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Testimonials are a powerful way for law firms to promote themselves. Best of all, they cost next to nothing and leave your marketing budget intact. There are tips for law firm testimonials that can take these brief nuggets of content from ordinary to exceptional. Rather than having predictable, monotonous customer reviews on your website getting lost in the mix, these tips can help you display testimonials that wow a reader.
First, let’s see what the research data has to say about the power of testimonials:
- Regular use of customer testimonials can help you generate 62% more revenue.
- 92% of consumers read testimonials and reviews online before making a purchase.
- 72% of consumers say online testimonials and reviews make them trust a company more.
- 72% of consumers say that they will only act after read a positive review/testimonial.
Customer reviews on third-party platforms (like Google, Facebook, Avvo, Yelp!, etc.) are close cousins to on-site customer testimonials, and they’re equally important. Consider these stats on reviews of Vendasta:
- Star rating is the #1 factor consumers use to judge a business.
- 94% of consumers would use a business with a 4 star rating.
- 88% of consumers form an opinion about a business by reading up to 10 reviews.
- Between 1 and 3 evil online reviews are enough to dissuade 67% of consumers from buying a service.
Why Law Firm Testimonials Matter
There are good reasons to place client testimonials on your law firm’s website. Here are a few.
1. Customers listen to other customers
Research shows that customers trust other customers much more than advertising. While consumers are skeptical of flashy ads and sales pitches, they tend to believe reviews from other consumers who have used a product or service.
2. Leverage the power of social proof
“Social proof” is a behavioral science showing that, in the face of uncertainty, consumers imitate other consumers. Consumers assume that the next person knows more about a subject than they do, so they will choose the same product or service that everyone else chooses.
3. Your competitors have testimonials
Increasingly, many law firms are placing client testimonials on their websites. If your business doesn’t, potential customers may ask, “Why not?” » You don’t want to give the impression that you have no positive customer feedback to share.
5 steps to success
Tips for getting testimonials from law firms
As a lawyer, you cannot tell a client what to say in testimony. However, the following tips can be useful for customers who agree to write a testimonial, and these tips can help your business select testimonials to display on your website.
1. Each testimonial should talk about a different benefit.
Rather than having 5 or 8 client testimonials that speak in general terms about the friendliness or efficiency of your law firm, it is better to have testimonials that speak in very specific terms about one aspect of your legal services. For example, choose individual testimonials that speak to one of the following attributes of your business:
- Reactivity and communication
- Affordability of services
- Jury Settlement or Award Amount
- Compassion and Understanding of Legal Staff
- Willingness to negotiate aggressively.
2. Ask customers to include as many specific details as possible.
If a client testimonial focuses on exceptional and timely communication from your business, the more specific the details, the better. For example, rather than a testimonial saying “The lawyer called me right back”, it is more effective if the testimonial includes details such as “I received a call back within 3 minutes and all my questions were received a response. When asking a client to write a testimonial, ask them to include specific details.
3. Include dollar amounts of settlements and awards if possible.
There’s nothing like dollar figures to convince potential applicants. Ultimately, everyone wants damages, and the size of your company’s past settlements and awards matter. When asking a client to write a testimonial, ask if they will include the dollar amount of their settlement or jury award. While some customers may be reluctant to disclose this information, others will be happy to provide it.
4. Ask the customer if you can use their last name and city.
A testimonial is all the more credible the more we know about the person who wrote it. While a testimonial written by “Jane” is better than no testimonial at all, a testimonial written by “Jane Brown, St. Louis, Missouri” brings a greater level of specificity, credibility, and trust.
5. Continually seek more testimonials and reviews.
The more testimonials and reviews you have, the better. Researching testimonials and reviews should be an integral part of your customer communication process. If possible, you can even automate customer requests for written testimonials or reviews from third-party platforms. Research shows that consumers trust recent reviews more than older reviews, and they trust 30 reviews more than 3 reviews.
Here are the takeaways
One of the best and most profitable ways to market your law firm is to let satisfied clients sing your praises. This is why it is so important to place customer testimonials on your website. Many customers are happy to write short testimonials if you remember to ask them. When requesting a testimonial, encourage a customer to focus on one aspect of your service, be as specific as possible, include their settlement dollar amount (if applicable), and include their full name and city. It’s also a good idea to assign one staff member to ask for customer testimonials and then follow up on them. That way that effort doesn’t get lost in the mess of a busy day. Remember that customers listen to other customers, so let your happy customers share their good news.
