The experts know about the power of on-line reviews. In Forbes July 18, 2018 article Sharma Hyder explains the power of online reviews on protecting your reputation and growing your brand
Many five star reviews are good, right? Yes good, but great only if the the five stars are accompanied with a glowing client narrative. A review without a client story is a missed opportunity. Tap Into the Power of Story: Entertain, Don’t Interrupt The Future of Law Firm Marketing is Emotion, Not Promotion
Your takeaway is to get your clients to tell their stories. What was their MDQ, major dramatic question, and how did you and your staff help save the day, as best possible? Potential clients who read your online reviews describing how you helped to solve problems for people ‘like me’ is the key to effective online marketing. It’s the motivation they need to move forward.
What can the authority on writing stories tell you?
What elements of a story should inform how you blog, and what your clients say about you? STORYNOMICS author Robert McKee, the go-to story writing expert for Hollywood’s best screenwriters, states people want to be entertained not interrupted. Online reviews market with ‘less promotion and more emotion’ and work wonders on your online ranking, reputation and results. Interruption-based advertising is promotion that people are conditioned to ignore. People are tired of bragging and promotion. The future of marketing lies in story-based emotion, not interruption-based advertising.
McKee says story is not a narrative, chronology, hierarchy, or process. Story, McKee says, is :
“A dynamic escalation of conflict-driven events that cause meaningful change in a character’s life”
The best elder lawyer online reviews are ‘stories’ that are as entertaining as a well executed commercial. Using Mckee’s (terminology), a review will start with a stable client situation (‘life in balance’); and relate a life changing event that creates an imbalance (the ‘inciting incident’) which creates an a need, (‘object of desire’), such as financial security or the peace of mind that a family member has the best care , describe activity (action and reaction), that results in opening of a gap between their expectation and reality, their search for help (‘crisis choice’), insights gained and resulting best possible outcome (the story ‘climax’ ), all facilitated by the knowledge and support of lawyer and staff. A great review almost always ends with the thanks and gratitude stated in the unique and authentic voice of a highly satisfied client.
McKee says a MDQ (major dramatic question) combined with empathy (like me) results in a multiplier effect that supercharges the effectiveness of your marketing. Reviews can contain a major dramatic question, ‘what would happen if’ you had some type of medical or financial emergency, and combine that with real life situations that are similar to your online reader. To have people searching for help online, identify with how you have solved problems for people ‘like me’, and to create greater emotion and motivation to move forward, it just doesn’t get any better than having them read a great online ‘review-story’.
We would like to share recommended best practice strategies and file closing process learned from working with leading estate and elder care law firms that generate, manage and market online ‘review-stories’. New technology makes it easy to gerenate, monitor, respond and display online review in all the right places online. Less promotion and more emotion can work wonders on your online ranking, reputation and results.
Please schedule an online appointment or register for our July 23 ‘Review-Story webinar’.
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In Storynomics, brilliantly introduced in a 100 second video https://storynomics.com/ , McKee sets forth elements of story and how it applies to marketing. A great story typically starts with a life in balance and that suddenly gets thrown out of balance. What would you want if ‘X’ happened to you, where X is any life changing event. This jump off the cliff moment is the major dramatic question, MDQ, which McKee says if combined with empathy (like me) will increase the impact of your marketing many times over.
We are all wired to remember stories. I have been instinctively attracted to and can easily recall reviews of my elder law attorney clients when I read what I refer to as ‘review-stories’. These review-stories often start off with the client, whose life was in balance, suddenly having to deal with the disruption.
Here are some selected examples of major dramatic questions in elder law that can be:
> ‘My husband was diagnosed with Lewy body Dementia’
> ‘…very sudden and difficult situation after my brother passed away suddenly’
> ‘When my In Laws passed away we were so stressed n confused about what we needed to do’
> ‘My very intelligent, opinionated, and “with it” 87 YO father typically finds something negative to say about everybody he meets, and even more so for attorneys and about the “justice” system in general. So setting up the appointment for him to sign estate documents made me very nervous when I realized I would not be able to make it to the appointment myself.’
> ‘We were in need of quick advice as our mother unexpectedly became ill.’
>‘…resolving some very difficult legal issues involving medicaid and living trusts…’
> ‘As regular folks, we have NO idea the complexity of senior estate planning, benefits or assistance.’
> ‘We hired [law firm name] less than three months ago and now my 84-year-old mother, who has dementia,… is living somewhere safe and beautiful with wonderful staff and round-the-clock care!
and here is an example of a ‘review-story’
After exhibiting minor symptoms of dementia for some time, my 82 year old father fell and broke his hip. After the hip surgery my father’s dementia increased significantly. My 80 year old mother and my sister and I were quickly overwhelmed and we needed help. My parents had a small but significant “nest egg” of life savings.
When we first visited Elder Law of East Tennessee, Amelia and her staff made us feel most welcome. Amelia had already analyzed our situation and she was fully prepared. We sat in a private conference room where Amelia made diagrams on a white board and used layman’s terms to explain all of our options and her recommendations. These methods were exactly what we needed to easily understand what our choices were and exactly how Elder Law of East Tennessee would be able to help us. This was just a preview of the excellence and professionalism that she and her staff have consistently demonstrated from day 1. Incidentally, we have just signed up for our third year with Elder Law of East Tennessee. We could not do all of the things they are doing, nor would we have time, nor would we even know how.
Besides their outstanding estate and benefits planning, Amelia and her staff provide outstanding customer support. They promptly return emails and phone calls and they are proactive about the changing needs and conditions of the dementia patient and the patient’s immediate family. They even make visits to my parents’ home to help with benefits forms and agency questions by telephone and in-person visits. This is a huge help for my parents as they are easily confused and have great difficulty with complicated subjects. Amelia and her staff have earned our trust and our gratitude. They genuinely care about their clients and we have experienced this first hand time and time again.
I have nothing but the highest praise for Amelia and her staff. Elder Law of East Tennessee has been a blessing to us during these challenging times for my parents and my family and we would be so much worse off without their help. A heartfelt “Thank you” to Amelia, Julia, Jill, and Kyra. « less
Contact Premier to get the most benefit from your on-line reviews.
