Using social proof to win attorney clients
Legal nurse consultants who don’t use social proof to gain new customers are overlooking an important marketing technique. Social proof is also referred to as ‘informational social influence’. It is the concept that people will conform to the actions of others under the assumption that those actions are reflective of the correct behavior. There are several ways to demonstrate you have earned social proof.
Video testimonials for social proof
Social proof is a big component of sharing information that will reassure your client. Include testimonials on your site and in your marketing materials. Use video testimonials from satisfied clients. The most credible testimonials consist of footage you obtain with a high-resolution pocket video camera or an iPhone.
Use a smart phone to carry in your pocket and you can use at a conference, in the attorney’s office, or wherever you are with your client. Ask the attorney’s permission to capture a video testimonial right there and then it gets loaded into the USB port of your computer to YouTube, where you copy the embed code and place it on your website. Make sure the testimonial is brief, to the point and has good sound.
Letters
The second most credible testimonial is in written form, such as a letter or email you received from an attorney who praises your services. You may get an email from an attorney who says, “You did a great job. If it hadn’t been for you I don’t know that I would have been able to make it to this figure on this case”. Request permission to use this quote. Those testimonials show that someone appreciates your work and it also makes you a trustworthy individual or company to work with. This boosts your social proof.
Initials and Location
The least credible testimonial does not use a name, or uses a first name only: “LNC, Inc. is a wonderful service. I highly recommend them, AH from Denver, Colorado.” The Federal Trade Commission has focused on this type of testimonial and wants to be sure that people using testimonials are able to back up their claims. Those types of testimonials raise a lot of skepticism because there’re people who have abused them and have frankly made up those testimonials. Never make up a testimonial.
Always strive to get permission to use the attorney’s full name and location.
Getting Testimonials
How do you get testimonials? You ask. Get over your hesitation. I have found that attorneys are quite willing to share testimonials. After you’ve completed a case or a phase of the case, ask the client to give you a testimonial or fill out a feedback form. Here are more tips on getting testimonials.
Pat Iyer MSN RN LNCC is the former owner of Med League, an independent legal nurse consulting firm she started in 1987. This material is from Building Blocks for a Successful Legal Nurse Consulting Practice, one of Pat’s books.