With about one billion active users globally as of 2022, Instagram has grown in popularity and has become a preferred social networking tool for sharing visual content. While Instagram started as a social network for sharing photos with a personal or “artistic” touch, it has become a strong marketing tool for companies in diverse fields looking to strengthen their brand and increase their marketing opportunities.
Legal firms are no exception in this case. Furthermore, Instagram plays an instrumental role in brand building and recruiting thanks to its ability to showcase legal practice areas and provide information to engage its 157 million U.S users. The platform allows law firms to directly communicate with their audiences and build on their social media presence. However, growing and developing your Instagram law page could take a considerable amount of time and effort. With the help of a reputable company providing law firm marketing services, you can optimize your Instagram page and thereby succeed in your digital marketing campaigns.
Traditionally, Instagram tends to attract younger audiences, but its third-largest audiences are in the age group of 35- 44 years. Moreover, its most popular audience is Hispanic adults (about 51 percent) residing in urban and suburban areas of the United States. Out of the platform’s global users, about 200 million visit at least one business account every day. In fact, these figures point out that this social media platform remains untapped, particularly by lawyers. Generally, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook are considered as the best social media tools to attract clients, but law firms are now beginning to analyze the hidden potential or value of Instagram.
Growing a Law Firm’s Instagram Page – Top Strategies
Simply sharing pictures may not seem like a valuable marketing opportunity from a legal aspect. Rather, it offers a unique platform to create a personal space to introduce or share information about key legal associates and work. When compared to other social media platforms, Instagram can help retain high levels of engagement and reach audiences differently. The hashtags used in this platform allow clients instant access to a legal firm as and when they search for general legal information and advice.
Source: instagram.com/bakertillyus
Based on the legal firm’s specialized area of practice, Instagram allows connecting with clients and marketing their legal firm by posting high-quality, relevant content. Posting top quality photos and videos to images, using trending hashtags and location tagging can make it easier for prospective clients to locate a legal firm easily. As client confidentiality and professional ethics are important aspects, it is important for law firms to make postings carefully. Here discussed are some top strategies and recommendations for using new Instagram account to promote a law firm –
- Identify Target Audience Group: Instagram is a key tool in branding and promoting your law firm to current and future lawyers. Instagram’s young audience is one of their greatest assets in terms of law school recruiting. Future or current law school students fall within Instagram’s primary audience. Examples of advertising that would attract aspiring legal professionals include – involvement with charities, photos/videos that show a day in the life of a lawyer, photos that depict the culture of the firm, participation in community service, and much more. Finding the ideal client profile is key when it comes to targeting the rest of its users. This may include income, age, marital status, interests, etc. The identification of these profiles will help determine the proper content to post and predict how it will be received.
Source: instagram.com/pacittilaw
- Create a Memorable Law Firm Profile: Creating a clear, memorable and complete legal firm profile may help attract more followers. For instance, the law firm’s name should include a keyword to the industry within the first 30 characters allowed as this will make it easier to find in a search. Also, never forget to add a profile image of the legal firm. This can be either the legal firm’s logo or a professional photo of the faces behind the firm. Also, make the Instagram user name the same as that of other social media channels as this will allow followers on other social media platforms to easily locate your law firm’s page. It is important to add a clickable link to Instagram on the website. The clickable link in the profile page can help drive traffic to popular content pages. Therefore, never link it to home page only and change it once or twice a week. The introduction or bio should be within 150 characters which should essentially convey key details about the firm’s unique and distinctive services offered.
Source: instagram.com/dolanlawfirm
- Build a Sense of Community: If the law firm participates in projects benefiting the legal community, Instagram is the perfect platform to demonstrate it. This gives the followers a quick glimpse about the law firm’s culture and demonstrates a positive local community. In case of a larger legal firm, this can be extremely powerful in connecting the business to the regions where the law serves.
- Leverage Recruiting Opportunities: When you tend to demonstrate what happens in a legal office like – the work environment, law firm culture, social commitment and the practice’s ethics – it is like opening the door to new talent to offer a glimpse into what working with a legal firm is like. This can help lateral attorneys and recent graduates better relate to your law firm and envision themselves working as part of the team.
- Showcase the Law Firm’s Culture and Expertise: It is important to make audiences understand what a law firm stands for by sharing team bios, offering Q & As, and adding visuals related to the office and events. These help showcase the human side thereby helping to build trust and understanding.
Instagram is a great tool for sharing advice and quick tips about the law firm’s area of practice and the law in general. Sharing tips and general comments on hypothetical situations and current events can help build a reputation with potential clients looking for answers. This demonstrated expertise may also encourage followers to contact a legal firm in future, if they require any legal assistance. However, it is always important to abide by ethical obligations to ensure client confidentiality and ensure that any piece of content shared does not violate any rules of professional conduct related to jurisdiction.
- Post Exclusive and Engaging Content: By its nature, Instagram is one of the least word-oriented platforms. Rather, it serves to inform through visuals or images – which is a potentially difficult task for some law firms. Keep followers interested by posting audience-relevant, exclusive and engaging content. Enter exclusive images or short videos from events occurring at a law firm (also known as “behind the scenes” content) as this can help humanize a law practice. Learn about testing and Instagram analytics that help publish the right content when required. Get ideas by analyzing popular posts from competitor law firms. As captions enhance visual content, it is better to use captions that explain or create an interest among the target audiences and make the content more memorable and shareable.
- Leverage Video: Even though Instagram is a social platform that focuses on visual content, it is not necessary that all the content posted should be visual. Video content can also be leveraged as this medium allows speaking more directly to target audience group, sharing experiences and posting comments on legal issues. However, Instagram offers multiple ways to share video content with followers and these include –
- Stories: These allow posting short videos (and photos) that will disappear from the network within 24 hours, unless these are added to profile as a story highlight. Story highlights can remain on the profile page indefinitely. Stories stand out because they appear at the top of feeds.
- Reels: Reels allows sharing longer videos that are not considered temporary in the same way that Instagram Stories are.
- IGTV: A great medium for presenting content with longer exposure times, Instagram TV (IGTV) allows uploading videos that can be up to 15 minutes long.
- Live: Instagram Live involves broadcasting live at the exact moment required. This functionality offers a more direct interaction with followers, like question and answer sessions.
Source: instagram.com/dolanlawfirm
- Include Trending Hashtags: Hashtags are used to group common themes and allow users to find more information on topics they are browsing. Hashtags increase the odds that people who are unfamiliar with a specific law firm will come across the content. Always try to include relevant hashtags in the captions as they are more discoverable and the posts remain clutter-free. Normally, up to three primary hashtags are enough in a post, but you can add more in follow-up comments. In the case of law firms, it is better to use hashtags related to their specialized practice areas. Divorce specialists can use hashtags like – (#DivorceAttorneys), location (#DallasLawyers), or even both (#DallasDivorceAttorneys). Hashtags can also be tailored for individual posts.
- Turn Instagram into a Business Account: Instagram users can turn their account into a business account. Accessible through the settings button on the profile page, this feature allows users to track profile visits, impressions, number of bookmarks, and promote the Instagram page by means of a budgeted campaign. In addition, a business account allows the account owner to link their email or phone number so that clients/users may easily reach out.
Instagram’s potential for advertising in the legal field involves a bright future. Proper Instagram usage by law firms and lawyers help in educating a broader group of audience in an informative manner. The above-mentioned strategies can help promote a law firm on Instagram. Furthermore, creating links to Instagram profile from a legal firm website, newsletters, and anywhere else where social platforms get listed, makes it easy for people to follow.
Cross-posting content to other social media platforms helps increase awareness and use paid Instagram ads to gain a broader audience. Finally, if this is too complicated, reaching out for professional help can help to at least get the ball rolling. Social media marketing services provided by a reputable digital marketing agency can help handle all aspects of developing a law firm’s social presence. A professional service provider will design a well-researched Instagram marketing plan that will help a law firm to engage and build their target audience.
