Getting great online reviews is tough, especially for law firms. People who will enthusiastically review a retailer or product might not feel as comfortable leaving a review for legal services. And that sometimes means that the people most motivated to leave reviews for law firms have had the worst experiences. So, it’s really no wonder lots of attorneys struggle to get reviews.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. If you sit down, think out a solid law firm review strategy, and make it a real goal to get on top of your reviews, then you will. You just have to find the right ways to motivate your clients and partners and then make those techniques a regular part of the marketing you do.
In the dark about how to get a review strategy going? It’s actually not as hard as you might think. Below, let’s go through some of our favorite ways to do it and talk about how you can make those techniques work for you.
1. Make It Easy to Leave a Review for Your Law Firm.
A big part of getting great reviews is taking down the barriers that slow down would-be reviewers. You have to make it easy! You can’t force people to leave reviews, but you can point them in the right direction and seed the idea in their minds. Sometimes, that’s all it takes!
Get started by choosing a few review platforms to focus on. You want people to have some options, so you might go with something like a mix of Google My Business, Facebook, Yelp, and Avvo or other legal directories. Claim your profiles on the platforms you choose, and fill out those profiles completely.
If they allow photos, images, or links back to your website, take advantage of it! You want each profile to look great and really show off the brand personality of your law firm.
Once your profiles are claimed and ready, let people know that you welcome their reviews. Tell them on social media. Link to review sites on your website. You might even want to create a dedicated “Rate Us!” page on your website that calls people to action and puts the links to popular review sites right in front of them.
2. Automate the Ways You Ask Your Clients to Leave Reviews.
You should ask people to leave reviews if you want to get reviews—that’s fairly obvious. But finding the right moment to do it, or even remembering to do it, can be tough. That’s why so many attorneys that have successful review strategies automate the process with law firm CRM software. Whether you’re creating customer feedback campaigns, tracking and managing your leads, adding review links to existing campaigns, or just keeping your contact list in order, you’re going to find it a LOT easier to stay on top of if you have the right software to automate it.
You shouldn’t totally automate your review strategy, though. There are still some parts of a great review strategy that require a personal touch.
For example, you know which clients are happy with your service. You know those clients are usually happiest right after their case is resolved. So, when you wrap up a case with a happy client, ask them if they would like to leave a review for your law firm. You might be surprised how willing people are to leave a positive review if you just ask—so, make it a habit.
It's also a good idea to ask for reviews somewhere in your regular communication with clients. Make it a routine part of your customer service contacts. Add some review links at the bottom of your regular emails. Ask for reviews in your newsletter and any print mail you send out.
These little things can make a big difference without a lot of sweat!
3. Respond to All the Reviews Your Law Firm Gets.
You should respond to every review your law firm gets—good, bad, and everything in between. This shows people your law firm is alive and attentive, and it shows you care about the client experience, even after the case is resolved.
For a positive review, this can be as simple as, “Thanks for your review! We loved working with you!” Don’t copy and paste the same response every time. Instead, mix it up and make it sound genuine. No one wants to feel like they got a “canned” response.
For a negative review, responding can be a little bit trickier. Make sure you get the facts and understand the situation before your office responds. Who worked with that client? Why are they unhappy? With the facts in mind, acknowledge the issues the reviewer brought up and direct them to offline ways to resolve their issues. Keep it short and simple, and don’t get lured into an argument.
Find out more about how to respond to a negative review.
4. Get Everyone in Your Law Firm on Board With Your Review Strategy.
You might know what you need to do to get great reviews. You may have already implemented automated email campaigns and wrap-up scripts that should generate reviews. The truth is that none of that stuff actually matters if the rest of the people in your law firm aren’t on board with what you’re doing.
So, get everyone involved. Tell everyone that your goal is to get genuine reviews from happy clients. Be clear about your expectations for making it happen. Enlist a friend to pose as a new client, and verify that the experience of your “secret shopper” is as excellent as it should be.
And don’t forget to let everyone on the team know when those great reviews come in! Seeing the fruits of the labor makes everyone feel good—and it keeps everyone motivated to keep up the good work.
Need some inspiration? Here’s just one example of a law firm that built up its review generation strategy into a huge success.
Get Your Law Firm Review Strategy Started, and Watch It Take Off
Once you have lots of 4- and 5-star reviews coming in with a consistent strategy, it’s all gravy from there. Potential clients use those reviews to make their hiring choices, and they’re more likely to join the positive voices singing your praises if there’s already a sizable choir out there.
It's definitely worth the effort! Law firms that improve their review strategies usually also enjoy an increase in leads, referrals, search rankings, and brand visibility. You just can’t beat that.
So, what are you waiting for?
Are You Protecting Your Good Reputation Online? If Not, Foster Web Marketing Can Help!
Are you doing everything you can to build on your already stellar reputation? Do you need to get more positive reviews and testimonials for your law firm or business but it seems too "hit and miss" for your liking? No worries, Foster Web Marketing can help with our Reputation Management service. Please contact us online or call our office directly at 888.866.0939to schedule your free consultation with our experienced marketing team. We have been helping clients throughout the United States and internationally since 1998 and are confident we can help you not only reach, but exceed your goals.
