With the legal industry becoming increasingly competitive, it is vital to consider how your firm can set itself out online.
In the modern world, there is simply no better way to promote a professional firm than by using internet reviews in the modern world. Positive online reviews from other parties might propel your legal practice to new heights. Personal referrals and word of mouth can help you get new clients. Still, they will never compare to the visibility you can get from online reviews. Better online evaluations across many platforms and search engines may be the key to your law firm’s success.
For the uninitiated, Google uses a five-star rating system in which former and present clients rank your firm voluntarily. Some of these users will simply provide a star rating without giving any context. Others will include a brief description. Others will write a lengthy review to go along with their rating. It’s important to realize that these reviews add together to create a picture of your law firm before most people meet you.
Does it appear to be threatening? It’s only a smidgeon. However, you can rest guaranteed that Google will give you more exposure than the phone book ever did.
One efficient strategy to achieve this separation is to work proactively to obtain many better & genuine Google reviews. Both your legal firm’s search engine rankings and it’s online reputation gain from Google reviews. However, how do you persuade your clients to post positive Google reviews? Here are nine suggestions for getting more Google reviews for your law firm by 247 Legal Assist, which you can implement by yourself or hire a legal assistant to work on.
1. Taking Control Of Your Page
To begin, you must claim your business page on Google. This short process needs you to validate your identification. You can still collect reviews if you don’t claim, but there are some obvious drawbacks:
- You won’t be able to respond to reviews in public. If a review is done, you will not be alerted.
- You won’t have control over important company information like phone numbers and addresses
- You won’t get the ranking boost that comes with claiming and verifying your business page.
Instead, you should claim your page as soon as feasible for improved rankings.
2. Make a Few Recommendations
A common reason for people not to submit reviews is that they are unsure of what to say. Following are some suggestions that may help:
Make recommendations: When you ask your clients for Google reviews, give them some examples of what they might say. You can advise that they discuss their sort of case, a specific lawyer with whom they worked, favorable outcomes, the influence of the case on their lives, and so on.
Give some examples: Use other clients’ favorable, descriptive evaluations as examples if you have them. This can assist clients in understanding what has to be done.
Inquire about specifications: When you ask your clients for Google reviews, ask them to rate a specific area of your legal service, such as customer service, location, case processing, professionalism, communication, response time, and so on.
3. Be Approachable
Although it should go without saying, it’s sometimes necessary to remind yourself of the importance of each connection with your clients. It’s common knowledge that unhappy customers will submit negative evaluations. Satisfied customers, on the other hand, are unlikely to submit a review. You’ll need to make your clients totally thrilled about the service you provided to achieve five glowing stars.
The first person who can make a significant difference toward this goal is your receptionist. Experts can personally attest to the fact that the office staff’s impression has been powerful enough to earn them a positive rating on several occasions.
4. Make a List Of Clients Who Are Delighted With Your Services
So far, everything we’ve done has been for a broad range of clientele. However, there are always those rare clients who have seen the finest of what you have to offer and have been completely blown away. These are the people who will be your brand ambassadors, and if you ask sweetly enough, they will oblige.
It will help to write down their name on a running list as soon as they leave your office. Even if you’ve never heard back from them after a few weeks, it’s time to contact them directly.
Email is always effective, but it’s often too frigid for this type of marketing. If you must send an email, make sure to include a few details about the client—”How was that Hawaiian vacation you mentioned?” — It just adds a personal touch to everything. A phone call or a handwritten letter, on the other hand, is a superior alternative. These simple gestures make a big difference in making your clients feel special.
5. Send Emails to Follow-Up
You can contact your clients again to seek a review if you’ve kept track of their contact information. Check your reviews to check whether any recent clients have already written a review, and then create a list of everyone who hasn’t left a review in the last month. You can send each of them a simple email or an email blast if you have a large number of clients. Include the review link and use the same phrasing as on the business card.
6. Provide Incentives To Clients To Leave Reviews
Your happy clients aren’t trying to avoid leaving you a review. However, the only problem is that they have their own lives to handle, including deadlines, worries, and urgent requests, in addition to a hundred emails asking them to complete specific tasks. Even the best-intentioned reviews can fall through the cracks, even if they plan to write them.
It is one way to get your message out and attract people’s attention if you give them something valuable. As reviewing is such an easy process, offering incentives shouldn’t present any significant obstacles.
Customers may be swayed by giving them a chance to enter a monthly raffle to win discounts of $40-50 at a popular local restaurant or a night out at a sporting event just for leaving a review.
From an ethical perspective, a certain amount of caution is required when providing clients with valuable items in exchange for their reviews. Most state bar associations accept a reasonable exchange of goods or money, provided certain reasonable restrictions are followed.
A New York State bar association report from 2015 recommended offering clients up to $50 credit toward legal bills in return for a review of the attorney’s following these rules:
- A favorable review was not required to receive a discount
- The review was not forced upon the client
- The review was written at the client’s request
There was no attorney involvement in the review; instead, it was written by the client.
7. Add a Link To Your Firm’s Google Review Page On Your Website
Your company’s website can be linked directly to the Google review page to get clients to leave a review. The site will likely be the first place where clients could post a review if they are current or former clients. Thus, it’s best to include a call to action that’s simple and easy to find, such as ‘write a review here,’ which takes the user directly to the review form using the link shortcut you created
8. Simply Ask For Positive & More Reviews
Clients who are satisfied? Request that they write a Google review regarding their experience.
Send a personalized, to-the-point email thanking them for their business and requesting that they submit a review. To your Google Business Profile page, add a link.
9. Build a Review-Collection System For Your Law Firm
The success of a firm depends on processes. The operation must be appropriately managed to ensure success. A common business process involves locking the doors, setting the alarm, and closing the office for the night. It is possible that some of these processes are designed for the firm’s manager or lawyers, while others are intended for staff so they can stay on top of their tasks. Likewise, you might not have considered the process of collecting Google reviews
The systems that gather reviews for businesses with 30 or more reviews on Google are typically relatively simple to install. It generally looks like the below;
- When the case has been settled, you should thank the client for choosing you as their attorney and ask them to review your firm.
- If they agree, give them a copy of the Google review handout and tell them where they can leave a review.
- Also, request their email address and inquire if it is okay if you contact them again. Save the email address into your CRM or review collection software for automatic follow-up.
- If the client has not left a review after providing the link to the review within one week, you should send a follow-up email.
In Conclusion
Your law firm’s success hinges on providing excellent service to current clients and attracting new clients who require legal assistance. Positive Google reviews will be critical to achieving this goal.