Let’s say you’re looking for a new accountant for your law firm. Chances are, you’ll spend quite a lot of time looking for the right one. You aren’t going to simply complete a Google search and go with the first one in your area that shows up.
You’re likely to ask industry friends for recommendations, speak with accountants about their rates and services, and read their reviews.
When your clients are looking for a lawyer, they’re also likely to complete a lot of research before choosing you to represent them. This is why you need to make sure that you’ve got all your bases covered—including Yelp.
Your clients will look for your law firm on Yelp, so your marketing on this website can make a big difference. How do you market your firm on Yelp to ensure success? Read on to learn more.
Complete Your Business Profile
Because Yelp is a website where many people can create pages, including those of businesses they don’t own, your law firm might already be on there. This is like allowing a jury to choose the final verdict of a case, without anyone having even heard your defense!
Fortunately, you can regain control of your law firm page if the community on Yelp has already created it. All you have to do is demonstrate that you’re the business owner.
Whether or not your business is already on there, the step after reclaiming your business or starting the profile anew is to complete it.
Include information such as your law firm name, website URL, address, and phone number. This will demonstrate that you’re running a professional firm—and it will also make it easier for users to find any of this information if they’re looking for it.
Add High-Quality Photos
Imagine presenting a case in front of a jury or judge with only the facts, instead of the relevant evidence and additional persuasive language you provide. You might be able to win the case, but your argument will be far less convincing than it would otherwise be.
Your Yelp profile works the same way. Why simply provide information, when you could illustrate your firm’s brand through high-quality photos?
Include images of your office building, the interior of your office, and maybe some of your staff, yourself, and other lawyers at your firm.
This will make your law firm seem professional in the eyes of your potential clients, which will build trust and make them more likely to become actual clients.
Target the Right Keywords
Getting found online is all about using the keywords your clients are looking for. So why not make it more likely they’ll come across your Yelp business profile by targeting the right keywords? Do your research first, finding out what your clients are searching for.
Then, once you’ve identified the keywords, place them throughout your Yelp page. You can include them in the content that appears on your page, your about section, and in the services you provide.
This will make it more likely that your page will appear not only in a Google search but also whenever someone looks up the keywords on Yelp.
Ask Your Clients for Reviews
However optimized your Yelp account is with a completed business profile, high-quality photos, and the right keywords, it won’t be a powerful marketing platform for you if you don’t have any reviews (or only negative ones).
That’s why you have to ask your clients for reviews. Reach out to clients you’ve won cases for and who were happy with your services.
Then ask them if they wouldn’t mind leaving a review. You can explain that your law firm will be able to help more people in situations similar to theirs if they leave a positive review—or you can simply explain that it’s an important way you get clients.
It also helps to set up an automated email that is sent out after you’ve finished working with a client. That way, you won’t forget to ask for a review after they’re no longer your client.
By focusing on getting more reviews, your number of ratings and stars will go up over time.
Address Negative Reviews
Of course, you’re likely to get a negative review at a certain point. Even though this isn’t ideal, it’s simply part of running a business and allowing people to express their opinions about it. So what should you do if you get a negative review?
Address it publicly, apologizing to the client and offering an explanation for what happened. You might even be able to make things up to them, depending on the problem they had with your services.
This will mend things between you and your dissatisfied client as much as possible, and it will also make you look good in the eyes of other people researching your services on Yelp.
The Power of Yelp Reviews
Now that you know how to market your firm on Yelp, you’ll have more control over your presence and reviews on the website. Soon, you’ll start to be known as the go-to lawyer for services in your practice area, which will net you more clients.
Check out our other blogs for more great strategies on how to improve your digital presence.
