You’ve taken the time and put out the effort to get testimonials from your clients in your Elder Law or Estate Planning practice. You have glowingly positive statements about your law firm. Now, what do you do with them?
To start, understand that testimonials may or may not be the same as reviews.
Sometimes you will collect testimonials in the form of reviews through an independent website like Google, Yelp, or Facebook. But sometimes, a client may provide a testimonial via written note, email, phone, or agree to be video recorded.
One isn’t always better than the other. It depends on your goal. Google Reviews are fantastic for SEO and to establish your online presence. Most people will look up your firm on Google at some point.
We always recommend that you ask for Google Reviews from clients. But some clients aren’t tech savvy, or never get around to leaving a review. (Our SEO service with automated reputation management software can help.)
A recorded video testimonial on your website can be far more impactful than a vague written testimonial.
Courtesy of Karp Law
Courtesy of McIntyre Elder Law
The purpose of collecting testimonials for your law firm is to use them in your marketing materials, website, and more.
Testimonials are a big deal for a law firm because they carry the power to impress and convert potential clients. They give people a taste of your brand and tell a story about the experiences your clients had.
If you are having trouble collecting testimonials, check out: Best Way to Get Client Reviews (hint: it’s not email).
Using testimonials encourages people to call, click, or dig deeper into the services you have to offer. Beyond that, it shows them — in someone else’s words — why they should hire you.
However, simply collecting and testimonials about your firm isn’t enough. You actually have to USE the testimonials so they can do the work for you.
Here are a few tips to put those testimonials to work:
1) Get your testimonials website ready.
Unedited videos and raw text don’t look good on your website, even if the testimonials themselves are fantastic. Before putting your testimonials on your site, get them ready to shine.
First, ask your client permission to use their testimonial, especially if you have made any edits to phrasing or grammar.
Next, format the testimonials so they look good on your website. Including things like the client’s name (first and last initial), location, and photo will legitimize your testimonial.
That shows that these testimonials are real people that are offering their sincere praise for your services. Of course, first make sure your client agrees with you sharing their personal information online.
Courtesy of Elder Law & Life Care Planning Center
If the testimonial is long, cut it down so it’s more concise. Written testimonials on the home page of your website should be under 100 words so they can be skimmed quickly.
Highlight powerful phrases so they immediately stick out to anyone reading the testimonial.
If you practice in many different areas areas such as personal injury and elder law, consider separating your testimonials by practice area. That way, they are easy to find and relevant to the services people are seeking.
Courtesy of Elder Law Care Center
Courtesy of Holborn Law
2) Create a testimonials page
After you have collected testimonials, consider featuring them on a dedicated testimonials page on your website. Link to it from your home page and make it easy to find from all the popular and important pages on your website.
Keep in mind that testimonials are often one of the first things people will read when visiting your website.
Though they may not even know they are looking for them, they will stop and read. Stories and emotion always sell better than facts and figures.
Courtesy of The Law Office of Laura E. Cowan
3) Place testimonials strategically throughout your entire website
Even if you have a dedicated page for testimonials, you should still use the most powerful and impactful testimonials in different areas of your website and your email campaigns.
Testimonials on your home page will catch attention as soon as someone visits your website and start working for you from the get-go.
Something that most firms aren’t taking advantage of is using testimonials on their practice area pages.
If you helped a client with Medicaid planning and she left you a testimonial, include that testimonial on your Medicaid / Elder Law services page. That way, people who are already visiting that page see that you have helped others in a similar situation.
Every visitor to your website may not come through your homepage. Make sure you also weave a few testimonials into your blogs, FAQ’s, landing page content, and articles. That adds weight to what your clients are saying.
Courtesy of Owenby Law
Testimonials can help illustrate a point, lend credence to your professionalism and expertise, and show that you get results. Just make sure the testimonials you choose are relevant to the page and content you put them on.
If it seems irrelevant, disjointed, or salesy, you could diminish trust.
Ultimately, you want testimonials scattered throughout your website, so they are always a beaming sign of your trust and authority.
4) Use testimonials in your follow-up emails and newsletters
You must always remind potential clients about why they should work with you, long after they have left your website. Using previous client experiences and testimonials in your follow up communication is an easy way to do that.
While including screenshots of public reviews on Google or Yelp may not fit with your website aesthetic, it’s an effective technique when used in emails. Showing the actual review legitimizes it to your potential client.
Just like website reviews, make sure the ones you include in your emails are impactful and relevant to the person reading it. You may need to give some additional context before or after the review if it is vague.
Courtesy of Elder Law Care Center
Want to learn more about how we can help your practice get in front of quality clients? Schedule a free call with us.
