How Lawyers Can Grow Their Practice With Instagram
I’ve mentioned many times how Instagram is one of my favorite social media platforms and one of my best legal marketing channels.There is so much untapped potential for lawyers on Instagram if they are willing to learn how to use it effectively.
Why Solo Lawyers Should Use Instagram
Solo Lawyer Should Use Instagram To Build Credibility, Trust, And Brand Awareness
As solo’s we are our brand and a platform like Instagram allows followers to see the person behind the business. People are more likely to hire services providers that they know and trust and using Instagram effectively will lead followers to feel like they know you.It’s also another way to put your brand out there. Being active on any social media platform puts your brand in front of new people who may otherwise have never heard of you.
Solo Lawyers Should Use Instagram To Attract Leads.
Social media is a great way to attract new clients, and Instagram is no exception. These days when people need to hire a professional they ask their friends and family or search online. Sites like Instagram are search engines within themselves.
Law Firm Instagram Marketing Tips
Don’t Be Overly Promotional
The key to lawyer success on Instagram is to be interesting. The most popular posts either educate or entertain and screaming “hire me” is neither educational or entertaining. And when you do share a promotional post make sure it is interesting and visually appealing.I use Canva to design most of my Instagram posts but you can also use InDesign, Pic Monkey or whatever other tool you feel comfortable with.Many people post stock photos on Instagram. While using a stock photo as a background to a quote may work well, using a stock photo alone may cause followers to skip over the post since they have seen that photo many times. Try your best to keep it original.
Get Personal
Occasionally include a post about your daily life. Post pictures of your day at the office, any charitable activities your firm is involved in, and even how you like to relax after a long day. People connect with people and showing who you are as a person will make you more appealing.
Post regularly
This is one of the most important tips. I post 2-3 times a day, but if you want to stay relevant and build a following you should post at least once a day. Since the new algorithm I’ve noticed a greater increase in daily new followers when I post at least twice a day.Test out the best time of day to post. If you have a business account, your analytics will show you what times your followers engage the most. For my accounts, I’ve found that motivational posts work best in the morning, information or day in the life type posts work best mid-day, and relationship quotes and funny memes get the most engagement at night.
Engage your followers and those you want to become followers
Ask questions and your posts and try to respond to any comments.Instagram is not a one-way street. You have to follow others and engage with their posts also. If you leave a meaningful comment, many people return the favor. I’ve made many great connections by simply engaging with a post.
Use hashtags to maximize your exposure
With the new algorithm, the easiest way to attract new followers is utilizing hashtags. You can add up to 30 hashtags to a post and you should use as many relevant hashtags as possible.Use hashtags that are relevant to your practice area and words or phrases that people would use to search for your type of service. I get the most hits for #familylaw #familylawyer #divorce #coparenting #childcusody. I also get a lot of lawyer follower by using #lawyerlife #lawyerproblems.You can also grab new followers by using trending hashtags. For example, for the month of October, I used #domesticviolenceawareness since it is domestic violence awareness month. I posted about domestic violence and got a bump in followers and two consultations from people searching Instagram for that specific term.
Share Exclusive Content
Share content that you have not shared on your other social media accounts. Give people a reason to follow you on multiple platforms by sharing different information on each. I occasionally share IG posts on Facebook, but not every post.
Don’t Give Legal Advice
While it’s perfectly ethical to share legal information, be careful to avoid sharing legal advice. People will ask legal questions in comments. Gently tell them how they can contact you to set up a consultation for more information. I usually respond to these comments through direct message.
Monitor and Adjust
Continuously adjust and improve. If a certain hashtag sends you spam bot comments, stop using it. If you don’t get enough engagement with a certain type of post, try something new. If you engagements plateaus try new hashtags or posting at different times.If you never adjust, you’ll never improve.Are you on Instagram? Drop your profile on our Facebook page. Or follow Modern Solo and Joleena Louis Law on Instagram.