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Law Bulletin column: When online reviews go low, go high

SANDRA NAPOLI-D’ARCO
Ask Snap-D
Law Bulletin columnist

Published: September 18, 2018

Dear Snap-D: How do I respond to online reviews? Some are positive, some are negative and some are from people with whom the firm has never done business.

A: It can be a full-time job answering reviews and monitoring your online presence. Whatever you do, be consistent and succinct. If someone praises your firm, warmly thank and make them aware that all clients are treated in the manner in which they were treated — that this is part of your firm’s method of conducting business, etc., etc.

If it’s a negative review, apologize, assure the person that this is not how your firm conducts business, and immediately take it offline. For those stragglers who write reviews “just because,” and have no connection to your firm, very briefly say so and do not engage in further dialogue online.

Q: We would like to increase our online presence but are overwhelmed. Where do we begin?

A: Building your online presence can be an overwhelming task, but following some basic baseline tactics should get you off on the right foot. First of all, make sure your website content and metadata is optimized and written in conversational language.

Back in the day, when folks were trying to fool Google, sentences read like a freak show. Gone are those days. Secondly, make sure you have good quality backlinks through authoritative domains and websites relevant to your field(s) of law.

Finally, don’t forget connecting with bloggers, industry experts and journalists, who can read your firm content and may want to write a bigger piece on the same topic. See you online!

Q: On a daily basis, I receive solicitations from people claiming to be “online marketers.” Is online marketing taking the lead over in-person marketing?

A: I too receive solicitations and am a marketer! The online landscape is ever so present and not going anywhere. With that said, nothing, and I mean nothing, in my humble opinion, will ever replace face-to-face connections.

Your online presence is important so make sure it looks and sounds great and accurately reflects who you are and what you can do for clients. When meeting folks in person, whether in the courtroom, client meetings or at events, make sure your presence and work and lasting impression is impeccable.

These in person face-to-face connections are what confirm everything written about you online. It hurts my ears to hear or possibly entertain that face-to-face can ever be replaced by online interactions. One day we may get to the point of being a “Jetson,” but until then, human interaction is a necessity of day-to-day business life.


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