Attorney Tips for Getting Referrals

Referrals from happy clients are one of the most powerful elements in any attorney marketing campaign; people seeking legal help are often experiencing a particularly uncertain period of life, and they want reassurance that their legal counsel can be trusted. This is what makes referrals so effective. However, client referrals can feel largely out of an attorney’s or law firm’s control. While this is true in a sense, there are steps a legal professional can take to increase the chance of receiving referral business.

Tips for getting powerful referrals:

• Be exceptional. Getting referrals starts with giving your current and past clients something to talk about; this means being the best lawyer you can be. If a client not only experiences success with their case but enjoys working with you or takes comfort in your compassion and industry knowledge, they are more likely to recommend you to others in the future. However, if a client’s experience is lackluster or all they remember is having a hard time getting a hold of you during their case, they probably won’t recommend you to friends or family in need of legal help.
• Keep in touch. Even a client who had a great experience may not refer any friends or family to you if they aren’t thinking about you; this is where staying at the top of the client’s mind comes into play. Reaching out with follow-up emails and requesting feedback at the conclusion of the case are two ways an attorney or law firm can remain present in a client’s recent memory to increase the chances of a referral. You may even choose to utilize an automation service in order to reach out on a scheduled basis to past clients and those who have expressed interest in representation.
• Network with professionals. Clients aren’t the only ones who can send referrals your way; networking with other professionals in the legal industry is a great way to ensure that no case goes to waste. For example, if someone reaches out to a family law firm with a case that may have a strong personal injury angle to it, ideally the law firm would refer the client to a personal injury firm they know and trust. Network referrals can come from other law firms, legal directories, and even volunteer or nonprofit organizations working to help people who might need a legal leg-up.
• Stay engaged. Another way attorneys and law firms can stay at the top of a client’s mind as well as attract new clients is to actively engage on social media. Providing new, professional content like blog articles and videos on a professional basis is a good way to stay at the forefront of past clients’ memories, as well as attracting people who may be future clients themselves, or who might recall a friend or family member who could benefit from your legal expertise. In this way, staying actively engaged on social media can even garner referrals from people who were never a client to begin with.

For more ideas about how to garner referrals from attorneys, reach out to a legal marketing expert.