To set up a business account on Instagram for your law firm, if you haven’t already, you will need to download the Instagram app from the App Store, Google Play, or Microsoft Store on your mobile device. You can create a new account using your Facebook account, phone number, or email address.
A survey performed by Attorney at Work found that 25% of lawyers use Instagram regularly for marketing. Aside from that data, formal research on law firm use of Instagram is not readily available. So we wanted to figure out how attorneys are using the platform to build their brands and engage with potential clients.
IGTV is Instagram’s solution to Instagram creators and businesses that want to create longer videos outside of Instagram Live Stories. IGTV allows you to upload up to 15 minutes of video from your mobile device and up to 60 minutes of video from a web browser. Videos for IGTV must be 720p and 30fps.
Instagram Stories are photos and videos that you can share throughout the day in a vertical, slideshow format. Unlike regular photo and video posts, these do not appear in the regular Instagram newsfeed or in the grid on your Instagram profile.
To customize your Instagram profile, tap on your profile icon in the Instagram app and tap on the Edit Profile link. To upload or change your profile photo, tap on your profile photo or the placeholder image and upload a photo that is at least 180px by 180px.
The best way to make a great first impression with your law firm’s brand on Instagram is to customize your Instagram profile and publish a few great posts before you begin to connect with your target audience. To customize your Instagram profile, tap on your profile icon in the Instagram app and tap on the Edit Profile link.
Hundreds of lawyers and law firms in the US have active Instagram accounts – many have at least 1,000 followers. Over half of the top 20 law firms in the US use Instagram. Some law firms have over 10k followers with large levels of engagement.
Instagram will allow you to show what you do as a lawyer (both in law and in life) in a visual way. The ‘what’ do I post is a loaded question but I think it is easier sometimes to work out what we shouldn’t post than what we should!
Instagram is perfect for showing the behind the scenes of your firm. If this is a platform you have never touched before then spend some time hunting around to get a sense of the images and accounts that you are naturally attracted to.
Hashtags- your Instagram search friend! If you are going to use Instagram to grow and connect you need to use hashtags and thankfully they are easy to understand. Hashtags are really just a ‘key word search’ option. When I post on Instagram I use 3-4 hashtags in the image description that relate to my image.
This is entirely up to you- but whatever you choose, be consistent. I aim for once daily but I have heard other Instagram experts say 3-4 times a day! Between running a business, being a lawyer and generally trying to live your life I am going to imagine that coming up with 4 well considered images each day for your Instagram account will fast become a barrier to entry. Whether you post once a day or once a week, the key is to be consistent so start as you intend to finish.
Use your profile link wisely! Your profile is the only place on Instagram that you can ‘hyper-link’ to your website- as such you want to be updating that link all the time. If you are blogging, running events or even promoting a team member or new role at your firm you want to be updating the link in your profile each time so that it is easy for your audience to go straight to the content you are directing them to.
How do you want your law firm to be perceived? Like Facebook, Instagram can be used to humanize your law firm. Sharing behind-the-scenes visuals of your office or doing short bios of lawyers can help potential clients trust your firm and gain an understanding of your company culture.
There is a misconception that Instagram quotes are only used in a content calendar to ‘fill the gaps’ on your schedule. In truth, they help achieve much more than that. First of all, people love motivational quotes. Such content is short, witty, eye-catching, and can be very relatable to help everyone find much-needed inspiration and positivity.
Therefore, it’s important to always include a few relevant hashtags in each caption. This will allow more users to see your post and you won’t feel like you’re just shouting into the void of the internet.
Instagram Stories have a slideshow format and are only live for 24-hours (though they can be added to your profile as highlights, showing up on your profile even after the original Story disappears). When your law firm is planning to use Instagram Stories, consider using a mix of images and videos.
By sharing relevant quotes (of your own attorneys or thought leaders) to motivate your followers, you boost engagement and encourage them to share your content with their friends. There’s no better way to talk about your firm by letting your employees share their thoughts.
Instagram is the go-to place for over 1 billion people to share their photos, videos, and stories every single day. And as Instagram has grown over recent years, that’s left many lawyers and legal marketers with one very important question: How can we use Instagram to grow our law firm?
Without taking a step back and analyzing what’s working and what’s not, marketing becomes a guessing game. You can read all the articles in the world about the best practices, but you will only find out what works for your audience through testing and measuring results.
Recruitment: Law firms can use Instagram to recruit lawyer talent.
When incorporated effectively, a law firm's use of Instagram can achieve successful goals. It can portray a firm engaged in the community, forward-thinking in its approach to problems, and knowledgeable in its area of the law. The result can be more engagement from clients and potential clients, more users turning to the firm for legal services, and new lawyers expressing interest in joining the firm.
Instagram is a mobile application that allows a user to capture and edit photographs or videos on a tablet or smartphone. A user can share photos or videos on Instagram and other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter. Users can follow what other people post, or they can send private posts to select users. Businesses, including law firms, can use Instagram to promote themselves and gain customers or clients.
Facebook account: If a law firm does not have a business Facebook account, the firm should set one up. Instagram app: A mobile app is used to post on Instagram. Users with iPhones go to the App Store, while Android users head to Google Play Store. Instagram account: Create an account using the law firm's email address.
Community commitment: Law firms can get followers by posting videos and photos of involvement in the community and with charitable causes. The posts may show lawyers in the firm participating in walks or donating their time to legal clinics.
Using emojis is a way to showcase the firm's personality. A law firm can share tips to get Instagram users interested in its services. The firm can discuss hot button legal topics, emerging issues or recent changes in the law. Culture: A law firm can use videos and photos to give a glimpse of life at the firm.
Engaged users. What makes Instagram so valuable is its high engagement rate among users. Instagram outpaces Facebook and Twitter in median engagement across all industries.
Instagram is a robust social media platform that if used correctly could help your law firm grow.
There are 600 million people on Instagram, that means that anything you post could be seen by millions or lost in the chaos. That’s why it’s important that you post engaging content that people want to see. Here are a few tips on what makes content valuable:
Instagram is fueled by hashtags because that’s how videos and photos are are categorized. It’s a good idea to begin with at least a few hashtags that are location specific. For example: #newyorklitigation or #losangelesfamilylaw.
Millenials are only becoming more and more important to law firms because this group holds the next generation of lawyers. For this reason, Instagram for law firms is a way to attract and recruit top talent.
Greenberg Traurig’s Instagram is multifaceted. This law firm again focuses on their lawyers and summer associates (even taking advantage of the platform’s popular stories feature), but they also showcase their involvement in industry conferences and the community. By sharing their summer associates’ experiences they’re able to attract other Millenials looking to get their start at a major law firm.
Rather than promoting their employees directly, they promote their attorney’s photographs! Instagram is perhaps the most visual social network and Norton Rose Fulbright’s account exemplifies this. From the top of Sacre Coeur Basilica in Paris to a brightly colored rainforest in Costa Rica, this law firm’s beautiful photography engages its 1,800+ followers successfully.