You Have a Reputation to Protect: Law Firm Reputation Management 101

When you are looking for help from a professional, you normally ask for word-of-mouth referrals first, right? Of course, we all feel more comfortable with someone providing a service if we know that a friend whom we trust has already worked with, and has had a good experience with, the person. That is only natural.

In our increasing computer-based, isolated world, however, it can be harder to get a personal referral for a plumber to fix your sink or an HVAC specialist. Accordingly, we all do the next best thing – we read reviews from people online who have had an experience with a particular service provider. We can automatically trust the first reviewer we see, but in looking at a number of reviews – and perhaps an overall score that aggregates the online reviews – we get an idea of what that service provider is all about.

That, as you would expect, is what we call a person’s or company’s “online reputation.” It is naturally shaped by the online reviews they receive.  

The same is true for lawyers. Whether we like it or not, there are websites that allow clients to provide online reviews. Moreover, if you or your firm has established a presence on Google by creating a Google business profile, then people can leave reviews. That information becomes important to your online reputation.

In this article, we are going to talk about why monitoring your firm’s online reputation is so important, and we will also discuss some ways in which you can manage that reputation.  

If, after reading this article, you have more questions about getting some help with law firm reputation management, then we welcome you to reach out to Oamii . We can provide great information on how you can more easily build your book of business. Not only do we assist with law firm reputation management in West Palm Beach, Florida, but we are here to help you with all of your digital marketing needs. 

We are up and running at full speed during the Covid-19 crisis. So, we invite you to contact us today. Our Oamii marketing professionals can provide effective marketing services that are second to none, at a reasonable price point. Contact us today by filling out our online contact form , or by calling us at 561-228-4111 . 

Client Reviews Are Important

You likely know very well that when potential clients are looking for a lawyer, they do not simply call and set up an appointment with the first law firm they see online. Rather, people will do their homework. They will look at a number of websites, read some content from different websites after running some Google searches, and invariably they will read client reviews.

Indeed, client reviews have the “from the horse’s mouth” type of quality. What better information can you learn from than from people who have already worked with a particular law firm. Thus, client reviews can be powerful, and therefore are a vital and persuasive part of your online reputation.  

That is why it is a very good idea to keep a fairly close watch on client reviews to make sure that there is no information that runs counter to your actual reputation and professionalism. In short, you want to make sure that your online reputation reflects who you really are.  

When it comes to a negative review on the Google platform, Google will oftentimes act more favorably towards the reviewer, in an effort to uphold the notion that people should be allowed to express their beliefs about their interaction with a particular firm or company.

That is not to say that reviewers are unfettered in their ability to post reviews.  Google will investigate a client review when asked, and Google has a policy of flagging and removing reviews that are clearly phony spam, not on topic, and overtly offensive.  So, you can certainly report a review to Google that you think is suspicious.  Yet, on balance Google tends to side with reviewers so that free expression is not stifled.

There is no question that you will likely have the natural urge to want to respond right away to a negative review, in the heat of the moment.  Odds are, that is not the best approach.  

Instead, if you or your firm receive a bad client review, consider reaching out to the client and discussing their concerns.  Many times, a bad review comes less from bad service and more from a client feeling like he or she was not heard or was not able to express his or her feelings.  Thus, a discussion could easily lead to better understanding on both ends, and the reviewer may want to revise the review or remove it altogether.  

You may also want to take the opportunity note in response to the review publicly, that you and/or the firm responded to the client, and that the client’s concerns were addressed.   

If you don’t have the time or resources to monitor online reviews, then Oamii can help.  We dedicate ourselves to optimizing your legal web design to deliver quality content to bring in new business. We have the tools and the team to make sure that your brand, your webpage, your reputation, and your firm are top-of-mind.

When you invest in marketing for your law firm, you want to work with an agency that brings your law firm the best results and understands the temperature of the marketplace.  You want to get the most out of your advertising budget and get the best return on investment.  

For social media marketing in West Palm Beach, Oamii provides quality products and services to our clients while keeping their best interests in mind, making use of the best legal marketing agency in West Palm Beach, Florida.  Our deliverables are always provided on schedule, budget, and scope.

You have a choice with your marketing dollars and resources.  If you want to increase your marketing reach and want a company that focuses on SEO for law firms, then look to the help of an experienced, professional, legal marketing agency in West Palm Beach.  Look no further than Oamii to crack the code on how to improve your marketing game.  We welcome you to contact us at Oamii to help you market your firm and build your book of business.  Please fill out our online contact form , or call us at 561-228-4111 today.