When you’re shopping for an insurance agency or a hair salon, what’s the first thing you do? If you’re like most of us, you go on Google and start reading reviews.
You may not be surprised to learn that your clients do exactly the same thing when they start looking for a lawyer. Having a lot of good reviews can help you stand out from your competition and land the case.
But how do you get those reviews?
Belo, we’ll dive into why reviews are so important and how you can get more for your firm.
Why Reviews Matter
The first question we need to answer is why you should even spend time getting reviews.
The first reason, of course, is that having lots of good reviews helps to improve your credibility with potential clients. Close to 90 percent of customers read reviews before making purchasing decisions; good reviews can help you stand out from your competitors.
Reviews can also help you show up higher in local SEO rankings.
Google considers which businesses have the most and best reviews when choosing who shows up in the local pack. Getting more reviews can help you show up higher in search results and bring in more potential clients.
Top Review Sites to Focus On
When you start getting reviews, there are a few specific sites you may want to focus on.
Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business)
Getting reviews on your Google My Business page (GMB) is one of the best things for you to focus on.
Google is far and away the most widely used search engine in the world, so getting plenty of reviews on their platform is a smart strategy. These are the first reviews your potential clients may see, so having plenty of them will help.
Justia
Justia is a service offering web design and hosting for law firms, but it also has a lawyer rating and review platform. Not only can clients leave reviews, but they’ve also recently launched a peer-review feature that allows your colleagues to review you.
This gives clients the ability to get a good, in-depth view of the kind of service you provide.
FindLaw
FindLaw is designed to help people in need of legal services find the right lawyer for them. So it may come as no surprise that they also have a rating feature on their site.
Because this is a client-focused site, having solid reviews on FindLaw can help you connect with people already looking for a lawyer.
Avvo
Avvo is one of the most popular lawyer review sites and has become a major resource for clients looking for a lawyer.
Although there’s been some controversy about Avvo recently, the fact remains that they are one of the top sites clients turn to when searching for lawyer reviews. Getting as many client reviews here as possible is a good idea.
Make It Easy
One of the most important things you can do when trying to get reviews from previous clients is to make it easy.
The more painless the review process is for them, the more likely they’ll be to actually go through with it.
If you’re sending a client an email asking for a review, be sure to include links to the review platforms you’d like them to use.
If you’re asking in person at a community event, have a QR code people can scan with their phones. You can even provide a template or prompts to help them easily draft their review.
Ask for Reviews
Aside from making it simple, the best thing you can do to get reviews from your clients is to ask for reviews. Every chance you get, every time there’s movement on a case.
There are several situations that may be prime opportunities to ask for a review.
Anytime Someone Says Thank You
Train your staff to ask for a review any time a client says “Thank you.” These are moments when you’re clearly doing something right and the client is feeling grateful.
Leverage that feeling and ask them if they would mind leaving a review for your firm.
When You Win or Settle
Of course, one of the biggest moments you should ask for reviews is when you win or settle a case. This will be the biggest moment for your client, and they’ll likely be feeling incredibly grateful and delighted.
If you’re in personal injury, the time to ask for a review is right before you hand over the check.
During Community Events
Occasionally, you may hold community events for previous and potential clients. During these events, have a sign with a QR code linking to your top review sites.
Former clients who haven’t left you a review yet may be more inclined to do so while they’re out having a good time and have a few minutes to spare.
When You Deny Cases
It may sound strange, but you may want to ask for reviews even when you deny cases. When you take the time to explain to someone why their case isn’t viable, they may still be grateful for the help and transparency.
Ask for a review after these interactions; you might be surprised at the results.
Use Review Management Software
In addition to making the review easier for your clients, you might also want to look for ways to make it easier for you and your staff.
Review management software can help you automate the process. You can automatically send reminders to clients asking for reviews, among other things.
There are a few review management software packages you can choose from:
- BirdEye – BirdEye is an all-in-one reputation management platform. You can manage all your online business listings in one place, including responding to reviews, sending clients automated reminders, and sharing on social media.
- Podium – Podium helps you get the maximum possible number of reviews through texting. They’ll send messages to your previous clients and help you mesh online reviews and client interactions on the same platform.
- Grade.us – Grade.us integrates with Google and Facebook, allowing you to respond to reviews in both spots from one platform. You can also send review requests through email, text, or even the mail.
These tools and others like them can help you take back some of your time while still getting plenty of reviews for your firm.
Incentivize Your Employees
Another fantastic way to increase the number of reviews your firm gets is to incentivize your employees to get reviews. You can train and explain all you like, but there’s nothing quite like a personal investment to get employees to take initiative.
Offer your employees a cash reward for each review they get a client to leave. Anywhere between $50 and $100 is a good incentive amount.
When your employees have cash money on the line, they’re much more likely to be assertive in encouraging clients to leave a review.
Publish Case Studies
It may sound odd, but publishing case studies on your website can help to bring in more reviews. When you publish a writeup of a particularly successful case, it’s a good opportunity to reach back out to that client and ask for a review.
Send a link to the case study and mention how much you appreciate their business. Then ask if they’d mind leaving a review for your firm.
And even if they don’t leave you a review, you have a fantastic piece of content on your site that can help draw in new clients!
Start a Newsletter
Starting a newsletter can be another surprising way to bring in more reviews for your law firm.
When you stay in touch with your clients, you stay at the forefront of their minds. This can help remind them to leave a review.
And, of course, you can directly ask for reviews in those newsletters. Be sure to add links to the sites you’d like clients to leave reviews on, including your social media pages.
Remember, the easier you make it for clients to review you, the more likely they are to follow through.
Send Gifts
You may also want to consider sending thank-you gifts to clients in exchange for leaving you a review. Small items like coffee mugs, koozies, keychain lights, pens, and so on can give clients that last little boost they need to leave you a review.
Now it is very important to note that you have to be careful with how you handle these gifts. They absolutely cannot be construed as payment or compensation for the review.
Make sure that clients don’t have to leave a review to get the gift. The gift is just a show of your gratitude for them as clients and doesn’t require them to do anything to “earn” it.
Track Your Reviews
As you start to get reviews in, it’s important to keep up with what your clients are saying about you. Reviews do serve to bring in new clients, but they’re also a good way to keep a finger on the pulse of your reputation.
Read your reviews on a regular basis and look for patterns. Listen to what clients like about working with you, and look for patterns in the more negative reviews.
What can you improve on, and what areas are you nailing?
Make Your Marketing Work Smarter
Getting reviews of your law firm is a great way to bring in more clients and improve your service.
It’s important to ask for these reviews any time you get a chance – when a client says thank you, when you close a case, and even when you deny a case. Use review management software to help automate the process and incentivize your employees to get reviews.
If you’re looking for other ways to bring in new clients, LawRank can help. We provide legal marketing that works, including SEO, PPC, and web design. Contact us today to start getting honesty, transparency, and results from your law firm.
