As an attorney in solo practice or the owner of a small- to mid-sized law firm, reputation matters. The success of your business relies on a steady stream of clients for whom you can provide effective and lasting legal solutions that protect their best interests as much as possible. When a client has a positive experience with your law practice, they will be more likely to recommend your services to others—whether that recommendation happens in person or online. In today’s highly competitive online world, law firms need to invest in some form of digital marketing in order to remain visible to search engine algorithms like Google (and, in turn, to potential clients searching for legal services in their local community).
One of the cornerstones of an effective and impactful content marketing strategy for law firms is requesting, monitoring, and responding to online reviews from your clients. Search engine algorithms rely on this feedback to evaluate a company’s authenticity and quality, which is then used to influence the position of a particular business among the search results pages. Additionally, potential clients who are deciding which law firm to work with will likely use reviews from former clients to determine whether to move forward with your law firm. Essentially, the words of your former clients—and how you respond to their comments—can be the deciding factor in whether or not a potential client moves forward with your law practice.
Whether your law firm has built up several favorable client reviews or you are hoping to entice more clients to leave reviews, incorporating a results-driven approach to law firm reputation management is highly recommended to boost your firm’s visibility. Unfortunately, realizing that an unsatisfied client has left you a negative online review can seem disastrous. However, before you assume the worst, it’s important that you view this less-than-ideal situation as an opportunity to cultivate client trust and even improve your overall reputation as a law practice that’s genuinely invested in delivering exceptional legal services to every client you serve. Below are a few strategies for reputation management for lawyers to incorporate into your law firm’s overall digital marketing approach.
Shift Your Perspective From Defensiveness to Openness
No one enjoys reading negative comments about themselves. The same goes for businesses—the last thing you want to hear is that you are failing a customer in some way. However, clients are entitled to voice their opinions, even if they portray your law firm in an unfavorable light. When you read a negative review from one of your clients, your first instinct may be to fire off an impulsive response. Unfortunately, throwing together an impulsive response will likely sound defensive, accusatory, or even belittling. Instead of addressing the client’s concerns, this hasty response may backfire by exacerbating the animosity between you and the client. Not only will this poorly planned response fail to acknowledge the client’s concerns, but other people who visit the review website and see your response will likely create an unfavorable impression of your law firm (i.e., your law firm is dismissive, unempathetic, and even hostile to client concerns).
Instead of letting your defensiveness get the better of you, take some time to absorb the client’s words and shift your perspective into seeing this as an opportunity to present your law practice in a favorable light. Ultimately, the negative review will matter much less than your response, as both the reviewer and others who visit the website will look at how your law firm responds to the review to inform their impression of you. For instance, seeing that you responded with empathy and a genuine interest in addressing the client’s concerns can go a long way in cultivating a favorable relationship with your former and future clients.
Find out where you stand with a local keyword report.
Invite the Reviewer to Take the Conversation Offline
Many unsatisfied clients simply want to feel heard and acknowledged when they write a negative review. According to the American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct, “A lawyer shall make reasonable efforts to prevent the inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure of, or unauthorized access to, information relating to the representation of a client.” In order to ensure that you uphold these professional obligations, it’s best to keep your responses to any client review as vague and warm as possible. While you may be tempted to share your perspective on the client’s case as part of your response to a negative review, sharing any details could be considered a violation of professional ethics or codes of conduct. Instead, craft a response that expresses your disappointment that the client was unsatisfied with their experience working with your law firm and invite them to continue the conversation offline. For instance, you may post a response with something like, “We are sorry to hear about these concerns. At [X Law Firm], we value the experience of every client we serve. Would you be interested in contacting our office so that we may talk through your concerns directly and find a constructive solution?” This type of response shows both the original reviewer and potential clients visiting the review website that you care about addressing client concerns and making things right.
Reiterate Your Firm’s Commitment to Client Satisfaction
Whenever you respond to a client review, whether it’s positive or negative, you have the opportunity to reinforce your law firm’s commitment to delivering exceptional service to your clients. Even if someone sees that a former client has written a less-than-stellar review, they can read your sincere response to the negative comment as a genuine commitment to improving the quality of the client experience. In some cases, the thoughtfulness of your response may be the deciding factor in whether or not a potential client moves forward with your services. If you are interested in learning more about how to implement reputation management for attorneys strategies into your overall digital marketing strategy for law firms plan, give LegalRev a call today for customized and results-driven guidance.
For more than a decade, the dedicated team at LegalRev has been helping hundreds of law firms grow their businesses using time-tested and proven digital marketing systems. Give us a call today at (800) 893-2590 to discuss how we can help you take your law firm’s digital marketing strategy to the next level.
