One of the catalysts which led me to start my own practice was a comment from a colleague who questioned my “personal brand”. After over 15 years in the finance industry, multiple qualifications and post graduate study, could the perception of others be that I was “just a mother and wife”?

It got me thinking - how did I want to be perceived, and more importantly, how did I deserve to be perceived?

In industries like finance and accounting, setting yourself apart from the crowd can be difficult, especially when your competition is so fierce and there is often very little to separate apart from qualifications and experience. Finance professionals are starting to look more and more to marketing and personal branding. Opportunities are presenting not only from our off-line reputations but also our online reputations.

Traditionally, personal brands were built by pushing information out to clients, prospects and friends. The timeworn mantra “it’s not what you know, but who you know” was fundamental. With the explosion of social media however, the new mantra seems to be “it’s not who you know, but who knows you; and it’s not what you know, but how quickly you share your knowledge, observations and insights.”

Building a reputation in the accounting profession takes time and is critical to success. Here are some insights into my journey so far trying to develop my personal brand.

It's never too soon to start building a personal brand. I sought help from a professional marketing and branding consultant to help my vision initially come to life. My focus was not to create the most mind-blowing logo or website, but to simply get started. It was about going live and starting to publish content.

I try not to become a different version of myself depending on the circumstance or people. I keep my personal brand consistent and authentic and generally resist “flexing” away from my guiding moral compass. Understanding my values and staying true to them are critical to me and using outlets like social platforms and networking events to build relationships is focal.

I’ve created a warm and inviting style that I try and maintain across the delivery of all of my messaging. People know what they are going to get when I execute a piece of work, send an email, or post to a social platform. They are building a perception and forming a context about me every time I deliver.

I keep up to date with key tax changes daily. The use of social platforms as well as tax publications helps me achieve this and makes sure my knowledge is always current. Keeping on top of rapid changes in my industry shows my clients and readers I’m paying attention and knowledgeable about my field, whilst also demonstrating I am adaptable and versatile.

Tax news can be particularly dry at times, so I try to inject a little bit of personality and originality to engage my readers. If you’ve looked over my website you may notice that whilst it’s not too casual, I have gone for a comfortable and warm tone of language and inviting visuals and colour palate. Not your typical “accountanty” website!

I like to give information. The more we all know, the better. I create content and talk with people in my industry about what I know. I want to be seen as a credible source. When competitors ask for my help with overflow work at critical tax lodgement times during the year, I know this is working for me!

With a blog your personal brand becomes more readily accessible, you are taken more seriously, and it immediately differentiates you. Starting a blog on Bell & Co was aimed at bringing well researched, accurate and insightful articles to my clients and other readers. Not just technical articles, but articles like this that give you a little insight into the person that I am!

Personal Branding: Is it important in the finance industry?

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