In the age of internet reviews, how you handle customer feedback has never been more important. Whether you’re a small law firm or a large conglomerate with hundreds of thousands of clients, your business will always have an online reputation to consider. And this goes for just about any industry that requires customer service in some capacity—restaurants, hotels, and even doctors are all subject to online reviews from their clientele. Whether it’s Yelp or Google Reviews that you care about most (or both), here are five ways for lawyers to leverage this information for their law firm marketing strategy.
Get a better understanding of your firm’s reputation
With every experience, improving the reputation of a law firm is all about understanding how your clients perceive you and then taking steps to improve. The number of reviews you have is an important indicator because it shows how many people have written something about their experiences with your business. More is better here — but only if they’re positive. The general rating is more complicated for several reasons. There’s no exact formula for calculating these ratings either; different sites use different methods for determining them based on variables like the number of votes or percentages from each reviewer who rated that particular business.
Learn what your audience is looking for from online legal services
When it comes to analyzing keyword search volume, look for keywords that your audience is using to search for legal services. This may include keywords that are used more often in your area of law and keywords that are used less often in your area of law. You can also look for keywords that are used more often by your target audience. Within these keywords, you can usually find different ways that legal businesses are being reviewed.
Generate new content ideas for your website, blog, and social media channels
Customer reviews can also help you generate new content ideas for your website, blog, and social media channels. While reading customer reviews will provide you with a wealth of information about what your clients are saying about you, it can also give you insight into the topics that people want to read more about.
To do this effectively, it is recommended to create a list of the top five most common requests for services in your legal area. Then look through those same reviews for any other recurring themes or topics that are being mentioned by multiple people but have yet to be addressed on your website or in any marketing materials you see that come up when searching for particularl keywords. If there’s an obvious gap in what customers want from your legal niche as an attorney, consider adding some relevant articles to your website or social media accounts.
Compare your services to the values of your competitors
Use the reviews on your site to compare your services to the values of competitors. Customers are vocal about their experiences with businesses, and you need to know what they’re saying about you, as well as your competition. This can help you make adjustments in how you approach law firm marketing strategy. Take note of what customers say about one another—and then use that information to improve your practices.
Identify new referral sources
As you’re reading reviews and identifying the people behind them, you may find that some reviewers are in a position to refer clients to your firm. If you notice a reviewer who is affiliated with a business or organization similar to yours, reach out to him or her about potential referrals. This is also another way to generate more reviews for your business.
It’s worth noting if someone has mentioned a friend or colleague in their review—that could be an indication of how much they trust that person, so consider reaching out directly through email rather than commenting on their review (which could come off as spammy).
Conclusion
Customer reviews are a great way to understand the needs and expectations of your audience. They’re also a tool that can help you improve your services while staying true to yourself. Customer reviews allow law firms to connect with their audiences on a deeper level than ever before – so don’t hesitate. If you follow these tips and take action today, there’s no doubt that you will see better results tomorrow.
