It sometimes seems like we can’t move without being told a business “values our feedback” or we are asked to “rate the service you received today” or directed to “review us online”. If I didn’t know better, I might assume there was a collective crisis of confidence going on with organisations everywhere craving public validation!
But there is plenty of evidence that both consumers and business clients are increasingly relying on the “social proof” of reviews from those who have gone before them before deciding which service provider to use.
Many clients will not now be motivated to use a service unless they can be reassured by others first and this applies to the legal sector, as it does to any professional services. Your firm’s online reputation is therefore crucial in persuading potential clients to pick you over your competitors; a few good reviews could be what tips the balance.
In addition, reviews on Google My Business (which is free to use) will contribute to your rankings and be good for your SEO.
But how do you harvest those good reviews as efficiently as possible?
Many lawyers may feel awkward asking for feed-back; it’s not something that comes naturally. Here are some tips for making review generation as painless as possible:
- Lawyers love a bit of competition! Incentivise staff with rewards and prizes for those with the most positive reviews within a given period.
- Think about what platforms you will use. It may be helpful to see which your main competitors are using, consider Google My Business, Trust Pilot, Yelp etc.
- You need to be generating reviews consistently – not having a big surge and then nothing for several weeks/months, so make sure you make review gathering an everyday part of the process.
- Consider carefully when you will ask for a review. Ideally this will be within a few days of when the client is at their happiest for example, after a successful court hearing or negotiation.
- Include review requests into your file closing procedure. If you have standard emails you send out at the conclusion of a matter, make sure these ask (or remind) for a review and include links to relevant review sites.
- Make it as hassle free as possible for clients to leave you a review on your chosen platform by sending working links and giving clear instructions on what they need to do. If need be, offer to write the testimonial on behalf of the client and then get them to approve it!
- Consider asking new clients to “like” your Facebook page or follow your firm on your other platforms, such as Instagram, so that they can stay up to date with the firm’s news. This could be included in new client paperwork, or a sign displayed prominently in your office.
- Always respond to all reviews; negative and positive. It’s inevitable that you may be faced with the odd negative review. Respond calmly and politely without being defensive. If necessary, take the discussion off-line to try and resolve the issue.
- Put a dedicated testimonial section onto your firm’s homepage and populate it with positive reviews – this way you will get double the mileage out of the content.
- Share great reviews as posts on your social media platforms such as LinkedIn.
- Create your own feedback page on your website with a basic star rating system and which simply asks how your services could be improved.
- Make sure that staff email signatures include a link to a review page.
Need some help with PR? Feel free to drop me an email to arrange a 30 minute complimentary call or take a look at some of the packages I offer law firms, accountancy practices and other b2b businesses.
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