How Instagram Can Help You Promote Your Law Firm Online
Attorneys across America are increasingly turning to social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google My Business to market their law firms. There are good reasons for that, too. Social media can be a gold mine for reaching new clients, staying top of mind and networking with peers.
Some platforms don’t get as much attention as they should, though. One such platform is Instagram. For many attorneys, Instagram seems like a silly app for teens and internet celebrities.
But if you know how to take advantage of the unique benefits of Instagram, it can be an excellent addition to your online marketing strategy. Instagram is especially useful for:
- Speaking directly to your target audience
- Connecting with prospects
- Demonstrating your expertise
- Keeping in touch with peers
- Staying top-of-mind with potential clients and referrers
- Humanizing yourself
Here are some of the best ways you can use Instagram to promote your law firm online.
What Is Instagram?
Let’s start with a quick overview of what exactly Instagram is.
Instagram is a free social media platform where users can share photos and videos with their friends, followers, and the public at large. You can also comment on other users’ posts or send direct private messages.
It has a lot of similarities to other platforms, like Facebook or Twitter, but with more focus on visual content than most.
And in terms of popularity, Instagram is the second biggest platform, after Facebook. According to Pew Research, Instagram is the third most popular social media network in America, with 40% of U.S. adults using it. Furthermore, Instagram Business reports that 90% of users worldwide follow at least one business.
Now, Instagram does tend to draw a younger crowd. In fact, a little more than half of all users in the U.S. are 18 to 35 years old.
Depending on the type of law you practice, that could be an advantage. For example, paternity and DUI cases tend to involve young people. We also know that because they are more active, the 20 to 40 demographic is also typically more likely to suffer injuries at work, on the road or at home. If you specialized in those niches, Instagram might be the ideal platform.
But even if you don’t primarily work with young clients, Instagram can still be a great option for marketing your law firm. There are plenty of Instagram users of all ages to go around.
So what features does Instagram have that make it so useful for marketing your law firm? Read on for the highlights.
Catchy Content
On Instagram, your posts will revolve around photos and videos. Fortunately, that kind of visual content is an excellent way to make your law firm stand out from the crowd. You’ll also be able to include captions with your posts, though—up to 2,200 characters each.
To introduce your audience to the details of your law firm, you could upload photos of your staff, offices, or events you’ve attended.
You can also include images appropriate for your area of practice along with relevant content. For example, if your firm focuses on family law, you might post a picture of a happy family having a picnic to grab users’ attention, then use your caption to educate readers on a topic related to your niche.
Alternatively, you can use the photos themselves to provide value and demonstrate expertise by creating useful graphics with:
- Handy tips
- Memorable quotes
- Interesting statistics or facts
- Infographics
- Answers to common questions
Videos can be an even better way to catch your audience’s attention. On Instagram, video posts can’t be longer than a minute, but that limit just helps you cut out any fluff and get right to the point. With modern attention spans getting shorter, your prospects will likely appreciate bite-size advice or insights.
Best of all, you’ll be able to film your videos right from your smartphone without any hassle or extra costs.
For the best results, use a wide variety of posts—photos, graphics, and videos—to keep your followers interested.
Hashtags
Hashtags aren’t just for Twitter anymore. Along with Facebook and YouTube, Instagram has also embraced the hashtag to help users discover content relevant to their interests or needs.
A hashtag is a word or phrase with a pound sign in front of it. When you add a hashtag to a post on Instagram, it will appear in the results of users who search for or follow that topic. This will extend your reach to fresh audiences and increase your brand’s visibility on Instagram.
For example, if you add #injurylaw to your posts, users who follow that topic may see it in their feed.
You can add up to 30 hashtags per post, so there’s plenty of potential for connecting with a wide audience. (However, too many hashtags can look tacky, so don’t go overboard.)
Some other hashtags you might consider using include:
- #law
- #attorney
- #civildefenselaw
- #employementlaw
- #personalinjurylawyer
- #lawyerlife
- #lawyersofinstagram
- #instalawyer
You can also follow topics yourself to stay up-to-date with industry trends and news, grow your professional network, and look for opportunities to join the conversation.
Stories
Instagram Stories are posts that appear online for 24 hours, then vanish. You can arrange multiple posts into a single Story, which users can then click through.
You can use this to post content like:
- Casual, behind-the-scenes glimpses of your office life
- Special announcements
- Time-sensitive information, such as details or reminders about an upcoming webinar, event
Stories can also incorporate music features and polls not available for traditional posts. Polls in particular are a great way to get your audience to engage with your content—all while telling you more about themselves.
Now with tools such as Later and Hootsuite, you can even schedule your stories ahead of time.
Instagram Live
Instagram Live turns your videos into a conversation. By setting up a livestream, you can open a dialogue with viewers to:
- Introduce yourself more personally
- Offer meaningful insights
- Answer questions
- Engage with followers
It works just like a webinar that you can stream right from your mobile device. And once the stream is over, you can save the recording and repost it to your various social media channels as part of a broader content strategy. Also, unlike the 60 second limit for posts and stories, a live video can run up to 60 minutes.
Instagram Reels
One of the most recent features added to Instagram is Reels, inspired by the success of TikTok. With Instagram Reels, you can create 15-second videos with creative audio and visual effects to enhance your message.
Instagram Reels may not be suited for every law firm, and it definitely requires some outside-the-box thinking, but depending on your legal niche, it could be perfect for developing your brand voice and separating yourself from the pack.
After all, several law firms have already gone viral by marketing themselves on TikTok. Maybe a similar format is just what your practice needs to shine!
Is Instagram the Right Choice for Your Law Firm?
With its active community and emphasis on snappy visual content, Instagram is quickly becoming the secret weapon in many attorney’s internet marketing strategies. When used properly, it can help you increase brand awareness, attract prospects, and engage your target audience.
Of course, getting the most out of Instagram takes planning and effort. If you’d rather let someone manage your law firm’s Instagram—along with any other social media platforms—we’d be happy to help.
At Let America Know, we give trial attorneys expert support for their social media and email campaigns. That way, they can focus their time and energy on serving their clients.
Just contact us, and we’ll get to work expanding your outreach online.
Click here to learn more about our done-for-you social media program.