Instagram Marketing for Lawyers

The goal of this chapter is to explain the importance of Instagram marketing for law firms. More to the point, we will discuss why you should be using Instagram for your firm. Whether you are located in New York City, Kalamazoo, or Anytown USA, you need to create a solid presence on Instagram and other social media platforms.

Additionally, this chapter will address various strategies and tactics to use for your Instagram marketing campaigns and how to maximize the potential of your Instagram account. The better you understand how Instagram can gain your law firm new clients, the more seriously you will take your social media marketing efforts — and the more likely your law firm will enjoy the fruits of those marketing successes.

Before there was Instagram, there was Facebook. Many people considered it to be the undisputed champion when it came to social media marketing. They thought no one would ever come close to this media goliath for exposure and marketing results. When Instagram came onto the scene, many marketers underestimated its potential to rival, and eventually unseat, Facebook. It has done just that. Businesses that fail to see the potential of marketing on Instagram are getting left behind by those who have had the foresight to jump into the pool early.

Currently, 25 million businesses use Instagram to market their goods and services to the more than 800 million people who use Instagram each month. Just imagine the exposure, not to mention the pool of potential new clients, your law firm is missing if your firm isn’t among the millions of businesses and entrepreneurs in the world taking advantage of the opportunities Instagram represents.

Your first step is to obtain a business account for your law firm’s Instagram efforts. Once you’ve obtained a business account, you can begin researching Instagram and creating content for your Instagram page. Even within this process, though, there are certain steps you’ll want to take to maximize the potential success of your law firm’s Instagram presence. If you plan to use this social media platform as part of your law firm marketing strategy, you need to have a plan for success from the beginning.

Make a business profile

Your Instagram profile tells the world who you are as a law firm and an attorney. Whether you’re a one-attorney practice or a law firm with several lawyers and multiple practice areas, your profile will tell your audience who the attorneys in your firm are, the legal areas in which you practice, and the geographic areas you represent. That helps you build a local audience of people who might turn to you for legal advice, representation, and other services you offer.

Create content

By now, you probably understand the important role of content marketing for your law firm. From websites to blog posts, content marketing remains the undisputed king of SEO, or search engine optimization. That also holds true when it comes to Instagram and other social media platforms. Without content, there is nothing to build upon. The key is to create appealing content that gets attention and adds value to the conversation.

Don’t overlook the importance of current events, breaking news, and general public opinion to help you develop content ideas that will appeal to your target audience. More importantly, don’t overlook the medium that Instagram represents. You don’t need to write a book to grab your audience’s attention. While Instagram stories are important, the average Instagram users appreciate the visual appeal of Instagram. Your content should employ graphics and images to take advantage of the medium.

One of the great things about Instagram is that it allows you to shine as a thought leader within the legal industry with well-placed and knowledgeable content. Don’t be overly promotional, though, as that could turn your audience away and cost you potential connections and conversions.

Use hashtags

Whether you use TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, hashtags can play critical roles in the success and visibility of your content. The beauty of hashtags is that they offer brief snippets of information to attract readers to your content. They allow you to assign a category to your content so that people looking for that specific topic or information can find you quickly and easily based on the hashtag. More importantly, they can be essential tools for expanding the reach of your content beyond those who are subscribed to you since the hashtag acts as a direct link to your content. Anyone who clicks on the hashtag can jump directly to your post so that more people see your content.

For instance, the hashtag “#familylaw” yields 564,963 posts, while “#divorcelawyer” has 165,189 results. In other words, research and use hashtags wisely to get the greatest possible visibility. Even better, you can use multiple hashtags to broaden the reach of individual posts.

Stay consistent

Consistency is the key to all things. It is especially essential when advertising online. You can’t go on a diet for one day and expect to lose weight forever. A single Instagram post will not deliver significant results for your law firm‘s marketing goals. It takes consistent effort to get consistent results.

Sometimes you have to make the painful decision of quality or quantity. Instagram allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds by creating and posting abundantly with a healthy mix of quality information and promotional content.

You risk turning your audience off if your Instagram feed is overly promotional. However, a healthy dose of promotion is tolerated well by the younger Instagram audience that expects to see some self-promotion mixed in with informative content from businesses.

That doesn’t mean you want to create inferior content for your Instagram feed. After all, this feed represents your law firm to the world. It simply means that you can have a mix of light-hearted and fun content, some promotional content, and the quality content you want to present to the world to position yourself and your firm as a thought leader in your area of expertise.

Content comes in many forms, and every Instagram strategy for marketing law firms begins with creating consistently outstanding, high-quality content. The good news is that Instagram is a platform that allows you to use and link to a wide variety of content, including podcasts and live streaming, YouTube videos, and written content — including blog posts, images, cartoons, infographics, and more.

You must create a strategy that involves using multiple forms of content and interlinking between social media platforms to maximize the potential of your Instagram marketing. These are a few key steps to include when building your Instagram strategy.

Conduct thorough research

The better you understand your topic, the more likely you are to come across as a thought leader within your industry. It doesn’t matter what area of law you practice. You want your law firm to be the “go-to” in your specialty areas. This means you must produce well-presented and accurate information for your audience. Don’t forget to research breaking news, court decisions, and compelling headlines to develop ideas for new content. Do your homework to ensure you’re bringing the most recent case laws and precedents to your audience’s attention.

Identify your target audience

Know your target audience. It is one of the most important rules of advertising. You can’t create content designed to appeal to your target audience if you don’t have a clear idea of who you’re targeting. Your Instagram feed isn’t a place to throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks. You need to create targeted and compelling content tailored to the people most likely to need the services your law firm offers.

Include compelling photos and videos

Because Instagram is a largely visual medium in social media marketing, it is important to use photos and videos that attract attention. You have seconds to make your content stand out among millions of other posts made daily on Instagram. If the images you present to your audience do not reach out and capture their attention, they will simply keep scrolling, and your message, not to mention your hard work and potential clients, will be missed.

Mistakes to avoid

There are a few key mistakes you’ll want to avoid when creating content and building a following for your Instagram page. These are some of the most important mistakes to avoid with your Instagram marketing.

• Spam content. It simply isn’t worth the potential consequences to your law firm’s reputation.
• Buying followers. Purchased followers aren’t potential clients for your business. They are simply business expenses that rarely offer a positive return on investment for your legal practice.
• Using low-quality content. Content marketing relies on offering quality content to your audience. Low-quality content will turn away potential customers and could damage your firm’s reputation.

Ethics is one of the most important aspects of social media marketing and must be front and center when using Instagram for your law firm marketing initiatives. Use hashtags, but be mindful when doing so. Create quality content, whether written content, videos, or images. This means no low-quality written content, photographs, or videos representing your firm.

You should be careful to follow ABA guidelines on law firm advertising. This includes restrictions on comparative language, guaranteed results, and claims of expertise. Check with your state bar to see if there are any state-level regulations that you need to follow as well.

Make content. Find your crowd. Grow your business.

Instagram can be instrumental in helping you grow your law firm’s reach and reputation. It can also help you expand your customer base. For some busy legal practices, though, maintaining an Instagram page stocked with fresh content, compelling images, and attention-grabbing videos can be challenging on top of all your other responsibilities. Don’t miss out on the opportunities Instagram represents for your legal marketing needs. Contact Array Digital today by visiting online or calling 757-333-3021, and let us help you find the right audience for your law firm.