How to Build Trust in Your Law Firm and Measuring Success

This article is a featured guest post in a three-part series from Alessandra Torres, Content Manager at Consultwebs. 

We’ve arrived at the last section of our Legal Marketing 101 series and if you’ve made it this far: congratulations, you’re one step closer to securing your firm’s growth!

This last section is equally important. Building trust in your law firm is an essential part of your legal marketing strategy.

The reality is if you’re looking to acquire new clients and cases, people need to trust your firm.

You can have a strong brand image and actively use all the platforms, but if there is no trust in your firm’s ability to do a good job, people will not hire you.

And then, after you’ve done the work to boost your brand and build trust in your law firm, how do you know when you’ve been successful? Here we’ll chat about some ways to measure success.

5 Ways to Build Trust

Building trust from your clients is an essential part of your legal marketing strategy. It’s the “social proof” that other potential clients need to choose between you and a different law firm.

But customer trust is how someone feels about you, so how do you capture it? Here are five ways to do so.

1. Testimonials

Client testimonials are powerful, they are the customers that turn into promoters. They are able to provide specific and personal insight into someone’s experience working with your law firm.

Here are some ways you can use them in your legal marketing:

• Ask trusted clients to write you one. If you have a client who’s expressed their happiness with your work, ask them to write it down and if you can use it publicly.
• Use them on your website. Make sure there are testimonials available on your website as potential clients browse around.
• Include them in reports and documents. Customer testimonials can take data and other “boring” information and bring it to life. 

2. Reviews

Like testimonials, reviews are a form of social proof that shows other potential clients they should trust you.

And, just think about it—when do you buy anything these days without reading reviews first? Almost never. Some of the best ways to request and acquire reviews include:

• Request via text message.
• Add it to your email signature.
• Use a post-purchase targeted email.

There are many ways to ask for reviews, but the main thing is, in fact, to ask. If you just leave it to the client to choose, they may not take the time. So, don’t be afraid to be direct and ask for a review, as long as you’re not manipulating them to say something specific.

Google reviews help boost the visibility of your law firm online, but it’s also a good idea to focus on acquiring reviews on a platform like TrustPilot and legal directories like Nolo.

Reviews are important to most, if not all, clients. So, make sure you include it in your legal marketing strategy to ensure you are building trust in your firm and brand.

3. Webinars

Participating in webinars is a great way to build trust in your law firm. This is especially true if you interact with other industry experts and pool your knowledge. Consider creating a webinar on topics such as:

• Your area of practice (i.e., type of law).
• The legal process and what to expect working with a lawyer.
• Current and relevant cases or legal information in the public sphere.

You want webinars to be engaging and relevant to your audience. It’s a time for you to show off a bit and “wow” them with your expertise and insight. Then, anyone watching your webinar will know that you are an authoritative expert, and they will be able to trust you and your firm more easily.

4. Word-of-Mouth

This is one of the oldest marketing strategies out there, but still remarkably effective. Word-of-mouth marketing is simply people talking about your law firm.

If your client is happy with your services and the outcome, they are likely to tell their friends and family about you. This can happen naturally, or you can help get it going. Some ideas to boost word-of-mouth marketing include:

• Telling your clients they are free to pass on your name.
• Offering referral discounts.
• Provide resources (i.e., pamphlets or business cards) for your clients to give out.

5. User-Generated Content

We’ve already discussed how important social media is for your legal marketing strategy, so let’s go in a bit deeper. User-Generated content (UGC) refers to content created by your average consumer that speaks about a company or firm.

For example, a client of yours might go onto TikTok and discuss their experience with you. Or, if they have a broader platform, they may do a formal review of your firm and services.

All in all, UGC is very authentic and real, so people watching it will develop more trust in your law firm.

How to Measure Success

If you’ve spent a lot of time on your legal marketing strategy, or plan to integrate any of these strategies, you need to know if it’s working. That’s where data comes in.

By collecting relevant and important data, you can understand how effective your legal marketing strategies are and if they will help support your firm in the long run. Some examples of data you can collect using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

• Types of litigation, location, and how much litigation your clients engage in; use this as a benchmark to compare to other law firms.
• Which practice areas do you need to grow and, therefore, who do you need to hire?
• Information on how you can help a specific client that you’re trying to win business from.
• The content that’s receiving the most attention: likes, shares, traffic, etc.

If you want to dive deeper into how law firms can use data to their advantage, make sure to check out our episode of LAWsome with Josh Blandi, CEO, and Co-Founder of UniCourt, which discusses the use of data to secure long-term growth.

Data is essential because ultimately, the numbers won’t lie!

This can be done by using analytics tools and monitoring metrics such as website traffic and lead generation.

If you want to explore further how to use data to drive decision-making and create a successful legal marketing plan, feel free to reach out to us. Our team of digital marketing experts will happily discuss possible strategies to take your firm to the next level.

Guest Author Bio

As a Content Manager in Consultwebs’ Marketing Department, Alessandra Torres is responsible for producing engaging and clear text across all channels. She graduated from Hogeschool Utrecht with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Media. She has worked as a marketing intern as well as a marketing consultant, and a content creator. When it comes to why Consultwebs is the best, she says, “Consultwebs knows the digital marketing game. Moreover, the team is driven, passionate, and forward-thinking.”

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