Testimonials and case studies can be very effective lawyer marketing tools if they are used correctly. I was recently reminded of this once again when I realized I have been paying more attention to television advertisements for New York area hospitals.
Luckily I haven't been paying attention because I've had a health problem that has required hospitalization. Instead, it's the compelling stories told from the point of view of the patient that have captured my attention.
For example, New York Presbyterian Hospital has been running a series of commercials featuring patients talking about their experience at the hospital. These stories are so compelling because they talk about what is important to patients in the patients' own words - the care they received from nurses who went out of their way to check on patients on their day off, the doctor who performed surgery on a patient for whom treatment was refused at other hospitals, the family of another doctor who pitched in to help save a patient's life. One patient even describes the doctors and nurses as 'superheroes' and says they "put Humpty Dumpty back together again."
These kinds of testimonials get to the heart of what every patient wants when they have a health crisis. They don't focus on the credentials of the doctors, where they received their training, the state of the art facilities or equipment or any of the things that, from the hospital's point of view might be important. Instead, they focus on the human story and the human experience. They focus on the patient.
What can lawyers learn from these hospitals? Even if your jurisdiction prohibits the use of testimonials per se (or at least attributed testimonials), you can take some of the elements and incorporate them into your firm's marketing.
Speak to the human experience. Give potential clients a real picture of what it is like to work with you. How does working with you make your clients feel? How does working with you affect their lives, their families, their businesses? What does your work mean to your clients and their future?
Speak your clients' language. Always sound (and be) professional, but do it in a way that non-lawyers can understand and relate to.
Focus on the client. Not only are these stories told from the point of view of the patient, but they are all about the patient - the patient's story wouldn't be possible without the hospital and the hospital personnel, but it is the patient who takes center stage. It's easy and natural, seeing these people tell their stories, to put yourself in the patient's shoes. You want potential clients to say to themselves, "If I had to go through that, this is the kind of treatment I would want to receive."
Address benefits, rather than features. The patients at New York Presbyterian were no doubt helped by the latest technology and some of the best trained doctors and nurses in their field. But those things are only important because they allowed hospital personnel to do their jobs better and get their patients the care those patients wanted. What benefits do you provide to your clients?
Stories are more compelling than lists of accomplishments - especially when they are told from the point of view of the client. Although New York Presbyterian attaches names to their patient stories, I think they would be just as riveting if you didn't actually know the name of the patient - and definitely more interesting and persuasive than if the hospital itself said its staff went "above and beyond" the call of duty. Showing is better than telling.
(As a corollary to the above, one of the reasons why these commercials are effective is the use of video - you can actually see the patients telling their own stories and you can tell that they truly believe what they are saying. You can see and feel their emotions. Video can be an exceptionally effective way to capture client stories)
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