10 Reputation Management Tips for Attorneys
February 27, 2023
Trust plays a crucial role in the success of any law firm. When it comes to converting leads into paying clients, it may be the single most important factor.
When potential clients are considering hiring an attorney, they need to feel confident that their legal representative has their best interests in mind and can be trusted to provide the best possible service.
The bottom line is that, without trust, your ability to attract and convert leads into clients is severely limited. The good news is that there are many ways for a modern lawn firm to build trust. And, it all starts with having a strong reputation.
In this blog, we’re going to cover 10 tips to help you build a reputation for your law firm that helps you get found and build trust with potential lawyer leads.
#1. Develop a professional website
Whether someone hears about your law firm in an ad or from a personal recommendation from a friend, the first thing they’ll often do before scheduling a consultation or contacting your firm is visit your lawyer website.
Your website should be professional and informative, and should include information about your firm, its history, your practice areas and the services that you offer. It should also provide potential leads with a way to contact your firm and answer any questions they may have.
Ensure a good experience for all of your visitors by choosing a responsive, mobile friendly web design. This will not only help you make a better impression on your visitors, but it also impacts how visible your website is on search engines.
#2. Utilize social media
Social media is a great way to build trust with potential leads. Having a presence on platforms, like Facebook, Google, LinkedIn and Instagram, can help you engage with potential leads, provide helpful content and build relationships with potential leads.
You should also ensure that all of your social media accounts are managed professionally, with relevant and interesting content being posted regularly. This will help to build a positive reputation for your firm, and help potential leads get a better idea of who you are and what your firm stands for.
Social media is a crucial tool for building brand awareness and a strong reputation. Make sure that you get it right by always staying professional and engaged on social media.
#3. Claim your local listings
From directories, like Top Rated Local®, to lawyer review platforms, like Avvo, there are many places your potential clients may go to search for legal representation. Ensure your online presence is consistent by claiming your local listings and creating profiles on all relevant sites.
Make your profiles on these listings stand out by including an up-to-date bio, contact information, photos of your firm and team, and any awards or accolades that you may have received.
You should also keep your contact information consistent across listings. This will help potential leads get in touch with you easily, and will also help search engines easily associate your firm with your listings, which can help you rank higher in search results.
#4. Focus on getting reviews
Reviews are incredibly important when it comes to building trust with potential lawyer leads. Having good reviews from happy clients can be a huge factor in whether or not someone decides to hire your firm.
Encourage your existing clients to leave reviews on your listings and lawyer review sites, like Avvo. Make sure to thank them for taking the time to leave a review. You can also reach out to former clients who may have had a positive experience and ask them for a review.
You should also respond to all reviews, both good and bad. Showing potential leads that you are willing to respond to feedback, both positive and negative, can be a great way to build trust.
#5. Utilize SEO and content marketing
Having a strong lawyer SEO (search engine optimization) strategy is key for any law firm looking to build trust with potential lawyer leads. Ensuring that your website and listings are optimized for local search will help you get found more easily in search engine results.
Focus on optimizing your website and listings for relevant keywords, and make sure to include your location in your titles and meta descriptions. You should also ensure that your content is well-written, relevant and up-to-date.
Finally, you should create content for your blog and social media posts that provides valuable information to your leads and clients. This will help to demonstrate your expertise and build trust.
#6. Get Google Guaranteed
Google Guaranteed is Google’s program that provides local businesses with a seal of trust. Law firms that have this seal have a “Google Guaranteed” badge next to their listing. This helps potential leads feel more confident in their decision to hire your firm.
In order to be eligible for the Google Guaranteed program, you must meet certain requirements and pass a background check. You must also have a minimum number of reviews and a minimum star rating.
The Google Guaranteed program is a part of the Local Services Ads (LSA) program, and it is a great way to drive exclusive law firm leads — as well as build valuable trust with them.
#7. Provide a better client experience
Providing a great client experience is key to getting positive reviews and building trust with potential leads. Make sure that you are providing clear communication and are responsive to any questions or concerns that a potential lead may have.
You should also ensure that you are providing an easy way for potential leads to get in touch with you. This could include having a contact form or live chat feature on your website, as well as other easy ways to contact you via email or phone.
Finally, make sure that you are setting expectations up front by providing clear information about your services, fees and timeline. This will help you to manage expectations and provide a better overall experience to your leads.
#8. Communicate effectively through email and text
Email and text messaging are great ways to keep in touch with leads and clients, and provide useful information about your services.
You can use email and text to provide helpful content, such as blog posts and legal updates, as well as reminders about appointments and other important dates.
You should also ensure that your email and text messages are professional and well-written. This will help to build trust with potential leads and will make it more likely that they will schedule a consultation or hire your firm.
#9. Give back to your community
For a local business, there’s no more powerful way to build trust and a strong reputation than by giving back to your community.
There are so many ways you could do this. You could organize a volunteer day for your firm, sponsor a local sports team or charity event, donate to a cause you believe in or provide pro bono legal services to those in need.
These types of activities not only create exposure for your firm, but they also demonstrate to potential leads that you care about your community.
#10. Keep your branding consistent
A big part of building a strong, trusted reputation for your business is building a recognizable brand. This includes having a consistent look, feel and message across all of your lawyer marketing materials.
Your branding should include logo, color palette, fonts and imagery that are consistent across your website, social media accounts and other marketing materials. This should all be included in your brand guidelines, so that anyone working on your marketing materials will have access to your branding information.
This will help potential leads to easily recognize your firm, and will help to create a strong, professional presence online and off.
Trust is a crucial element of success for any law firm. If potential leads don’t trust your firm, they’re unlikely to hire you. In this blog, we’ve covered 10 tips to help you build a strong reputation for your law firm that helps you get found and build trust with potential lawyer leads.
The Marketing 360® lawyer marketing platform has everything you need to build a strong reputation for your law firm. From one place, you can build a beautiful website, drive exclusive leads, master SEO and content marketing, connect with your community on social media and so much more.
Get Plans and Pricing Below
Get the know-how to get ahead
Get business, marketing and sales tips written by experienced industry practitioners. 100% free. Cancel anytime.