Are testimonials really necessary?

Posted on: June 9, 2020 Posted by: Aaron_George Comments: 0

As a successful lawyer, you’ve worked with copious clients who have been happy with your services, and maybe even referred you to their friend or colleague when they needed services that you provide as well. You may wonder why every product you buy online tries to ask you to leave a review after purchase. Even further, you may wonder why testimonials are necessary for someone in your field. Who needs a testimonial for a lawyer?

Despite your thoughts, the truth is that yes — real testimonials and great reviews from actual clients are absolutely a necessity for successful law firms and lawyers!

The power of testimonials

It’s a hot and humid day, and your central air conditioning has broken. You’re working from home, or your pets and children are home, and no one is comfortable. You need your AC fixed, fast! How are you going to choose who to call to help you in your emergency?

Well, if you are like 90% of consumers, you are going to hop online and research companies by reading their online reviews to help make your deicison.¹Data has shown that about 68% of people are influenced by online reviews — that means that you can be missing out on over half of your potential clientele by not having testimonials present on in Google or on your firm’s website!²

While referrals are still a great opportunity for earning new business, online reviews are the new word-of-mouth in our internet-era. In fact, 76% of people say that they trust an online review just as much as a personal recommendation from a friend or family member.¹This is even more important for lawyers since, depending on the situation, some people may want to keep private their need for hiring a lawyer. This means that they may not even go to a close friend or family member for a referral or recommendation, and instead will turn to the internet to help them make their decision.

Why testimonials are important for lawyers

When 82% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses and less than half of them will not trust a business who does not have a positive reputation (or no existing online reputation), it is easy to say that testimonials are vital for your business.

It is important to have quality content and marketing material present online and offline for your firm, but testimonials are a free way of social proof that you can back up your marketing claims. It isn’t enough to tell someone why you are the best choice for their needs, you need to show them via client reviews and testimonials that this is actually true.

But don’t just take our word for it! Here are some amazing statistics about how testimonials can help you gain more clients:

91% of consumers say that positive reviews make them more likely to use a business.¹
32% of people will visit a business’s website as a next step after reading positive reviews about them.¹
57% of consumers will avoid a local business that has negative online reviews.³
90% of people use online reviews to make buying decisions.³
72% of consumers will take action only after reading a positive review.⁴

How to acquire testimonials for your firm

The easiest way to get more testimonials for your business is to simply ask. It’s been found that 60% of people have written an online review for a positive experience, and 85% of consumers are willing to leave reviews.¹

While some testimonials are more lengthy and may require a bit more effort from the client’s end, if you ask a satisfied client, they are most likely going to be willing to give you a testimonial. A few ways to ask your clients for a testimonial are:

Send a follow-up email after you are finished asking them for a testimonial.
Ask your client in-person if they would be willing to be recorded for a testimonial or to write one for you before they leave.
Keep a line in your email signature with a link asking clients to leave a testimonial on your website.
Mail out postcards to past clients requesting they call, email, or send a mail a testimonial to you.

When asking for testimonials, be personable and honest with your clients! Explain to them how much a testimonial means for your firm, and be appreciative that they are willing to put in the time to write something positive about their experience working with you.

How to use testimonials in your marketing materials

Testimonials are basically free marketing content, so you want to use them in the majority of your marketing materials! Testimonials give the element of social proof to back up any of your marketing claims, and can be re-puprosed on many things.

Make sure that every page, especially sales landing pages, on your website has at least one or more testimonials present. Make the claims about why your services are the best for the potential client, and then back it up with a real client testimonial.

If you have any offline advertising such as postcards, brochures, newspaper ads, billboards, TV commercials and more, include a client testimonial! TV or billboards are great visual ways to connect with your potential customers, so including a photo of the person who left you the great review, or — even better — a video testimonial, will really push home the message you are trying to convey. Try to get testimonials in as many forms as you can, so that you can use them in a variety of your marketing!

Overall, testimonials are vital to your success in gaining new clients, and are one of the best ways to gain free marketing for your business.