Have you ever perused client testimonials for attorneys? How useful do you consider them to be? To tell you the truth, reading client reviews may be beneficial to both future clients and legal counsel.
Continue reading to see how lawyers may use internet reputation management to their advantage.
What Is Online Reputation Management
A person or organization’s reputation can be influenced via the use of reputation management. Rather of deceiving someone, try to provide the most accurate information feasible rather than the incorrect one. It’s not uncommon for information to be provided in order to correct a misunderstanding.
Public relations and communications specialists used to be entirely responsible for managing a company’s reputation. Because of this, Search Engine Optimization and Social Media professionals began to take over control of the practice’s online presence.
Online evaluations are frequently submitted by a business’s current or former customers and made public on the site where they were placed. Customers’ comments are frequently included in reviews, along with a star rating.
Reviewers will be able to see the post and it will be linked to the company’s profile. Prospective customers will be able to read all of the reviews, favorable and bad, that have been submitted for that business.
Importance of Reputation Management for Lawyers
The importance of online evaluations for legal firms has never been greater than it is right now. Client testimonials spread more quickly, are more reliable, and are worth more than traditional forms of promotion. Former clients are a reliable resource for prospective clients when evaluating law firms.
To be successful in this new environment, law firms must get a thorough grasp of the demands and needs of their clients. In addition, law firms must improve their client service. Firms must also make sure that satisfied clients’ testimonials are visible and read.
Several recent studies demonstrate the importance of internet reviews and how law firms may use them to generate new business.
Possessing a large number of favorable internet evaluations will assist your firm’s search engine optimization. Review signals like the quantity of reviews, frequency of posting and the number of sites where reviews are placed make up around 13% of the more than 200 factors utilized in Google’s search engine algorithm.
This shows that good internet reviews may be an effective marketing tool when used properly.. They may boost your firm’s ranking on Google’s first page, increase the number of referrals you receive, and confirm to a potential client that you are the right choice for their legal needs.
Prospective customers may see through internet reviews how well your services are received by previous customers as well as their general satisfaction with your company.
A Few Steps to Follow
Step #1 Be Updated on Your Name and Your Law Firm’s Mentions
Create Google alerts for talks about you and your legal business to keep tabs on internet activity. When you set up an alert, you’ll be notified by email each time new results are found that meet your criteria.
Step #2 Request Reviews
Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive comments as a strategy to handle internet feedback. These will counteract any criticism you receive in the future. In each situation, make certain that you receive frequent input by systematizing the feedback process.
Remember to listen to your clients’ feedback and, if required, make adjustments based on their suggestions. Consider incorporating a request for positive feedback in your closing messages at the end of each case. Include a link to relevant sites to make it easy for your customers to post comments, and for you to keep track of them when they do.
Step #3 Boost Positive Feedback
Make the most of your clients’ good words about your law business. Include client testimonials on your firm’s website to draw attention to them. Also think about mentioning and connecting to them on the Facebook page of your legal practice. a. Positive feedback builds trust and motivates potential customers to use your company’s services.
Step #4 Manage Negative Feedback, If There’s Any
You should never have to deal with a bad review. However, if you do so, you must carefully and deliberately reply to the former client’s criticism and concerns.. To avoid giving credibility to the charges, do not address specific factual allegations, since doing so could breach client confidentiality.
Reply with empathy instead of voicing your frustration. If a prospective customer comes across this review, be mindful of the implications. Finally, encourage other customers to post good reviews on that site in response to the bad one.
How to Request Request for Your Law Firm
While asking current or former customers for an online review might be nerve-wracking, it’s necessary in the digital age. You don’t want to come across as obnoxious. Of course, you don’t want to get a bad review.
When you’ve finished representing your client, it’s critical to ask them for their thoughts on how things went. Your product or service will be top-of-mind for your customers. A pleasant encounter will make them more open to doing you a favor in the future. Following up with an email after your representation ends is an easy method to accomplish this goal.
It’s also a good idea to make it as simple as possible for your previous customers to submit a review for you online Consider include links to review sites in a follow-up email you send. Alternatively, you may send a link to your clients by text if you communicate with them via text. Making it easy for your former customers to submit a review will make the process go more smoothly.
Last but not least, your business should constantly ask former customers for feedback. In order to be useful, reviews must be up-to-date. It’s a solid rule of thumb that reviews older than three months are no longer valid. To be successful, your online review campaign needs a steady stream of new reviews.
The authenticity of internet reviews is perhaps the most essential consideration. Clients should never be offered a reward for a good evaluation of their legal services by their law firms. Many review sites prohibit service exchanges in exchange for favorable evaluations since it is immoral. In addition, evaluations that have been “purchased” are frequently perceived as being untrue.
Takeaway
Online reviews are strong tools that may create referrals, confirm the integrity of your company, and give vital feedback on your services to your customers. You may include a review sites plan into your business growth efforts with little time and expense by asking for online evaluations immediately and concentrating on a few choice venues