Affinipay

The Story

AffiniPay, the market leader in professional services payments and parent company of LawPay, sought direction in the lead-up to its pivotal acquisition during the spring and early summer of 2022. Under the constraints of a fast turnaround time, outside pressure from investors and a post-pandemic environment, AffiniPay entrusted Red Fan Communications with planning and execution for the June announcement. Partnering with sage, seasoned and strategic advisors at Red Fan, this unicorn business was empowered to hone messaging and bolster its media presence as the company nearly doubled in size and expanded its footprint across the legal spectrum.

Launched in 2005, AffiniPay provides exceptional online payments solutions that professionals need to take back their businesses. Offering the only digital solution tailored to specific professions including lawyers, accountants, architects and engineers, the platform enables employees to simplify administrative tasks and payments to dedicate more time to producing excellent client work. LawPay, AffiniPay’s product customized for lawyers, quickly became a powerhouse in the $17 billion legal technology market. Recognized as one of Inc. 5000’s fastest-growing and consistently profitable companies for over a decade, the leading payments platform for lawyers saw a tremendous opportunity on the table to grow its customer base significantly, with payments only 30% digitized in the legal market today.

The realization sparked AffiniPay leaders to acquire San Diego-based legal practice management software company — MyCase. In partnership with AffiniPay, Red Fan quickly provided messaging and thought leadership strategy to CEO Dru Armstrong, who saw the opportunity to address the pain points lawyers face by combining financial and business tools in a single platform. Prior to the acquisition, LawPay found more than two thirds of its customers wanted a legal practice management solution, but had yet to implement one. Responding to this market need, AffiniPay’s decision to join forces with MyCase further improved the quality of work and financial well-being for lawyers. Dru and her team realized that the integration, which aligns with the company’s vision to create a better workday for professionals across industries, was a story that needed to be told outside of internal walls.

Ahead of the announcement’s release on June 9, 2022, Red Fan leveraged expertise in both legal tech and fintech to highlight AffiniPay’s news given the broader context of both industries. As a result, the launch proved successful, with media placements in top legal, financial and local publications.

Challenge

To prepare, the Red Fan team was tasked with creating an outreach timeline for AffiniPay’s acquisition announcement, developing a robust media relations plan and drafting messaging to position executives as thought leaders. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, Red Fan assessed AffiniPay’s unique situation and tailored recommendations accordingly. No stranger to mergers and acquisitions, the team’s familiarity with market dynamics, business parameters and private equity-backed deals boosted AffiniPay’s confidence, allowing them to proceed with added peace of mind in the announcement strategy.