personal branding for cpas

Lunch-and-Learn Personal Branding

Becky Livingston President & CEO

Penheel Marketing October 2013

© 2013 Penheel Marketing™

Becky Livingston

ü  25 years of marketing and technology experience

ü  13 years in the financial services industry, 9 with KPMG

ü  Social media advocate, author, trainer, speaker, and practitioner

ü  Daily user of LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, G+, Pinterest, & Hootsuite

Agenda §  Personal Branding

§  What is it? §  Why it’s important. §  How do you use it? §  Examples

§  Bringing It All Together

What is personal branding?

§  Powerful, clear, positive idea that comes to mind when people think of you.

§  It’s what you stand for – values, abilities, and actions. §  A broadcast message about your character and

performance. §  Tells your audience 3 things:

§  Who you are. §  What you do. §  What makes you different; or how you create value for

others.

Why it’s important.

ü  More of the right kind of clients.

ü  Increased earning potential.

ü  Consistent flow of business.

ü  Draws beneficial people. ü  “Top-of-Mind” status

ü  Increased credibility ü  Leadership role ü  Enhanced prestige ü  Added perceived value ü  Greater recognition ü  Association with a trend

Professionals need to develop a position, or personal brand statement, that they can clearly articulate across a series of [social] platforms.

How do you use it? §  To introduce yourself verbally, visually, and in

writing. §  To create an aura about what you do and how

you do it. §  To demonstrate to others about your beliefs,

values, and abilities. §  To change/clarify/create perceptions. §  To influence.

3-30-3-30

Personal Brand Equity (PBE)

1.  Intangible value individuals bring to the firm in terms of their ability to influence others by leveraging their experience, expertise and reputation

2.  Relationships they have built and maintained

3.  Tangible value they bring in terms of their contribution to firm revenues and growth.

Personal Brand Statement 1.  Identifying a target market by niche or by job

title 2.  Choosing personal attributes and

characteristics that define how the individual wants to be perceived

3.  Defining and selecting the technical skills they wish to highlight

4.  Conveying what makes them different.

Examples

“I am a manager who uses the audit process as a steppingstone to understand and help my tax-exempt clients solve their business issues. My clients think of me as a team player and a ‘go-to’ resource who can find ways to solve their problems.” “I am a dedicated professional who helps owners of small manufacturing businesses develop and execute succession plans that guarantee firm continuity. No other CPA in the market can combine innovative thinking with resources, contacts and experience like I do.”

The Right Balance

A.  Between billable time and the unbillable time

B.  Between traditional and digital brand-building tactics

Succession Planning � Develop written, individualized, and customized

personal branding plans �  Defined goals, tactical elements, incorporate

marketing resources, ROI

� Commit, measure, adjust

� Transfer of goodwill

Tool www.ReachPersonalBranding.com/

Using Social Media - LinkedIn §  Photo §  Post the branding statement front and center in

the summary. §  Add skills and move that section to the top of

the page §  Join groups and post in them.

§  Respond to comments and like content. §  Post updates to your status bar several times a

week.

The Details - Jen

The Details - Jim

Parting Words

Branding is about you. A strong personal brand is not about how long you’ve been building it, but how well you’ve been doing it. Like a great pair of shoes, it must:

ü Make you feel powerful and happy ü  Fit

ü  Feel good

ü  Tell a story

Connect with Penheel Marketing @Penheel

Questions …