased, more law firms are discovering its advantages. Using Instagram, some law firms have thousands of followers and high levels of engagement, and many lawyers agree that Instagram is an essential part of their online?social media marketing strategy. ?If your law firm has ignored Instagram in the past, it is time to take another look at?Instagram for lawyers,?and catch the marketing benefits your competitors are enjoying.?

Benefits of?Instagram for Lawyers

As a social sharing app that is ideal for mobile devices, Instagram has powerful potential for attorneys. Law firms can use Instagram to share about their services, but also to accomplish other goals, such as:

• Recruiting new team members
• Building a brand and social presence
• Capturing the attention of prospective clients
• Staying connected with past clients

How to Get Started with?Instagram for Lawyers

Get Acquainted with Instagram

Before you set up your law firm’s account on Instagram, download the Instagram app on your mobile device and create an account for yourself. This is an ideal way to become familiar with Instagram, get into the shoes of your potential clients, and see how other businesses market themselves. Seek out Instagram accounts that capture your attention, follow local venues where you have connections, and click to follow law firms located around the country, whose posts inspire you. These steps will educate you about Instagram before you create an account for your law firm, and this introduction will help you create future posts that can draw visitors.?

Set Up a Business Instagram Account

You can create a new business Instagram account using your Facebook account, email address or phone number; keep in mind that your account name should match your username on your other social media business accounts.?

Customize Your Profile

Instagram will prompt you to find people and businesses to follow, but before this, it is important to thoroughly complete your profile and add important details. To make the ideal first impression, make sure your profile reflects your law firm accurately. Tap the profile icon and the link to edit your profile. Add your law firm website URL, and insert your company logo as your profile photo. Next, there is a place to add a 150-character law firm description or tagline, or you can also use this spot to place a disclaimer about legal advice, typical results or advertising.?

Add Details?

Now you can add law firm contact information to your profile, and after following prompts, a contact button will pop up on your profile, making it easy for any visitors to contact you by phone or email. If you add your location address, visitors can tap to get directions to your law firm.

Link Instagram to Your Facebook Page

When you link your new Instagram account to your established Facebook page, helpful items such as your About Page, business category, website and contact information is shared with your Instagram business account.?

Instagram for Lawyers:?10 Ideas to Start Posting

You have completed a detailed profile, attached your logo and contact information…now what? It is time to create posts, and Instagram makes it easy. In fact, this may be what makes Instagram smooth for law firms and any other business who wants to create awareness through social media. You do not necessarily need a long piece of content to create an Instagram post, because a quality photo with concise captioning works better for Instagram than a large block of text.?Occasionally, you may want to add video components and multiple photos, but for now, just start posting photos — and here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Introduce your team members and your law firm.
2. Be aware of current events and offer advice that will encourage your local community: “Stay Safe, Duluth.”
3. Seek out community events to sponsor and record your involvement on an Instagram post.
4. Exhibit quotes by famous individuals, such as authors and philosophers. Include an embedded graphic of your law firm logo, so it will be spread around when others share your post.
5. Celebrate the victories and awards generated at your law firm.
6. Allow visitors to peek in at behind the scenes footage taking place at your office.
7. Share?client testimonials.
8. Give updates about legal issues and cases that are gathering media attention.
9. Display key facts about the services your law firm provides like “Did You Know?” spotlights.?
10. Offer simple definitions of common legal terms.

Instagram for Lawyers:?7 Helpful Tips

Although it is easy to jump in to Instagram, start posting and gain a few followers, you will gradually notice what is effective, contrasted with what can be annoying on Instagram. Here are seven key tips to avoid common hazards:

Stay Professional

Be warm, be personable, but always stay professional. On Instagram, this means presenting your law firm as a legitimate, responsible and trustworthy business. Do not overload on hashtags; just keep things simple. Confirm that your username and account properly reflects your brand and law firm title; avoid nicknames and whimsical taglines.

Engage Personally

Strangely enough, it can be easy to forget why you dove into social media. The ultimate goal is not simply to share content, but to reach potential clients. So make sure that every comment from a visitor receives a “like” or a return comment. Confirm that anyone who visits your profile can effortlessly contact you by phone or email — no broken links or misplaced URLs, please.?

Share Quality Videos

According to data, consumers are hungry for mobile video, and its use is rising 100% annually. Instagram is designed for mobile users, so it is perfect for?video sharing .?Instagram for lawyers?is a great way to show video footage of you addressing a key legal topic, or commenting on a recent news story. Videos can start with a quick share of the most essential information to grab the user’s attention, and you can share longer videos through Instagram TV (IGTV). Unless you have an extremely fascinating story to retell, it is ideal to keep video length two or three minutes long. Be sure to offer the best video quality possible, using proper lighting, audio and a tripod. Using a professional video marketing company may be a good investment, because your top-quality videos can be shared on your website and other social media platforms.?

Be Timely

Display school safety reminders in August, and information about family gatherings in December. Besides following the calendar, stay aware of current events, weather, and regional news, because these situations can inspire new post ideas. Do not post too often, or your followers may abandon you. Schedule your law firm Instagram posts using a scheduling software, such as?SmarterQueue ?(<–my preference!?affiliate link)?What is the perfect post amount? Businesses with a smaller, local audience should share between one and two photos per day. Top Instagram brands post?no more than 1.5 times per day. ?

Let Former Clients Speak For You

The impact of online reviews tell us that consumers trust the opinion of their peers, so let your happy clients speak on behalf of your law firm. Posting positive client testimonials can put potential clients at ease, and these stories are perfect to display on Instagram. If you have gathered a bunch of 5-star reviews, you can arrange these and post them. Consider asking a recent client to give a video testimonial or provide a photo with a concise, captioned story of their experience with your law firm.?

General Tips, Not Specific Advice

Many attorneys are fearful of giving out free legal advice via social media, but offering general tips on social media is normal, and can provide motivation to contact your law firm. Steer clear of specific legal advice and stick to general information. If visitors are messaging you the same questions repeatedly, it may be wise to create a post answering these FAQs.

Use Instagram Ads

It will take time to build up an Instagram following for your law firm, and possibly months of consistent posting to reap any solid benefits. One way to speed up the usefulness of Instagram by purchasing its affordable advertising. On your account page, there is a button marked “promotions” and here you can choose one of your posts to promote, and designate where to send individuals who click on your ad.??

Monitor Your Social Media Reputation

Keep a close eye on your Instagram account (and all of your social media accounts) to consistently monitor your law firm’s reputation. In addition to visitor messages and comments, you can practice “social listening” by searching blogs and online review sites. Social listening tools will run web searches and keep you informed about any chatter referencing your law firm, and some of these companies include: Brand24, Buffer, Keyhole, Hootsuite, BuzzSumo, and HubSpot.?

Bottom Line: Should Lawyers Have Instagram?

Many lawyers overlook Instagram due to it being a primarily visual medium, which is not always compatible with the law. Those who do this risk losing many prospective clients, as this is a crucial social media marketing tool that can provide brands with access to millions of potential customers. In the U.S. alone, the number of adults using Instagram increased by 9% in the last decade, according to?Pew Research Center . This suggests the importance of diverting more of a law firm’s marketing efforts to this social space, and while Instagram for lawyers might be an unusual thing to consider for some firms, it can be an effective way of gaining new clients and demonstrating a firm’s culture and legal services offering.

Should a Law Firm Have an Instagram Account?

Having an Instagram account is highly beneficial for law firms, as Instagram gains hundreds of millions of visitors daily, many of whom typically visit business profiles. Before using a law firm’s services, many potential clients may want to view their social media channels, including their Instagram profile, to see what the firm is like and to learn more about what the firm can offer. Seeing as many lawyers do not use Instagram, setting up an Instagram account for your law firm can be an effective way of distinguishing your firm in its field. Moreover, if your firm has a young client base, using Instagram is even more crucial, as almost three-quarters of the social network’s users are young adults.

How Do Law Firms Use Instagram?

Below are some of the ways that law firms use Instagram.

Develop a Law Firm’s Brand

Instagram for lawyers primarily enables law firms to develop their brands. This involves using posted videos and photos to demonstrate the firm’s personality. Doing this allows prospective clients to learn more about firms and to imagine what it might be like to work with them. Typically, law firms use Instagram to share personal stories concerning their lawyers and clients, provide insights on legal developments, and outline circumstances when individuals can benefit from seeking legal services.

Hire Top Talent

Some law firms use Instagram to hire new lawyers. Seeing as most people who use Instagram are under 35, this can be a good way of advertising job vacancies for junior positions. By doing this, law firms can demonstrate what the work culture is like to potential new hires through the videos and photos they share. For instance, law firms might share company event videos or demonstrate their commitment to certain causes to entice young lawyers to join their firms.

Demonstrate Community Involvement

Law firms also commonly use Instagram to demonstrate their community involvement, in addition to their contributions to charitable causes. These posts often result in more followers for law firms and extra clients, as many people like working with firms that care about the well-being of others. Some examples of this type of content include video footage of charity walks and photos of lawyers volunteering in legal clinics.

How Law Quill Can Help You With Instagram?

We can help make your law firm stand out on Instagram (....and on Google....and on LinkedIn......and pretty much everywhere). Pinky swear.

If you would like a free marketing strategy session, we would welcome the opportunity to visit with you for free. Consider reaching out to?schedule an appointment today , listen to the?Legal Marketing Lounge podcast , or check out the bestselling book?Click Magnet: The Ultimate Digital Marketing Guide For Law Firms from Amazon today!

Annette Choti, Esq. has over twenty years of combined legal and digital marketing experience. She founded Law Quill, a full-service digital marketing agency for law firms and businesses in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Annette is a sought-after CLE and keynote speaker for Bar Associations and legal events throughout North America. She creates and hosts the?Legal Marketing Lounge?podcast, and is the author of the bestselling book, Click Magnet: The Ultimate Digital Marketing Guide For Law Firms. Annette used to do theatre and professional comedy, which is not so far from the law, if we are all being honest.??