Believe it or not, the pictures you use on your website and social media accounts have a greater purpose than just making your law firm look good. Compelling images can increase traffic to your law firm’s website, which leads to more conversions (aka clients).
Unfortunately, countless law firms miss out on opportunities simply because they use photos poorly, including stiff headshots of lawyers, extremely outdated photos, pictures of people who no longer work there, and too many different colors in group shots. Humans are visual, and whether prospective clients think about it consciously or not, pictures that are unattractive or uninviting will influence their decision-making.
Pictures are worth a thousand words. They can convey a lot about your law firm and the firm’s values. Follow these tips to ensure your law firm is using pictures to its advantage on both your website and social media accounts.
Keep Images Friendly and Approachable
Matters of law are serious, and your clients are facing serious issues. However, they are much more likely to hire a friendly face that seems approachable than to hire someone who looks like they think highly of themselves or seems unapproachable or stern. Prospective law clients may be scared and worried about the outcome of their legal issue; they want someone they can turn to for support that will sympathize with what they are going through. The adage rings true here; you’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar when it comes to images online.
When you make sure that your lawyer’s photos match their bios and marketing messaging, you’ll draw in more ideal clients. For example, a concerned and caring estate planner might pose differently than a personal injury lawyer with a track record for being a tough negotiator. Match the photos to the personality as best you can.
Showcase Your Values and Benefits
What does your firm value? What is most important? If you value authenticity, use pictures of your actual employees and staff. Don’t use images revealing clutter or stacks of boxes in the office if you appreciate organization and order. If you value connectedness and how your staff functions as a team, include some group photos with coordinating attire.
Is your office easily accessible? Is parking ample and free? Does it have a stunning view of the local scenery? Showcase these extra benefits with photographs or other images on your website and social media.
Add Captions for Higher Website Search Engine Ranking
Your website’s images can benefit your indexing on search engines. Labeling your pictures with captions adds more content for SEO purposes. A genuine description of the image, with some additional keywords or phrases, will ensure the content shows up for web and image searches, increasing your opportunity to be found. When using pictures, ensure they are all correctly tagged with the person’s name and helpful SEO info. For example:
For a picture of your office building, use the alt tag “XYZ Law Firm Building Denver, CO”
For a picture of a particular attorney, use the alt tag “John Doe, Denver divorce lawyer”
Fuel Social Media
Your social media imagery impacts your position on all platforms. Your audience is more likely to interact with your posts if you include images. Images show behind the scenes of the firm and help to humanize your lawyers and staff. Good photos induce an emotional trigger leading to a response, such as a ‘like,’ ‘comment,’ or ‘share.’
If it’s been some time since you’ve updated your law firm’s photo strategy, implement these tips today.
Meranda M. Vieyra is the owner of Denver Legal Marketing LLC. She is one of the most visible legal professionals in Colorado law with over 20 years of service in the Denver legal community. Her award-winning marketing firm has earned a strong reputation as the go-to for impactful, cost-effective legal marketing strategies. She has helped her clients secure coverage by well-known publications and has obtained local, national, and international awards on their behalf. Meranda enjoys working with solo practitioners and small law firms helping them attract recognition, promotion, and visibility to their practices. She also advises medium-sized and national law firms on business development and marketing strategy. Meranda is a lecturer and author on issues related to marketing including how lawyers can use LinkedIn effectively, how to develop a personal brand, and the promotion of legal services through community service. In 2018, she was honored to be named to the 40 Under 40 list by the Denver Business Journal and to be given the 10 Under 10 Award by the Metropolitan State University of Denver Alumni Association (top 10 alum of the decade). In 2019, Meranda was named in the Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business by the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce and in the Top 100 young professionals in Colorado through the Gen XYZ Awards published by ColoradoBiz Magazine.
