How to Market a Law Firm

Many want to know how to market a law firm on social media. This guide will provide insight on just that. First you will need to setup your profiles and then start utilizing them to maximize your results.

3 Tips For Creating Your Law Firm’s Facebook Page

Does your law firm have a Facebook page yet? If not, here are some tips and tricks to create your Facebook page:

1. Customize Your Page URL

Customizing your Facebook page URL is essential for law firm SEO. If your URL is the generated jumble of numbers Facebook provided, your law firm won’t surface when someone searches for it. Having a customized URL gives your business more credibility and can be taken more seriously. Here are some steps to changing your Facebook Page URL (this can only be done once your Page has 25 or more fans).

Go into your “Page Settings,” click on “Edit Page” and then select “Update Public Info.”

1. Go into your “Page Settings,” click on “Edit Page” and then select “Update Public Info.”
2. Click on “Basic Information” in the left column, and below “Username,” click on “Change Username.”
3. Enter your desired vanity URL. Then click on “Check Availability” to make sure it hasn’t already been taken.
4. If it is available, a box like this will appear — click on “Confirm” to finalize your URL change. Congrats!

2. Choose a thumbnail and a cover that reflects your brand

Images help tremendously in establishing brand. That is why choosing a thumbnail and a cover photo is extremely important because it is a first impression and what a Facebook user can walk away with when visiting your page. Choose a photo that best reflects your services and even a logo (if you have one).

3. Ask people to “Like” your page in Marketing Materials

This one is easy. Before re-ordering a new batch of fliers, brochures, and other law firm marketing material, have the material edited by adding a “Like our Facebook” page somewhere on there and provide a link to your website if it hasn’t already been done. This provides an opportunity for potential clients to learn more about you and allows them to engage with your online community.
Developing and implementing a robust social media campaign for your law firm takes a great deal of time, effort, and know-how. If you’re busy and don’t have the time we offer social media management for your law firm.

**The instructional material on Customize your Page URL is from Mashable.com

How to Market Your Law Firm on Facebook

The Facebook ‘like’ is the beginning of a relationship; a means but not an end. Optimize your law firm’s Facebook page to keep your fans engaged, enhance your law firm’s online presence, and attract more clients by adhering to these guidelines:

Engage your audience

Facebook values quality content and places a premium on a healthy variety of videos, podcasts, informative articles, pictures, and infographics when possible. Simple text posts and links are the least-read and least-engaging among Facebook users. Instead, ask questions on your page about news in your industry and how it affects your followers.

Take advantage of the Facebook’s new features by pinning or highlighting important posts at the top of your timeline so that they still receive attention while you continue to publish status updates. This is especially useful for industries that experience constant changes to government legislation, such as Canadian immigration law.

Contests are Key

Contests can be leveraged to encourage more users to ‘like’ your page, enhance brand awareness as your promotion is shared to your followers’ social networks, and provide you with useful insight about your Facebook audience. Be sure to use a third-party application on Facebook to facilitate contests in accordance with the website’s strict promotion guidelines. Sweepstakes are the easiest to set up and manage and prizes can be sourced by reaching out to professional organizations or businesses related to your practice, for example DUI immigration law can establish connections with Canada’s tourism industry for promotions. Pin your contest information onto your timeline and promote it steadily to optimize the reach of your contest.

Brief is Better

Be concise when publishing your status updates, keeping your posts between 100 and 250 characters. These statuses will be easier to read on mobile screens and catch the attention of your audience. Write your updates with action words as if you were writing a lead or headline and disclose at least one useful tip or something that your audience can take away from your post, for example a statistic.

Use Custom Tabs

Customizable tabs are the first thing Facebook visitors see on your fan page. They can also act as landing pages for your law firm. Applications such as Pagemodo are user-friendly and will help you to customize these tabs without requiring any technical skill. You will be able to divert more traffic to your website, convert your Facebook fans into clients using contact forms, and highlight the best that your law firm has to offer.

FWCanada is a Montreal-based immigration law firm that provides professional legal services on Canadian immigration. For more tips and updates on Canadian immigration, follow FWCanada on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

4 Types of Facebook Posts that Should Be on Your Law Firm’s Social Media Page

If your firm is enthusiastic about lawyer marketing, you’re probably well aware of Facebook’s power. You may be diligently posting on social media multiple times per week (or even several times per day) in an effort to engage your audience including prospects, clients, former clients, and business and press contacts.

When it comes to making an impact on Facebook, there are several types of posts that should be on your law firm’s social media page in order to achieve a high level of engagement and avoid treading water. Read on to discover exactly the kind of content that your firm’s page shouldn’t be without.

1. Videos relevant to your audience.

According to the social media analytics website Socialbakers, videos are the latest Facebook craze. Already a successful media on other social media sites like Vine and YouTube, videos are now seeing increased attorney marketing success on Facebook; Socialbakers’ research determined that between October 2014 and February 2015 alone, video posts achieved an organic reach of nearly 9%.

Consider building videos for your law firm’s social media page centered on the following topics.

Why your attorneys love what they do—a “meet and greet” with your firm’s team
Testimonials from satisfied clients
Educational talks including those done at philanthropic or community events
Question and answer sessions about pressing topics or common issues
Legal commentary on current events

For example, the post to the right is featured on the Facebook page of Mike Morse Law Firm, a personal injury practice located in Southfield, MI, and displays a brief yet touching client testimonial video with one of Mike’s clients. Simple and well-made, it encapsulates the firm’s mission and humanizes the brand, which could push viewers to consult Mike and his team (or at least recommend the practice to others they know).

2. Striking images that portray your brand.

Think about what catches your eye when scrolling through your law firm’s social media feeds—it’s probably the images more than anything else. Include a variety of images alongside engaging text in order to draw attention to your posts. For instance, if your criminal defense law practice represents itself as a compassionate group of attorneys committed to helping people through rough times, photos of the team having fun while hosting free informational seminars throughout the community can be just one vehicle to showcase your firm’s passions, workplace culture, and involvement within the local area.

3. Links to informational content.

This is the perfect opportunity to showcase your firm’s blog posts or links to helpful information hosted elsewhere. Just be sure to include a brief blurb to showcase the informational value to the reader right off the bat, like the Divorce Collaborative LLC (out of Medway, MA) did in the Facebook posts below.

4. Infographics

Readers love infographics because they combine the visual appeal of photos with the informational strength of articles. Additionally, they can showcase your wealth of knowledge in a fun, engaging way and make your law firm’s social media posts stand out from the crowd. Practices that do not possess the resources to craft well-designed infographics should consider reaching out to a marketing partner for assistance.

7 Twitter Mistakes to Avoid When Law Firm Marketing

Many attorneys jump into social media law firm marketing with both feet without really understanding what they are doing.

While this exuberance in embracing a new form of marketing is commendable, attorneys should know that an improperly run Twitter account, Facebook profile, or other social media presence could end up hurting more than helping.

Given the fast-paced and short-formed medium of Twitter, attorneys should be especially careful to avoid certain mistakes. Here is a look at some common rookie mistakes that attorneys make on Twitter:

1. Law Firm Marketing in Every Tweet.

We get that you opened a Twitter account to reach new clients. However, you don’t have to make every Tweet a marketing pitch or rainmaking opportunity. You should offer interesting and insightful content. If you just spam with every Tweet, no one will follow (or care).

2. Tweeting Once a Week.

You may be able to get away with a single blog post a week. However, to be a relevant Tweeter, you should be updating your account more often. The point of Twitter is to offer your thoughts on things that may be affecting your firm, practice area, or life in general.

3. Sharing Private Information.

The opposite of under-Tweeting may be over-Tweeting. You may want to celebrate a recent victory or dish dirt on a particularly nasty client or judge. Just remember that the whole world can see your Tweets.

4. Become Obsessed With Number of Followers.

Many Twitter account holders become fixated on growing their number of followers. As an attorney engaged in law firm marketing, you should be aware that more followers does not necessarily equate to more business. You may want to refine your content to better help you reach potential clients as opposed to the public at large.

5. Not Including a Picture.

If you open a Twitter account, you are already reaching out to the public. Include your picture in your profile. A potential client will want to know what his or her lawyer will look like.

6. Trying to be Hip.

If you crack jokes about Miley Cyrus or other pop culture phenomena, you better know what you are talking about. Otherwise, you may come off as trying to hard or just looking plain foolish.

7. Sending an Update Instead of a Direct Message.

You can send private messages on Twitter. Just be sure that when you send a message that is intended to be private, you send a direct message. We all know the consequences that can happen if you update a private message to the world.

Twitter is a wonderful opportunity for attorneys to reach new clients. However, attorneys must be careful and exercise discretion when using the social media platform. To learn more about law firm marketing and use of social media, contact us to discuss your marketing goals.

Using Embedded Tweets to Boost Your Law Firm’s Website or Blog

In the social media world, accessibility and connectedness reign supreme. Users want responsiveness at the click of a button, particularly when it comes to navigating a law firm’s website or blog. Using embedded Tweets to feature videos, Tweet responses (“retweets”), article summaries, and photos in your website or blog can make your page more interactive, boost your web traffic, and demonstrate that your law firm is “in the know.”

Follow these easy steps to embed Tweets within your law firm’s website or blog.

Locate the “More” button at the bottom right corner of a Tweet and select “Embed this Tweet.”
A dialogue box featuring HTML code should open.
Tweak the code if desired (see below to learn about personalizing Tweet appearance).
Copy the HTML and paste it into the appropriate section of the webpage or blog article.

Personalizing Tweet Appearance

When embedding a Tweet in your law firm’s website or blog, you can customize the Tweet’s appearance to match the style and look of your page or article. For instance, law firms can hide Twitter conversations, adjust the alignment and color of embedded Tweets, and even modify the amount of space that the embedded Tweet occupies on the page. Visit the Twitter help page to learn the specific HTML code snippet required for each adjustment.

Customizing Tweet appearance can help you seamlessly blend an embedded Tweet, such as a photo or video, into the body of your law firm’s website or blog post, adding to the richness and accessibility of content.

Embedding Tweets on WordPress

If your law firm hosts its blog on WordPress, you are in luck; the platform makes it easy to embed Tweets. Users can copy a Tweet’s URL and paste it within their blog post, then sit back and let WordPress do the work.

Content Suggestions

Law firms can use embedded Tweets in any number of ways. The opportunities for content sharing are endless! Here are just a few ideas for using embedded Tweets on your law firm’s website or blog:

Refer to news features in order to generate interest around a blog topic or validate blog content
Promote networking events and social media campaigns
Feature client endorsements
Announce new products and team members via video

5 Ways to Use Twitter to Market Your Law Firm

Twitter may be the current face of social media. Yet it may be elusive to attorneys as to how they can effectively engage in law firm marketing in 140 characters or less.

Here’s a look at five tips for incorporating Twitter into your marketing strategy:

1. Maintain a Consistent Brand

Twitter may be the first time that many potential clients are introduced to you. As a result, you will want to present a professional image that will start with a consistent look and feel. For example, you will want to choose a username that matches your firm name. In addition, choose photos for your Twitter profile and background that are consistent with your law firm website.

2. Sell Yourself

You should not be shy with your Twitter profile. Your goal is to attract business through social media and you should make it easy for members of the public to hire you. This can start with giving details about your firm and telling a story about your firm such as the practice areas you specialize in and how you got started. In addition, you will want to provide your contact information including address, telephone number, and other ways to contact you.

3. Be a Follower

There is nothing wrong with being a follower on Twitter. However, it is important to pick and choose who you follow as they could negatively reflect upon you. Some users you may want to follow include small business groups and associations, non-profit organizations, active members of the local community, and others who have a tie to your locale and practice area.

4. Start Tweeting (Smartly)

Twitter can be an effective place to communicate, but also a very dangerous place. For example, you can share your thoughts on current events, respond to others and engage in dialogue, or simply retweet interesting messages. However, users often get into trouble when they tweet simply for the sake of tweeting and engage in inappropriate discussions or bad jokes. You should always remember that your tweets are a reflection on you and that the end goal is to attract clients to your law firm.

5. Link Back

Your Twitter account should not be spammy. Still, you should include links to your website whenever possible. Potential clients will want to learn more about you, and that information will be available on your website.

Law Firm Marketing Tip: How To Use Hashtags To Boost Your Social Media Reach

If you’re not familiar with them, hashtags — those “#” symbols known as the pound sign on a phone — are one of the most effective social media marketing tools. When placed in front of words or phrases; e.g. #slipandfall or #sandiegoinjurylawyer, hashtags can generate a lot of traffic and give mass exposure to a post or tweet.

However, hashtags can hurt your attorney marketing efforts if you don’t understand what they are and how they work. Let’s take a closer look at hashtags, and how they can be used to boost your legal marketing in all the right ways.

What Exactly Is a Hashtag, And Where Did They Come From?

Hashtags got their start on Twitter, and are basically designated labels that categorize groups of tweets to be searched and found.

For example, if someone is looking for information on slip and fall injuries, they can search Twitter (now Facebook, too) for #slipandfall or #injuryattorney, etc. Searching by hashtag will return a list of posts and tweets on the topic.

Can Hashtags Help a Law Firm’s Legal Marketing Efforts?

Absolutely! And in more ways than one

Twitter and Facebook are now legitimate search engines. Twitter gets more than 2 billion search queries per day, and mobile users tend to favor Facebook over other search engine apps. With all this searching on social media, making your posts and tweets searchable via hashtags increases your online visibility profoundly.

Hashtags are also clickable. When someone clicks on one of your hashtags, #slipandfallinjuries, they’ll be able to see all of your posts and tweets on the topic. These entries can include links to your site, blog, and other social media pages.

How Do You Use Hashtags?

Hashtags can be placed anywhere in a post or tweet—at the beginning, middle or end. To create a hashtag, just place the # symbol in front of a keyword in your entry: #SmithInjuryLawFirm is speaking on #slipandfallinjuries at #HoustonLegalConference on October 30th.

Here are 3 important tips on how to use hashtags.

Don’t Punctuate. It may look odd, but Twitter and Facebook don’t allow commas, semi-colons, apostrophes, or spaces in hashtags. Tip: Since you can’t punctuate or use spaces, keep your hashtags short and to the point: #slipandfallinjury vs. #slipandfallinjurycompensationattorneysandiego. Hashtags like this are unlikely to be searched or found.
Be Specific. Use specific titles for hashtags. If someone is looking for information on slip and fall injuries at a grocery store, they’re likely to search for #slipandfallinjury or #grocerystoreinjury, than a generic title such as #personalinjury. Overly-generic hashtags are overused, and won’t do you much good.
Don’t Overdo Hashtags. A post or tweet with #multiple#hashtags#jammed#into#a#single#sentence will distract and annoy your readers, so don’t go over 3 hashtags per entry. Not only will it become unreadable, your post or tweet can be marked as spam.

Yelp: A New Way of Law Firm Marketing

We all know that the best form of advertising is a word-of-mouth recommendation from someone you know.

However, with law firm marketing, the reality is that most people don’t know others who have faced a similar legal problem and can recommend an attorney.

Now, with websites like Yelp, individuals can access word-of-mouth references from a wide cross-section of their peers. And a great thing about law firm marketing on Yelp is that it is relatively cheap and low-maintenance. Here’s a look at five ways you can use Yelp to market your firm:

1. Ask Clients

You know when you’ve had a satisfied customer. So it doesn’t hurt to ask him or her to write a review on Yelp.

You may be surprised at how willing some individuals may be to help you if you just ask. Make sure to exercise some discretion and target the clients who are happy with the results they achieved.

2. Respond to Negative Reviews

If you participate on an application like Yelp, you are bound to receive a review you don’t agree with. The great thing about Yelp is that you can respond to reviews. By explaining some points or offering additional services, dissatisfied clients may change their tune.

3. Report Fakes

For a variety of reasons, someone may post a fake review of your firm. You can report fake and untrue reports to Yelp. In addition, you can respond to the review so that others can see your explanation and realize that the report is a fake.

4. Work with Yelp

While law firm marketing with Yelp is relatively hands-off, you should still take some steps to maximize your presence. For example, you may give a brief blurb about yourself, your firm, and your practice areas. You can also include a link to your website and picture of you and your office. Remember that clients may be learning about your firm for the first time through Yelp, so you will want to make a positive first impression.

5. Don’t Fake It

You may be tempted to game the system and post fake reviews or have your friends and family members post positive reviews. Keep in mind that Yelp is aware of these tricks. In addition, potential clients are savvier than you think and can ferret out spam-like reviews.

How to Market Your Law Firm: When and How to Respond Publicly Versus Privately on Yelp

No longer just a “review site,” Yelp! has developed into a go-to source for those looking to get a sense of a business’ quality, reputation, and services from an average consumer’s perspective. If you already have a Yelp business account, you’re on the right track toward reaching prospective clients. But how do you know that you’re actively engaging reviewers and responding correctly?Read on to discover when and how to respond publicly versus privately on Yelp, as well as some social media best practices that your law firm can apply to Yelp.

Public Shout Out or Private Message

According to Yelp’s Manager of Local Business Outreach, businesses should assess every review on a case-by-case basis and decide which avenue to pursue depending on the tone and content of that person’s review. For instance, if a former client leaves a scathing review of your services arguing that you cheated them of their hard-earned money after rushing to settle their disability claim, it is best to:

Send a private message and gently ask a few clarifying questions.
Be sure to provide your contact information in case the reviewer would rather call than hash things out on Yelp (which could also help to prevent any miscommunications or misinterpretations that can easily occur online).
Hopefully gather more information about the situation.

General Rules of Thumb

Overall, your law firm’s social media standard operating procedure should include responding privately in these situations:

When striving to uncover details about a reviewer’s negative experience and determine how to help turn their experience around
If your firm would like to personally thank a reviewer for leaving an extremely positive experience

On the other hand, a public response could be the best avenue when addressing these cases:

A satisfied Yelper posted a great review and you have a good enough relationship with them to warrant a more personalized public comment about your interactions
You’d like to highlight improvements or changes you firm has implemented due to a Yelper’s review

Best Practice #1: Respond with Kindness and Professionalism First

Responding defensively to a negative review will only ward future Yelpers off and portray your firm in a bad light. If you receive a destructive comment on your firm’s Yelp page (or really any of your law firm’s social media pages), especially if the commenter is being unreasonable, it’s best to take the high road and respond professionally and kindly.
Scotty S. of Scotty J. Storey—a law firm in San Jose, California specializing in personal injury, DUI, and criminal defense law—took this avenue when responding to Gary M. in the example below. Not only does the firm look more professional and aware of their prospects’ feedback, but it also undermines the negative review’s credibility by demonstrating that the firm’s attorneys do make a practice of following up with inquiring prospects.

Law firms, particularly small or fledgling operations, can receive a significant amount of business from local clients. After all, the majority of consumers are more willing to consult a reputable law firm that is easily accessible within their neighborhoods than take a chance on an unknown firm outside of their local communities.

That’s why Yelp, arguably the top business review site, can be such a powerful tool for law firms attempting to reach their local pool of potential clients. To understand just how powerful, consider this statistic: one study revealed that more than 70% of consumers consider Yelp reviews just as trustworthy and credible as those given by friends.

Therefore, firms that are not active on Yelp are missing a huge opportunity to gather new clients, showcase strong customer service, and build their reputation within local markets. Read on to discover how to market your law firm on Yelp!

1. Check to see whether your law firm has an existing page.

Anyone can create a Yelp page for your business, so your law firm may have an existing profile and not even know it! Go to www.yelp.com and type your firm’s name and location into the search fields. If your law firm’s page already exists, click on the “Work Here? Unlock This Business Page” link in the business information section and then follow the prompts. If your firm does not have a Yelp page, visit https://biz.yelp.com/ to create your business account.

2. Leave no stone unturned.

Once you’ve either created or unlocked your law firm’s Yelp page, complete your entire profile. Be sure to fill in all categories correctly, particularly essential pieces such as business name, category, contact information, and a link to your firm’s website. Photos can also strengthen your Yelp page, so consider including quality photos of team members and the office (providing photos of the office’s facade can also help Yelp users find the office should they decide to stop by).

3. Accrue reviews and respond, respond, respond.

Knowing how to market your law firm on Yelp means knowing how to leverage client reviews. Positive reviews obviously reinforce your law firm’s reputation, but even negative reviews can be beneficial when responded to appropriately. Take advantage of the “Add owner comment” button at the bottom right corner of all posted comments to respond to dissatisfied clients, and keep in mind that all responses should follow these guidelines:

Use respectful language. It may be difficult to read a negative review and not respond in kind, particularly when you think the comments are unjustified, but responding with disrespectful language only compounds a bad situation and reinforces the commenter’s criticism.
Acknowledge the poster’s frustrations. Oftentimes, critics merely want to vent.
Outline a strategy to fix the problem and explain how you can prevent the issue from occurring in the future.

If you have any questions about law firm marketing, contact us to learn how we can help.

Best Practice #2: Inject Some Personality

Feel free to inject some personality into comment responses. Take the sample below of S. Edmond from the El Dab Law Firm in Los Angeles; his statement is humorous, genuine, and casual, and demonstrates that he really cares what the reviewer has to say.

How to Market Your Law Firm: Features of the Best LinkedIn Company Pages

As the leading social media platform for business professionals, LinkedIn carries massive potential to reach your ideal audience. It’s important to note that all LinkedIn pages are not created equal, though; the power of your practice’s LinkedIn page depends upon a multitude of factors such as how well you build your page and the approach you take toward engaging followers.

Uncover some guidance from the Company Pages named the very best by LinkedIn, and try the following tips in your law firm’s social media marketing plan.

1. Develop a Showcase Page.

Does your firm struggle to speak to vastly different audiences? A LinkedIn Showcase Page enables you to establish a more specialized forum for a specific type of follower, in addition to your regular Company page. This is a great option for law firms with multiple specializations/lines of business or vastly different audiences.

If your workers’ compensation and personal injury firm must produce content appealing to white collar office professionals and blue collar construction workers, for example, you may want to develop a LinkedIn Showcase Page in order to appeal to the two pools of followers separately.

2. Sponsor handpicked updates for the greatest reach.

Most of the time, your firm can probably make do with pushing unsponsored content to its followers (assuming that the material is valuable to the audience), spreading over your LinkedIn network at ideal times, and establishing your practice as an expert within your field.

However, sometimes it may be necessary to take that extra step and allocate funds towards sponsoring updates as part of your law firm’s social media marketing strategy. Sponsored updates can reach a wider audience than regular updates, which could be just what your firm needs to reach that next group of clients on LinkedIn.

3. Appeal to followers within specific locations

Whether your practice has several large offices nationwide or one small, local office, including geographic terms into your posts can help to target audiences. One instance of this may be to produce content that specifically applies to an area serviced by your firm—say, Portland, Oregon—and then mention that in the post title and description: “Our Portland, Oregon team helps a local family in need during the holiday season. Read about it on the blog, and join our cause!”

Of course, be sure to paste a link to the appropriate blog article so that local readers are more likely to visit your webpage.

4. Pin valuable content to the top of your page.

Quick social media marketing lesson for your law firm: “Pinning” an update to the top of your LinkedIn Company Page forces it to remain at the top of your page so it is the first thing that viewers see. If you’ve produced a particularly valuable article that has received significant feedback, or your firm is announcing a prestigious award win, then consider pinning that story to the top of your Company Page to receive the greatest viewership.

The Top 5 Ways To Market Your Law Firm On Instagram

As more social marketing is incorporating visual content with written content, Instagram is becoming an increasingly valuable marketing tool. Instagram is shaping the way people interact with each other, brands and companies—including law firms—and is positioning itself as the photo-sharing site of choice due to its personal, intimate nature.

Instagram Vs. Pinterest. What’s the Difference?

Both Instagram and Pinterest have grown into thriving social communities, but there are distinctions between them that can make a difference in how you market your firm.

With Instagram, you tell a story with both photos and videos. Its platform is pretty straightforward —take a picture of something, or a video, and share it. With Pinterest, you tell people what you like. You curate your boards and highlight what you like, or are trying to promote.

Instagram’s roots are more closely tied to a personal photo album, whereas Pinterest is more closely tied to a bulletin board of pictures, pins, and likes.

That being said, here are the top 5 ways to market your law firm on Instagram.

1. Balance Fun Photos With Business Photos

Share personal staff photos, highlight images from a specific event or cause that’s important to you, and provide photos for the sake of audience enjoyment that aren’t firm-related. Post in-depth, engaging images that market your brand, and set you apart from others in the legal industry. The sky’s the limit with this.

2. Create a Following

As with other social networks, Instagram success requires users to be social. Follow your favorite accounts, and comment on photos that you enjoy or inspire you. Spreading positive comments is a great way to build community around your profile.

Also, be sure to use your other social networks to build your follower base. Cross-post images to your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ pages with hashtags to help people find you on Instagram.

3. Use Hashtags

Hashtags can attract users searching for a particular type of photo or subject, and can help you capitalize on what’s trending. For instance, if you post a picture of the Empire State Building, include #empireNYC or #empirebuilding in the description.

TIP: Track your Instagram hashtag activity with Nitrogram. This analytics tool provides key metrics on hashtags including contributors, engagement, and context.

4. Embed Instagram Video in Your Blog or Website

Instagram video has advantages over other video feeds due to its 15-second, editable video functionality (compared to Twitter’s Vine’s 6.5 second stream). To extend the reach of your content, make sure to embed your Instagram video in your blog or website.

5. Use Instagram To Promote a Change in Perspective

To distinguish your law firm on Instagram, create a different perspective than other firms. For instance, check out Attorney Jamie Casino’s unique personal injury video. Although the production budget and quality is fantastic, it was Casino’s originality that helped this video turn into an Internet viral storm.

How to Market Your Law Firm: Pinterest’s Promoted Pins

When Pinterest, the social media site that enables users to share interests and projects via “pinning” images and articles to “boards,” announced that it would begin to roll out its Promoted Pins advertising program, the responses were mixed. Some “Pinners” and Pinterest fans had expected the site to monetize its audience at some point, while others immediately labelled the renewed focus on advertising as a sign that Pinterest was moving away from its humble roots.

Despite the mixed reaction, the truth is that the legal marketing community can learn several valuable lessons and best practices from Pinterest’s launch of Promoted Pins. Peruse the following list to discover how your law firm can follow in Pinterest’s marketing footsteps.

1. Don’t be afraid to evolve.

Pinterest’s leadership team understands that stagnation is often the kiss of death for many organizations. The introduction of Promoted Pins is supposed to ensure Pinterest’s future by establishing a solid financial roadmap and securing profitable partnerships with companies like Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Target.

Similarly, law firms should beware of becoming too comfortable with their current services and legal marketing efforts. The moment your firm begins to assume you’ve created the perfect product and have branded yourselves flawlessly is the instant that your clients and prospects could begin disappearing.

2. Communicate your intentions.

Prior to experimenting with advertisements on the search and category pages, Pinterest announced its intent to develop Promoted Pins to the public. The site received some pushback from wary users but for the majority of Pinterest fans, the announcement gave them time to adjust to the idea before seeing subtle advertising on certain Pinterest pages.

3. Address concerns immediately.

As mentioned above, not everyone was immediately satisfied with the new advertising model. Pinterest did the right thing in addressing their distrustful audience members’ concerns, such as explaining that the Promoted Pins would look like typical pins but have a “Promoted Pin” label (alongside a link explaining what a Promoted Pin is) in the post.

Legal marketing professionals take note—proactively addressing clients’ concerns can save you time, avoid hassle, and easy clients’ fears before they blow out of proportion.

4. Put the client first.

In the announcement about the launch, Pinterest expertly explained that they hoped Promoted Pins would improve the user experience and leverage beneficial relationships with great brands. Similarly, explaining why your law firm is making certain changes or why clients must fill out complicated forms, for instance, can help to pacify frustrated clients and build solid lines of communication.

5. Ask for feedback.

Make your law firm’s clients feel valued by asking for their feedback when you roll out new programs, services, and user interfaces, or simply ask their opinion of your customer service and gather insights for improvement. One-on-one conversations with valued clients can turn them into brand champions, furthering your legal marketing efforts at little to no cost!

Contact us today to uncover more simple tips that can improve your legal marketing efforts, from social media to blogging and beyond!

The Top 5 Ways To Market Your Law Firm on Pinterest

With over 70 million users in a little over 3 years, Pinterest is a social media network that’s growing at a rapid pace. If your firm serves the general public, Pinterest is an effective tool to add to your social media marketing. Plus, Pinterest can be used to direct pinners to your website and other social pages—which can boost your SEO efforts tremendously.

Like any other social network, there are certain ways to get your pins to the top of the heap. Here are the top 5 ways to market your law firm on Pinterest.

1. Use Search Engine Friendly Images

Be sure to name your images before you upload them; e.g. instead of a file defaulting to a name such as 08586.jpg, use a keyword. For example: sandiego-personal-injury-lawyer.jpg would be the ideal name for the image “San Diego personal injury lawyer.”

Images that use keywords for their file names (using dashes, very important) are more lawyer SEO friendly, and are more likely to be found in Pinterest, and Google Image, search results.

2. Use Text In Images

You can use images on Pinterest to list your practice areas and specializations on individual pages. This is where it’s great to have a text-based image describe the page’s content for legal SEO purposes, and to attract viewers.

If your content is about San Diego slip and fall liability, include a text-based image that says “San Diego Slip and Fall Liability” at the top of the page.

3. Use a Keyword Phrase For Your Board Title

Use a keyword phrase as your board title, because this name will be the main permalink associated with your account; e.g. San Diego Injury Lawyer. This is one of the top factors Pinterest uses for ranking

4. Engage With Local Pinners

You can also do searches for local pinners. As a San Diego personal injury attorney, do a search for San Diego, and get results for boards and San Diego pinners, as well as businesses. This is a great way to connect with local residents.

5. Pin & Re-Pin

Similar to other social networks, by commenting, liking and re-pinning images on Pinterest, other pinners are likely to reciprocate, and your follower base will grow.

Commenting and liking images and boards are good ways to build an audience, but commenting is also a great place to insert a keyword into the content. The more keyword-friendly your comments are, the more visibility they’ll receive.

For more information on how to market your law firm on Pinterest, we’ve got answers! Get a hold of one of our marketing specialists, and let us help you with all of your legal marketing goals.