Don’t toot your own horn. Ever heard that advice? The point of this colloquialism is to let someone else brag about you, rather than bragging about yourself. That is exactly what client testimonials can do for you and your law firm.

Testimonials are a great way to share your firm’s strengths and abilities with potential clients without sounding vain. You know that you do good work. Your clients know that you do good work. Now, let the rest of the world know!

A testimonial can be as meaningful to a prospective client as a million dollar verdict. Raleigh injury lawyer and legal marketer Ken Hardison told the Consultwebs team that he received a significant case because a client was impressed with the firm’s testimonials.  As Ken says, “What you say about yourself is good,” Hardison says. “What others say about you is gold.”

This post will guide you through best practices for getting testimonials from your clients and placing them strategically. We’ll also discuss the potential pitfalls of sharing too much.

Asking for Testimonials

This step is really quite simple, but for some reason it is often seen as the hardest. You need to ask your clients for a testimonial.  Usually their first response is “What do you want me to say?” Testimonials should focus on key aspects of your firm’s marketing strategy as well as on the problems that your firm solves.

You have two options: 1) you can provide direction for clients writing testimonials or 2) you can write a testimonial and have them approve it. Either way, keep it brief; three to four sentences should effectively convey customer satisfaction and your firm’s core competencies.

What Should Testimonials Include?

We have a comprehensive testimonial kit that we can make available for purchase by interested firms.  Questions you can ask clients include:

• Please describe your injuries in your own words.
• How have your injuries affected your home and work life?
• How did you hear about our law firm?
• Besides your settlement, what part of wrapping up your claim are you the happiest about?  Why?
• How much of a relief is it to be able to pay your medical bills?
• How did we treat you less like a client and more like a valued and loved member of the family?
• Which members of our law firm most impressed you and what did you appreciate about them?

Sharing Testimonials

Now that you have a few great testimonials from clients thrilled with your work, how will you go about sharing them? You have a few choices. There is a WordPress plugin available for your website which allows you to easily showcase testimonials. In addition, you could try video recording the testimonial and sharing it via your website or Social Media.

• On Your Website, remember to add a picture when possible. Pictures make the testimony look more believable according to a 2012 study. Remember to make sure the client is comfortable with his or her picture being used and gives you written permission. You can use speech bubbles, quotation marks, or images to display your testimonials. Examples of all of these can be found here.
• When Recording a Video, have a few simple question prompts ready. Ideas include: “How did our business help you?” and “What was the best part of working with our firm?” These will prompt your client to share your firm’s assets. Prepare your clients by giving them the questions you will ask before filming.
• Share Testimonials on Social Media. What does Nike say? Just do it. If you’ve created a testimonials page on your website, share that page on your Facebook profile also. If you have recorded a video, post it on your YouTube channel. Get the word out.

Proceed with Caution

It is important that clients approve the testimonial – whether it is a text testimonial or recorded video. Some clients may not want you to share everything they wrote or said and you need to be sensitive to their wishes.

It is also important that your testimonials convey authenticity and that they are honest. The Federal Trade Commission governs testimonials and endorsements; here is a good summary.

Also, be aware of ethical considerations and be sure to comply with your state’s Bar rules and guidelines. See our post on the ethics of certain endorsements.