Learn more about personal branding via social media, particularly LinkedIn, for CPA professionals. This deck covers topics such as: - What is personal branding? - Why personal branding is important. - Defining personal brand equity. - Developing a personal brand statement. There are true-life examples and best practices shared throughout.

1. Lunch-andLearn
Personal Branding
Becky Livingston
President & CEO
Penheel Marketing
October 2013
© 2013 Penheel Marketing™

2. 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

3. Agenda
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Personal Branding
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What is it?
Why it’s important.
How do you use it?
Examples
Bringing It All Together

4. What is personal branding?
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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:
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Who you are.
What you do.
What makes you different; or how you create value for
others.

5. Why it’s important.
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
ü
Professionals need to develop a position, or personal brand statement, that
they can clearly articulate across a series of [social] platforms.

6. How do you use it?
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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

7. Personal Brand Equity (PBE)
1.
2.
3.
Intangible value individuals bring to the
firm in terms of their ability to influence
others by leveraging their experience,
expertise and reputation
Relationships they have built and
maintained
Tangible value they bring in terms of
their contribution to firm revenues and
growth.

8. Personal Brand Statement
1.
2.
3.
4.
Identifying a target market by niche or by job
title
Choosing personal attributes and
characteristics that define how the individual
wants to be perceived
Defining and selecting the technical skills
they wish to highlight
Conveying what makes them different.

9. 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.”

10. The Right Balance
A.
B.
Between billable time and the unbillable
time
Between traditional and
digital brand-building
tactics

11. 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/

12. Using Social Media - LinkedIn
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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.

14. The Details - Jen

15. The Details - Jim

16. 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

17. Connect with Penheel Marketing
@Penheel

18. Questions …