You may have built a solid reputation for your law firm through digital marketing and years of hard work. However, the image of your company relies on your customer reviews.
One negative review and it becomes super challenging to cover it with the positive ones so that you don’t lose your prospects.
Reviews matter a lot to your clients, especially for a law firm. Just like word-of-mouth marketing, reviews are considered as a personal recommendations from previous customers.
Research shows that 70% of people are willing to reach out to an attorney located in a less convenient location but with more positive reviews than lawyers with zero or negative reviews.
65% of the population believes that the online rating and review system influences their decision.
The stats suggest that having positive reviews from customers can have a big impact on your brand’s reputation and traffic to your law firm.
The more reviews you receive, the better your firm looks to your audience, and the more organic traffic it draws.
So, let’s check out 8 easy ways to generate positive client reviews for your law firm.
1) Focus on Your Services
Let’s face reality - no client is going to leave you a 5-star review if you don’t put effort into satisfying them. It may sound a no-brainer, but many attorneys fail to deliver what they promised. You can’t expect your clients to even consider you a review-worthy firm without putting their satisfaction on priority.
The idea is simple - you need to provide 5-star services to get a 5-star review. You don’t even have to ask the client for a review if you satisfy their needs, fulfill your promises, and offer the best after-sale service.
2) Have Your Law Firm Listed on the Best Review Sites
For collecting reviews for your law firm, you must have a profile on the top-tier review platforms. These sites host the reviews left by your customers while generating high traffic to your website. Here are a few sites to try:
A majority of lawyers generate traffic to their firms through Google and Bing, but Facebook is also a good place to grow the popularity of your company through customer reviews. Yelp offers better quality clients for B2C practices like family law, criminal, and personal injury law firms and Avvo is more for B2B clients such as business law and Intelucal property law firms.
The Handel On the Law attorney directory is unique in that it is backed by a nationally syndicated radio program that reaches millions of listeners. While other shows have come and gone over the years, Handel on the Law has enjoyed an almost unheard-of run of thirty-six years and is still going strong.
Advertising on Handel On Law offers one of the best returns on investment due to low cost and high conversion for attorneys.
3) Be Supportive
It may be a little difficult for a lawyer to achieve clients’ satisfaction, as their fate depends on the court’s decision. However, you should try your best to provide a supportive and happy environment to your client. Give them the resources they need, answer their question, be available for them whenever needed, and comfort them when they are having anxiety attacks. These small tips go a long way in leaving a good impression on your clients.
4) Wait for the Right Time
There isn’t a better time to ask for a review than when your client has won the case. Since they are the happiest, there is a high chance they will leave you a positive review. Send them a reminder for leaving a review on your Facebook and Google My Business accounts. You can also ask for a review when your client is in a good mood or they show their satisfaction with your company. The right time is when the client refers your platform to others or they are back with another case. Use psychology!
5) Offer Incentives
Now, this trick may not work for everyone since the top-tier review websites have strict rules for getting reviews. You can’t offer an exchange offer to your client for a 5-star review. One thing you can do here is to offer your current customers special discounts on your services. The discount will not only increase your sales, but it translates into more closed deals, hence more people leaving a review after closing a project with you.
6) Keep Sending Reminders
After the case is closed, send a thank you email mentioning your experience of working with your clients and ask for a review. Do not just send a simple text requesting a review, you should rather drop a link to your Yelp, Facebook, and other review-based platforms to make it easier for them to find your profile. Send an email for a review 3-4 days after the case is closed.
7) Use Different Ways to Get Clients to Your Review Sites
Most clients do not leave a review simply because they don’t want to search for your profiles and take this extra step. So, you have to make it convenient for them to locate your account and place a review in one click. A pop-up message on your website is a good way to convince your clients to share their experience working with you.
The above method - a link to your review accounts - shared through the emails is also a convenient option. You could also give your clients a hint of what they can mention in the review. These tips work when you are 100% certain that the client is satisfied with your services and they are willing to take this extra step for your business.
8) Keep it Short and Simple
Your clients don’t want to read a one-page thank you message. Just a simple thank you with a few nice words and a link to your profiles will do. If they don’t check emails regularly, consider sending them a reminder on Whatsapp or give them a call. Let them know how they can help improve your business by leaving a simple review on your social profiles. Be genuine, ask nicely, and give them the links so they don’t have to do any research. There you go!
Bottom Line
Always monitor your review sites and address both positive and negative reviews nicely.
Remember that your clients read reviews before deciding whether or not they should hire you for their case. Even if you get a negative review, reply to the client to address their concerns.
Hopefully, the above tips will help you gain positive reviews from your clients. Good Luck!
If you are looking for the right law digital marketing to help your law firm or your sole practice contact Search Engine Projects.
Author: Shawn Nejad graduated from UCLA with a degree in Chemical Engineering. Shawn started Search Engine Projects (SEP) in 2004. Shawn is a true believer of the "Givers Gain" philosophy by attracting, engaging, and delighting clients to grow their business that provides value and builds trust. @shawnnejad
