While it’s important to take a multi-faceted approach with your marketing efforts, more and more businesses — including law firms — are relying on their online presence to bring in new clients. With their wide reach and comparatively low costs, online marketing campaigns offer many businesses new ways to grow their business.

One of the most important components of your online marketing plan is your online reviews. Your reviews in places like Google, Facebook, and other review sites can significantly impact your business’ reputation, both for good and for ill. A 2017 survey from Inc. Magazine found that 84 percent of people trust online reviews as much as they trust a personal recommendation from someone they know. This means your prospective clients are increasingly relying on your online reviews to decide whether or not to hire your business.

Sometimes, getting positive online reviews can be a challenge. Many businesses are wary of soliciting online feedback, as these reviews can be abused in bad-faith attacks. While this is a valid concern, the positive benefits of online reviews outweigh the potential negative effects.

Keep reading to learn more and to see how Client Chat Live can help improve your business’ online reviews.

Benefits of Online Reviews

Here are a few of the benefits of soliciting and improving your business’ online reviews:

• Improved search engine results – Your online reviews are one of the components Google uses to determine your page rankings when potential customers are searching for the services you provide. Higher reviews on Google and other websites will improve your search engine results, leading to more online traffic to your site.
• Free advertising – Strong online reviews are one way to use digital word-of-mouth to your advantage. Your online reviews can draw people to your business from across multiple platforms, greatly expanding your reach. And every positive review you get makes it more likely that people will find those reviews and then come to your business.
• Build a closer relationship with your customers – People like it when businesses respond to their online reviews. It helps build a sense of trust and makes a business seem more approachable. You can use your online reviews to foster a sense of community among your clients, which will make them more likely to recommend your services to other people they know.
• Constructive criticism and suggestions – Not all bad reviews have to have a fully negative effect on your business. By monitoring your online reviews and responding appropriately to fair criticism, you may gain some valuable knowledge on how you can improve your business and your customer service. Customers might also suggest new products or services you could offer, which could offer opportunities to expand your reach.

How to Build Up Your Online Reviews

If you haven’t spent a lot of time on your online reviews, or if your review scores are a bit lacking, here are a few strategies you can use to build up your scores:

• Solicit feedback from customers – Most customers will not leave a review of your business without being asked because it’s just not something they often think about. The exception is negative reviews, but those aren’t what you want anyway. When a customer has a pleasant interaction with your business, gently encourage them to leave you a review on Google, Facebook, or your website directly (if it’s configured to allow reviews). Encourage them to be as detailed as possible.
• Claim your social media pages – If you haven’t already, claim a Google My Business page for your business, as well as create a Facebook page. Google reviews and Facebook recommendations are some of the top places people go to for online reviews, and you want to be in control of your own presence on those platforms. Creating a page on these platforms has the added benefit of making your business easier to find online.
• Respond to fair reviews – Too many positive reviews make people skeptical that negative reviews have been scrubbed, so be sure to leave and respond to a range of reviews. While you don’t have to answer every review, taking some time to respond to both praise and criticism will build trust with people who visit your site.
• Hire a review monitoring service – There are services you can hire to solicit reviews for your business and monitor the reviews they have. These services are well worth it if you don’t want to deal with handling your reviews yourself.

Client Chat Live Can Help You With Your Online Reviews And More

Client Chat Live’s online reviews service uses sophisticated digital tools to make it easy for clients to provide feedback about your business. Let us handle your reviews for you while you focus on other aspects of your business. We can also implement live chat tools on your website to make it easier for clients to reach you and sign up for your services. Learn more by visiting our contact page or call (808) 495-1231.