As a family law attorney, your prospective clients are concerned with one thing:
Winning.
If you’re an attorney they’ve never met, with stakes as high as the loss of their property or time with their children, your prospects need to know that you’re their best shot.
They need to be more than confident.
They need to be sure.
So, how do you get your prospects to trust you?
You should have a website that features...
- A professional design that instills confidence and authority in new visitors
- Your awards, years of experience, and certifications that prove your qualifications
- Photos and videos of your attorneys to connect with visitors on a more personal level
But the best way to build trust among your prospects is to connect them with...
- Referrals
- Testimonials
- Case Studies
...From your clients.
How to use referrals
When you’re providing excellent service and winning for your clients, referrals will come naturally. However, it’s possible to accelerate the process through one simple but consistent practice:
Ask for them.
If your client is satisfied with the court’s ruling, appreciates your service, and expresses that verbally, ask them to think of your firm in the future if a friend or loved one is ever in need of your services.
And don’t forget about online reviews. While these aren’t the same as personal referrals from family and friends, they’re the modern-day equivalent to word of mouth.
The Pew Research Center found that 82% US adults check online reviews from other customers, and other research shows that 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation.
While you shouldn’t directly solicit reviews from clients (as review sites like Yelp have been cracking down on this practice), you can create a formalized process for letting your clients know where they can review your firm online. You can also improve your presence on online review sites by managing your firm’s profiles and responding to reviews as appropriate.
How to use testimonials
Testimonials are positive online reviews that your firm curates. When a previous client writes a positive review for your firm on a platform like a Google, Yelp, or Facebook, you can use it as a featured testimonial on your website—just ask for permission first.
Like referrals, testimonials can be directly requested from happy clients. If you won your client a favorable judgment in a divorce and they’re a big supporter of your firm, ask them to submit a testimonial for your website. To preserve their privacy, you can use an initial for their last name.
A well-deployed testimonial should be a “testament” to your value as a family law attorney. When your clients see the experience you’ve given previous customers, they’ll feel more hopeful and assured that they’ll have a similar experience and motivate them to call your firm.
How to use case studies
Case studies are story-based accounts of what you were able to accomplish for a client. They are one of the most powerful assets for instilling trust and confidence in prospective clients because they detail the outcome you delivered through hard data and direct quotes from clients.
Due to the privacy of your client—particularly given the sensitive nature of family law—a case study should omit as much identifying information as possible.
Instead, focus the case study on the story of the client. Where did your client begin when they first approached your firm? Were they served divorce papers unexpectedly? Did they have a lot of assets to protect? Was their spouse requesting full custody of their three children?
Paint a picture, and then describe what you did to change their situation.
Speak to the motions you filed, the negotiations you made, and more specifically, the results you were able to achieve for your client.
The more detail you can include, the better.
Closing Thoughts
Just like the judge and jury want to see evidence in the courtroom, potential clients want to see evidence that you’re the right attorney to represent them. Don’t hesitate to leverage the referrals, testimonials, and case studies of your past clients, as these are the types of marketing collateral that can get a prospect to choose you over a competitor.
If you’re interested in improving your legal marketing and generating more family law cases,
Call (866) 344-8852 or message us directly here.
