Instagram is one of the leading social media platforms. It has a hip image, and continues to stay cutting edge by utilizing the hottest features offered by Snapchat. These days, it seems like everybody is “doing it for the Gram” (i.e. doing things just to get an Instagram photo and likes out of it. Who doesn’t want likes?). As of June 2017, the social media giant boasts around 700 million active users. Instagram is largely a community of millennials and young people, but the business world continues to break through and find ways to harness its power and exploit its base. There are some general tips that law firms can follow to transform Instagram into a powerful marketing tool, but also some important factors to be taken into consideration.
Instagram itself offers a business blog. This can be a great starting place if you are thinking about developing an account for your firm. Browse through the blog regularly to make sure you are taking advantage of all the newest features and developments. No one wants a stale social media page.
Keep in mind that Instagram is more “image-centric” than other social media platforms. For example, Twitter tends to be more text-based, while Facebook might lend itself more to conveying blog posts and news stories. Many small and solo firms have success posting memes with #hashtags that highlight their local flavor, or funny jokes related to their practice areas. Just consider the overall image you are going for. If you are trying to make a name for yourself as a top-tier appellate practice firm for medium to large corporations, you might want to avoid posting memes. If you are a small Workers’ Compensation law firm in a rust-belt town, clever memes are probably a great way to drum up interest and make your firm likeable. In short, know your audience and go for it.
Be authentic and tell your story. Don’t be afraid to be personal. Shine a light into the day-to-day life of an attorney, secretary, or paralegal at your firm. Instagram can be a great opportunity to make your firm personable and fun. People want to do business with those that they like on a personal level.
If your firm participates in or sponsor’s charity events or other outings (for example a 5K race or benefit dinner), Instagram can be a great spot to show off fun or glamorous photos of that event.
Use hashtags purposefully. There is nothing more #irritating than an Instagram post with 30 hashtags! However, hashtags do serve a purpose. They allow Instagram users to search for images and videos across the network by the hashtagged term. So a carefully dropped “#PittsburghWorkers’CompLawyer” might help get you some exposure without being too obnoxious. Make sure that your hashtag is closely related to your post.
Post regularly, but not too regularly. If you post too often, you risk overexposure and getting deleted from your follower’s feeds. You can’t go wrong posting regular, high quality content. It’s a good idea to generate a posting schedule, and put forward the effort to stick to it.