Pinterest is a site for images and videos. You can re-pin images and like them and follow pinboards which are really a collection of pins on a theme. It may be difficult to imagine how lawyers can make use of a social site like this, but they can.
Here’s how lawyers can use Pinterest
1. Do you have something to share?
Pins are images that lead back to a website (normally the source site, but you can upload an image from your computer and link it to a site as well). Don’t worry about SEO – that is not the high point of Pinterest. With a largely female membership, this is where you woo the fairer sex and make an impression (try wooing everyone, actually!). This is where you establish your brand, visually. Now, unless you have content that your images lead back to, you will have achieved nothing. So, it is important to create the content first. You should, as a lawyer, in any case have your own website or blog or both. You should have content that provides value to the common individual in a language they can understand. You should also have other things on your site that make you stand out as a real person and not just as a business entity.
2. Are you social enough?
Along with your site and content, it helps if you have a Facebook Page on your professional self. We mention Facebook in this context because you can connect your Pinterest account with Facebook. On your Page, you can create more content which are best suited to the ambiance of a social network. Needless to mention, your content should have images as well.
3. Now you are ready – more or less
If you followed the first two steps (it could take a while) you now have a flourishing Facebook Page and a populated website or blog. Great! Now you can start pinning your images. And remember also to keep the ‘Pin it’ button on your site so that your visitors can do your pinning for you.
4. Getting things in perspective
Let’s talk about the kind of images that you could pin. You have an office of your own? A library? Even a bookshelf is good enough. Do you attend events and give talks? Do you work for free for non-profits? Did you attend a convention and were you awarded anything, anywhere? How about articles that you published in journals or news items that speak highly of you? Don’t worry, you will only need an online version of the articles (which you can easily type and post on your own blog while crediting the source). Any image that you want can be pinned to lead to it. Do you now have a few ideas about the types of images you could pin? Then let’s move on to the next order of business.
5. Getting things in order
Create boards – as many as there are types of images you want to pin. You can create one on Law if you have content that addresses legal points on something that people should be aware of. Or this could simply be a list post on your Facebook Page that speaks of certain events in the history of the judicial system. You can create one on your office to show your visitors where you pratice. Also helpful are your activities as participant, speaker, or anything else that is relevant. Achievements could be another board, as could be your own Publications.
6. Follow your success
Now that you have created those boards and made it a habit to regularly pin stuff on them, it is time to connect with the rest of Pinterest. Like or repin others’ pins and follow them and you will automatically receive attention. Pick and choose your areas of interest from what people pin. Maybe you are a divorce lawyer – start following users with romantic pins and hope they overdo it and break up with their partners. Kiddin’! But you can actually give good advice to people regarding what to do and not do to avoid break ups. Don’t worry: the good karma from the number of marriages you save will surely outweigh the business you lose. Apart from that, people will want to refer you to their troubled friends if they find that you are someone that cares and will help your clients to seek reconciliation rather than separation.
7. Pins and SEO
We mentioned that SEO is not the first thing you should look for, and we still say that. Social networks are where you get to know real people and make friends and followers, not optimize for unknown persons typing in search strings. Having said that, however, it still makes sense to focus on relevant keywords in alt texts and pin descriptions. Repins and followers can boost your social appeal while pins themselves have direct SEO value. It makes sense to use all you can get out of Pinterest now that you are on it. Once you have things going for yourself through this unique site, maybe you can come back and put in a comment right here and tell us what worked for you best.
Image source
See also: 4 Tips for Making Your Pinterest Pins More Shareable
