By Gareth Walker, CEO, LEAP UK

The past few years have provided extra challenges for businesses. Navigating Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and two general elections have created extra uncertainty for business leaders looking to expand and secure company longevity.

In the legal sector, a skills shortage has resulted in the addition of recruitment challenges to this list. Many law firms are reviewing their positioning, processes and culture to ensure that they are not only appealing to great talent for any vacancies, but also competing in their field and delivering the best service to their clients.

Prioritising activity that will build and sustain businesses for the long term is vital. Here are three pointers for legal business leaders to remember in order to grow their law firms to last.

1. Increase your law firm’s visibility

You might be the best law firm in your region, but unless prospective clients know about you, this is meaningless. Increasing your visibility will give you greater chances to secure new business.

Improved search engine optimisation (SEO) helps your site rank higher on the likes of Google and Bing, and comes as a result of changes to your website’s content, structure, keywords and phrases. Allocating a budget for pay per click (PPC) adverts on search engines such as Google Ads will position you in front of more prospective clients when someone clicks on the advert to visit your website.

In addition to this, listing your business information on directory sites such as lawconnect.co.uk means that prospective clients looking for the right law firm for their needs can find you. By ensuring your details are featured and accurate, you can be considered for their business.

Raising your profile often has a snowball effect, so the more you do to increase visibility through listings and networking, the more clients you will attract, and the easier this becomes.

2. Optimise your time

The old adage “time is money” has never been truer than in the legal profession. When lawyers spend their days chasing up overdue invoices, tracking each billable unit and scheduling client meetings, their time is spent on administration rather than chargeable work. This is considerably less profitable and can demotivate valued and talented professionals.

Investing in good practice management software enables simpler tasks like this to be automated, freeing up the lawyers to practice. Automatic timers can track billable minutes, and software can instantly generate invoices. Good practice management software has the capability to manage your staff schedules too, so you can speed up planning by knowing your firm’s availability.

By optimising your time and introducing efficient working practices that can be passed on to new staff, you can become a more profitable firm and create a culture of working smarter.

3. Invest in secure collaboration tools

Technology has revolutionised our private lives, which means prospective customers have a level of expectation from law firms when it comes to technology. By making processes and collaboration with your law firm as seamless and accessible as possible, you are working to keep your clients satisfied.

The right technology available from leading practice management providers enables lawyers to securely collaborate with clients on matters from start to finish. This includes uploading, viewing, commenting on, and sharing large confidential items from any location, reliable version control with live updates, and the ability to sign time critical documents from any device.

By investing in secure collaboration tools, you’re providing clients with confidence and convenience, helping to ensure their overall experience with your law firm is positive. Through recommendations, good experiences like this become free marketing to help you grow your business, and when these are in the form of online reviews, these statements will speak for themselves for years to come.

To learn more about how the right tools can help you grow your law firm, please visit www.leap.co.uk.

About LEAP

LEAP Legal Software has been helping law firms to become more efficient and profitable globally for more than 25 years. LEAP is committed to consistently providing world-class legal practice productivity solutions and has innovation at the heart of its research and development so that users continually have the best possible experience.

Occupying a unique position in the legal software market, LEAP includes legal case management, legal accounting, document assembly, document management and legal publishing assets in one solution. Its software is designed to streamline tasks such as matter management, time recording document management, email management, automated forms, client accounting, billing, reporting and remote working.

For more information, please visit www.leap.co.uk.

Press Contact

Carys Geer/Mandy Brooks
carys@brookscomm.com
mandy@brookscomm.com

To find out about Cashroom and our legal accounting services, get in touch:  

E: info@thecashroom.co.uk  

P: 01695 550950 

As a child, my love for Barbie was immense. I will never forget the joy I felt on Christmas day when Santa brought me a Barbie cruise ship. Now, instead of playing make-believe with Barbie on her cruise ship, I spend my days immersed in the world of marketing. Perhaps Barbie planted the seed of wanderlust in me, as I do love to travel whenever I can. 

In recent weeks, I have been absolutely thrilled to witness the unfolding of the Barbie movie advertising content. It is a marketer’s dream coupled with a wave of nostalgia for Barbie. Whether you have always adored Barbie or not, it is impossible to deny that you have heard about the release of the new Barbie movie – the marketing team has truly outdone themselves! At Cashroom, we constantly strive to improve and seek inspiration from other industries. There is so much to learn when we step outside of our own bubble. 

So, what lessons can we learn from Barbie’s marketing team for our own business? 

Brand Recognition: Barbie is an iconic brand that has stood the test of time, captivating hearts for decades. It is one of the most globally recognized and cherished toy brands, instantly evoking positive emotions. This brand recognition gives Barbie movies a head start in marketing, as the audience already has a deep connection with the brand. Does your brand have this kind of enduring legacy? If not, consider collaborating with other providers, clients, and businesses to co-market your product. By leveraging existing associations, you can boost brand recognition and establish a rich history, just like Barbie, through consistent and high-quality content. 

Understanding your target audience is essential for effective marketing. Barbie movies have successfully captured the attention of young girls, who have a significant influence on their parents’ purchasing decisions. By appealing to this audience, the Barbie movie franchise has created a dedicated fan base and established long-term relationships with its customers. It’s crucial to ensure that your marketing efforts are reaching your target audience. Consider whether a radio advert will truly resonate with your demographic or if platforms like Instagram and other social media channels would be more effective. Get to know where your market spends their time and what interests them, so you can consistently engage with them and stay top of mind. 

Merchandising Opportunities: The release of Barbie movies presents a wealth of merchandising opportunities. Alongside the movie, there are a wide range of products available, including dolls, toys, clothing lines, accessories, and even video games, all of which can be marketed and sold. These movies act as a powerful catalyst for driving sales of related merchandise. While it may be more challenging for businesses that offer professional services, there are still ways to take advantage of merchandising. Consider offering branded swag to new and valued staff, distribute branded items at events to encourage sharing on social media, and send out items to partners or prospects to keep your brand top of mind. For example, conveyancing firms often send out a “new home starter parcel” to clients following completion, which not only shows appreciation but also encourages sharing on social media and word-of-mouth referrals from friends and family who could become potential clients. 

Collaborative Partnerships: The Barbie brand excels in forging collaborative partnerships with popular brands that share a similar target audience. By teaming up with successful franchises, celebrities, and media properties, Barbie expands its marketing reach and amplifies its impact. In the world of business, consider identifying complementary services or providers who cater to your target market. For instance, a corporate lawyer with high-net-worth clients could establish close relationships with financial planners and accountants to offer comprehensive services. Similarly, a small local law firm could join forces with a larger legal network to provide clients with a full range of legal solutions through referrals. Don’t forget to showcase client testimonials and encourage reviews on your website and platforms like Trustpilot to boost your promotional efforts.  

Emotional Content: Creating an emotional connection is crucial in marketing. The Barbie brand has successfully associated itself with themes of friendship, adventure, empowerment, and self-expression, allowing viewers to resonate with the characters and storylines. This emotional connection not only drives engagement with the movies and related products but can also be applied to your business. Consider what excites and motivates your audience, and craft content that will make them feel something. For example, family lawyers can showcase client testimonials detailing how they resolved highly emotive cases, creating a powerful impact. 

Recurring Viewership: It is no secret that young children have a penchant for watching their favourite movies on repeat – I cannot tell you how many times my daughter watched Frozen. And so, it comes as no surprise that Barbie movies have become a must-have in every child’s entertainment collection. This recurring viewership not only strengthens the influence of the brand but also opens up opportunities for increased sales of related merchandise. While adults may not indulge in the exact same repetitiveness, they do appreciate consistency. So, when it comes to your branding, keep it simple and consistent. Avoid the temptation of using a multitude of colours, different image and font styles, and varying language. By staying consistent, you allow buyers to truly understand your brand identity and make it easier for them to remember you when their needs arise. 

Digital and Social Media: The emergence of digital platforms and social media has opened up new avenues for Barbie movies to connect with their audience. Trailers, clips, and exciting promotional content can be shared online, reaching a global audience of millions and creating a buzz around the release of the movie. Your target market is likely active on various social media platforms, so make sure you take advantage of this powerful marketing tool. 

Parental Nostalgia: Tapping into the cherished memories of parents who grew up with Barbie can create a powerful emotional connection to your brand. By evoking a sense of nostalgia, you can foster a deeper bond with your audience and inspire them to share in the joy of their own childhood experiences. Consider incorporating nostalgic elements into your marketing content, such as reminiscing about beloved toys, discussing memorable TV shows, or even creating interactive polls that spark fond memories. By infusing your brand with a touch of nostalgia, you can add a unique and endearing personality that resonates with your target market. 

In conclusion, the Barbie movie franchise thrives on its powerful brand recognition, ability to captivate targeted audiences, extensive opportunities for merchandising, emotional connections with viewers, and versatility to accommodate different storylines. These elements combine to create a marketer’s paradise, consistently appealing to new generations while fostering a dedicated customer base. Imagine being able to say that all of this applies to your own business! 

To find out about Cashroom and our legal accounting services, get in touch:  

E: info@thecashroom.co.uk  

P: 01695 550950 

Cashroom becomes preferred supplier for LawNet  

We are delighted to announce we are now a preferred supplier for LawNet. LawNet is the UK and Ireland’s leading network for independent law firms promoting excellence and providing a range of benefits for members. LawNet is innovative and passionate about seeing its firms succeed and has developed a wide range of services and initiatives to help members stay ahead of their competition, reduce costs, improve efficiencies and profitability.  

LawNet have been supporting law firms for over 30 years and the LawNet network delivers a range of powerful benefits to both members and their clients. For the members themselves, benefits include- the legal markets largest PII scheme, exclusive membership discounts, over 50 CPD training events each year, an annual conference discussing key strategic issues in the legal and business market as well as accreditation to the internationally recognised LawNet ISO 9001:2015 Quality Standard. You can read some of LawNet’s member stories here: https://www.lawnet.co.uk/what-our-members-say/. 

Becoming a preferred supplier is a testament to the quality of our service and the dedication from everyone working at Cashroom, from our cashiers and accountants to our tech development teams, and everyone in-between. Our mission is to free lawyers from the complexities of legal accounting so they can do what they do best – practice law.  

Cashroom are pioneers in the evolving legal landscape- this year we became the first non-bank to implement open-banking integrations into our client portal, utilising technology to further reduce risk and increase efficiencies for our clients. We have developed our own unique, secure and award-winning client portal which boasts over 7,000 law firm users and is designed to deliver unique, secure and exceptional service through its 400 request types, automated tasks, workflows and authorisation processes, tailored to each specific request. Our portal allows clients to communicate with us risk-free and leaves them with a clear audit trail for inspections and compliance, ensuring optimum efficiency. All this, while supporting and posting to whatever practice management system the law firm is operating. 

We offer firms access to highly skilled, qualified and experienced legal cashiers at a fraction of the cost of hiring their own staff, helping firms to save money. Over 280 clients across the UK trust Cashroom with their legal accounting. Since the pandemic, there has been a remarkable 35.5% increase in the adoption of our outsourcing solutions within the legal market. Each month we now transfer over £2 billion of client funds. Our client firms are all shapes and sizes, from small regional practices to Top 200 national players- there are differing and significant benefits of our service for any law firm. 

Our values very much align with LawNet as forward thinking, innovative businesses aiming to support law firms achieve excellence and stay ahead in the ever-changing legal landscape. We are so excited to be part of the LawNet community.  

If you are an ambitious, growing firm interested in joining the LawNet network, you can enquire directly here: https://www.lawnet.co.uk/contact-us/ 

To find out more about Cashroom and our legal accounting services, get in touch:  

E: info@thecashroom.co.uk  

P: 01695 550950