DOES INSTAGRAM WORK FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES?

With so many social media platforms to choose from, how do you know which is the right one for your business?

With more than 500 million daily active users and 80% of accounts following a business on Instagram, companies in a wide range of sectors are now realising the need to be on Instagram.

Instagram is more visual, graphic and picture-led, but many firms do not recognise the benefits.

A good starting point is to think about what platforms your current and potential clients will use. With more than 70% of young adults using Instagram, this is a great platform to showcase your business to a younger generation and to be ahead of the competition when these people require your services or if you are looking to recruit the best talent.

How can Instagram be used for professional services?

• To demonstrate your firm’s story, brand, and personality through your staff.
• For targeting your audience to make it clear who you help.
• By providing client stories which can help to explain your success.
• As a great way to showcase your firm and culture when recruiting high-quality candidates to work with you.

Specific examples include:

• ‘Day in the life’ of an apprentice or trainee, using stories and posts to highlight their day to day activity.
• A talking head video or infographic explaining a process or service you offer.
• Recording events, exhibitions or corporate hospitality that you attend – add stories throughout the event.
• A video/image of a recently completed project.
• Video testimonials from happy clients.

Top Tips for using Instagram well:

• Use video as much as possible as this will gain better engagement. Remember, Instagram videos can only be 15 seconds long.
• Repurpose your content, use existing blogs, news and chop them up for posts with eye-catching images or graphics, or short videos providing tips and ideas.
• Engage with your followers: make sure you like, comment and start conversations with their posts.
• By using Instagram stories, your visibility could be boosted by over 30%
• Include hashtags to increase reach and engagement. You can add up to 30 but it’s best practice to add up to 5 in your original post and to add more within the comment section of your post.
• Targeted advertising on Instagram, both stories and feed, can be a cost-effective way of sharing your company news to a wider audience and build brand awareness.

Although professional services have been slow to embrace Instagram, it’s not a platform that should be ignored, and with more financial and legal firms having a presence, Instagram can be a powerful tool in your social media strategy.

Cal Partners is an award-winning, North East based social media marketing agency working with professional services firms to attract and retain ideal clients. If you are finding it difficult to promote your firm through Instagram, why not get in touch to see how we can help with Instagram strategy and delivery as part of your marketing mix.