The practice of law is a profession built on trust and integrity. Potential clients look for assurances that you’ll honor all confidences and work hard to successfully resolve their legal challenges. Your word is your bond.
Unfortunately, in today’s world, where most information is found online, it’s far too easy for someone to intentionally and wrongfully cast aspersions on you. Adisgruntled client or an opposing litigant can post just about anything about you, and it becomes instantly available to millions of eyes. If you think a few bad reviews won’t matter, think again. Online analysts estimate that as many as nine of every ten consumers read an online review before deciding to obtain goods or services.
Because your reputation and credibility are integral to your practice, you need to take swift action to counteract wrongful attacks on your character and abilities. That’s a daunting task, though, given the immensity of the Internet and the ease with which detractors can post negative comments. Here’s where online reputation management can make a difference.
What Is Online Reputation Management?
Online reputation management involves a wide range of functions, including:
- Monitoring relevant social media and other online sites for any references to you or your practice
- Red-flagging or blocking false or malicious reviews/comments from appearing on your website or on major social media sites
- Consolidating all your online reviews on a single website for easy reference and to improve search engine optimization
- Automatically highlighting positive client reviews on your website and social media sites and in search engine results/li>
- Automatically distributing positive reviews to a database of potential clients
- Automatic requests to your clients to generate and post positive reviews
- Tools that make it easy for clients to post positive reviews from a mobile device
- Gathering of data, including e-mail addresses, to facilitate future marketing or reputation management campaigns
Why Reputation Management Matters
It may seem obvious, in a profession built on trust and honesty, that even the perception of impropriety or negativity can make it more difficult to attract new clients. Let’s look at some statistics, though, that help illustrate the integral role your reputation plays in the potential success of your practice:
- Virtually all consumers (97%) look for local businesses online. In fact, one in ten do it every day.
- The average consumer views seven online reviews before trusting a service or merchandise provider.
- Nearly nine of every ten consumers (85%) put as much stock in online reviews as they do personal recommendations.
- About 75% of consumers are more willing to work with providers who have positive online reviews, whereas six in ten say they are not inclined to do business with a provider who has received a negative review.
- Every one-star increase in a business’s Yelp rating leads to a 10% increase in revenue.
GetLegal’s Catalyst™ Reputation Management Product
At GetLegal, we offer the Catalyst™ reputation management tool, a robust application that uses cutting-edge technology to:
- Track reviews and posts to all major social media platforms, including Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Reddit, as well as online legal sites like Avvo, Martindale.com, LawyerRating and Justia
- Immediately notify you when a new review is posted online
- Prevent false, misleading, or damaging reviews from appearing on social media platforms or your own website
- Make it easy for your clients to immediately post positive reviews, even from a mobile device
- Gather all your online reviews in a single location
- Automatically request reviews from your clients
- Share positive reviews with millions of consumers nationwide
- Compile data to facilitate marketing or reputation management campaigns by e-mail
Get the Benefits of Catalyst™
At GetLegal, we understand that marketing a legal practice is first and foremost about trust and reputation. We proudly offer the Catalyst™ product to help ensure that your prospective clients have a positive image of your practice. To learn more about how Catalyst™ can protect your good name, contact our office online or call us at 817-359-7077.
