A few days ago I posted about what I’d do if I wanted to start a bankruptcy law firm today.  One of the things I mentioned was the use of Flickr.

A photo-sharing site to market a bankruptcy practice?  How does that make an ounce of sense?  So here are some ways to use the power of a photo-sharing site to market your law firm online:

1. Take pictures of staff members being real people, not stuffed-shirt lawyers in front of a bookcase.  Title the pictures with the staffer’s name so that when a search is done for their name, the picture shows up.  This will help people get to know the people who work in your firm as human beings, not as automatons.  Plus, it’s fun.
2. Tag your business photos with your firm name and address along with other relevant information.  This way, when someone searches for your firm name and address in image directories (yes, they do these things already) they will be able to see what you’re all about.
3. Take pictures of local businesses and landmarks.  When people travel or are looking for a local business, they often do an image search so they know what they’re looking for.  Why not find your handiwork?
4. Make your photos Creative Commons licensed with attribution.  Creative Commons is a type of copyright that allows the owner to dictate how something is used.  For example, you could make your photos Creative Commons licensed and require that the person using the photo attribute ownership to you through a backlink to your website or blog.  You know that backlinks are the best currency in your search engine optimization efforts, so why not leverage?
5. Comment on other photos you stumble across on Flickr.  If you search Flickr you’re sure to find photos of your area, your high school, a local business that’s gone under in recent years, and other things that are near and dear to your heart.  Leave a comment for the person who took the picture to let them you know enjoyed their handiwork.  Maybe you’ll strike up an conversation and find out you’ve got more in common than just a love of the town square.

To be sure, none of these tactics is going to result in 1,000 new bankruptcy cases in your office this month.  But by using this free service and an inexpensive digital camera you can significantly raise your personal and professional profile.

Photo courtesy of recompose.