There are around 1.2 million attorneys in the United States and in most markets today, people have plenty of attorneys to choose from. So as an attorney one of the most important questions you must be able to answer in order to grow is…HOW CAN I STAND OUT?
There are many ways to become more visible and build your brand, many of which I cover in my FREE updated guide on the top 9 ways to grow your law firm in 2021, but one of the easiest ways you can really stand out when people find you online by search or referral is by having more and better reviews than your competitors. Why? Consider the following:- Google ranks your web properties in part based on the quality and quantity of consumer reviews received- Nearly 89% of consumers consider online reviews as an “essential tool” during their buying process and 88% trust online reviews- 72% of consumers indicate that they will retain the FIRST ATTORNEY they contact- The average local business now has 39 reviewsPerhaps most important of all is that Google now prominently displays their consumer reviews in two of the top three search results (LSA ads and Google Maps) for the most common attorney searches online. Because of this, one of the most common questions I receive is…HOW CAN I GENERATE MORE REVIEWS?
Generating more reviews for your law firm is actually a simple process but requires three elements in order to be successful: Goals, Process, and Accountability. In this case, you need to define monthly goals (desired # of new reviews), a process (how to repeatedly and consistently generate more reviews) and accountability (tracking progress to your goals and rewarding success). To help make this process simple, here are the 5 steps you can take today to help achieve this objective:
1.) Define your goal and write it down for all to see. Place a small whiteboard somewhere in your office for all attorneys and staff to see and write the following on it: “Total number of new customer reviews we will generate for (Month name here)” followed by a number. Make sure to circle the number in red to make it stand out. In order to come up with the right number, start with the total number of clients you manage each month and take 50% of that number. For example, if you deal with new 50 clients a month, start with 25 new reviews on your board and go from there. This might not seem like a lot but by the end of the year you should have over 300 new reviews as a result.
2.) Create easy-to-find review links for your customers to use. There are many places to provide reviews but if you ever plan to have a Google My Business (GMB) listing, run PPC, and/or Google LSA ads, you should start by generating as many reviews to your GMB listing first. Why? Because these same reviews are used by your LSA ads as well. The first step is to get your unique review link directly from your GMB listing. You can do this by logging into your GMB ads and on the home page for your listing, click on the “Share Review Form” button in the “Get more reviews” box…At this point, you should see a pop-up box entitled “Request reviews” with a link you can then copy and use on your website, in emails, in your email signatures, in texts, etc. – any place you want to ask clients to provide a review from. This unique link will directly link them to your reviews page with having to search and find it.
3.) Create a standard process to solicit reviews from your satisfied customers. Make sure all employees in your firm ask each client at every engagement the following question: “How has your experience been with us so far?” If the client responds positively to that question, ask them if they could take a moment to share that feedback online. If a client is visiting your office, they will most likely have a mobile phone with them so you can ask them to use it and go to the reviews link on your website and provide their review from there. If they have trouble navigating, have your staff assist them in getting to the reviews page on their phone and hand it back to them to complete the review. If you are requesting reviews virtually, make sure to include the review link in your emails and texts with simple instructions for them to click the link and provide a review. Finally, create a list of these clients you want reviews from each month, monitor their results, and follow-up until completed. I have seen firms do this up to 3-5 times over 10 days while even calling to help them complete this process over the phone after a few unsuccessful attempts. If you are a larger firm, you can even utilize review automation systems like RevenueJump.com, TrustPilot.com, Grade.us, Podium.com, etc. that provide options to integrate into your CRM systems as well. These services will help automate a lot of these processes for you, but they are not cheap and not necessary for most firms unless you are dealing with hundreds and even thousands of reviews requests which most firms do not.
4.) Measure your results on an ongoing basis and share with your firm. The only way you and your firm will CONSISTENTLY follow this process is if you continue to remind your attorneys and employees why it is so important to hit this goal on a monthly basis. That is why you need to post this goal prominently in your office on a white board and share the results each month with your firm as a key KPI for your business success. If you have other members in your firm, you can also run contests and provide incentives to the person or team of people that generate the most reviews each month. These can include gift cards, free dinner gift certificates, bonuses, physical awards, an afternoon off of work, etc. – anything that will help reward this effort and help make it more fun and competitive with larger groups of people. I have even seen a firm pass around a large bull horn trophy to the winner each month who then prominently displays it on the desk for all to see.
5.) Manage, monitor, and respond to reviews. As hard as you may try, not everybody will provide 5-star positive feedback all the time. The good news is nobody really expects all perfect reviews either. Think about it: would you really “trust” 500 5-star reviews for one attorney? Of course not, and neither do your clients. Most attorneys will receive one or more negative reviews and here is how I recommend you handle them once received. First, if you know who provided the negative review, you can try reaching out to them by phone and attempt to resolve the issue by letting them know that you take their review seriously and would like to try to resolve the matter. In some cases, if resolved, they may remove the review. If not, then you need to respond online to their review quickly, professionally, and in a way that OTHER READERS will see as a refection of your customer service levels and what it could be like to work with you and your firm. You can do this by including the following in your response online
Thank them for their feedback and letting you know about the problem / issue. Indicate that your firm values all feedback received and the opportunity to improve the services you provide to your clients
Repeat your understanding of their issue and ways in which that issue can potentially be resolved. If your firm did something wrong, explain how you can help fix the issue. If the client did something wrong, explain why and what they can do next to help resolve the matter. If the client simply reached you in error or was offended you didn’t take their case, let them know why and offer to provide them with referrals to other people that might be able to help them. No matter what you write, kill them with kindness and never write your response as being argumentative, in anger, or in any way that could turn somebody off when reading it. When it doubt, ask a third party to read and provide you with feedback before you post online.
Conclude your comments by thanking them again for their feedback and providing them with any potential next steps and your commitment to helping them resolve any matters you can potentially help them with.
Follow-up if needed. If you offer to help and don’t receive a response, follow-up in a few days or weeks online and ask them if you can be of any further assistance to them. Trust me, people will see this and like it…it will be another reason for people to potentially trust and like you.
On a final note, negative reviews are not the only reason to respond to reviews received. If you receive a positive review from a good client, thank them for the review and for the opportunity to help them out. Let them know how much you enjoyed working with them and if they ever need any further assistance, to contact you again. This is a great way to not only get repeat business but generate more referral business as well.
IN SUMMARY, consumer reviews can help make or break your law firm online. Consumers are now comparing your reviews (or a lack thereof) to your competitors and the more advertising and referral business you receive, the more important reviews can become to your practice. By following these 5 simple and effective steps every month and every year, you can win the battle over time and better grow your firm. And if you goal is to generate 1000 new reviews this year, then you can start now by setting your goal of at least 84 new reviews each month and follow the process above. If you have a smaller practice with lower client volume, start with the 50% number previously mentioned in step #1 above and go from there. Just remember, no matter how many reviews you can generate, your competitors will be increasing theirs no matter what so get started now and you will see the results!
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