Why is it that companies like Ferrari, BMW or Audi can sell a car that gets you from point A to B for significantly more money than a brand like Ford or Honda?
It all comes down to branding and perceived value.
That same principle applies to selling your accounting firm services.
Two firms can offer the same exact service.
The one that can charge more is the one who is perceived by potential clients as high value.
In other words, they’ve built a brand that says: I’m worth it.
How do they do this, and more importantly, how can you do the same?
Today, I’m going to break down the exact steps for you.
Want to watch the video instead? Check it out below.
Before we dive into this system, I want to talk about something super important; something many firm owners overlook.
Your brand? It’s the sum of its people.
Each person on your team has a piece of the pie when it comes to building that brand.
If you’re a solo partner, then it’s up to you to develop a personal brand. If you have a lot of partners, then all of you are equally responsible for this process.
Depending on your situation, you may need to get everyone on board with following this system for it to have a real effect. The good news? It’s simpler than you think.
Here’s how to get started.
First, let’s focus on positioning. Ask yourself:
This goes way deeper than “I’m an accountant” or “I help business owners.” Both of these are way too broad.
Be specific.
Here’s an example: I help real estate investors keep more of their rental income by building a tax strategy that increases cash flow and protects their profits.” ← That’s really specific.
And if I’m a real estate investor, then I know that this person can help me. If I’m not an investor, I know, okay, they’re not for me.
Positioning is absolutely critical when it comes to building a brand, so don’t rush through this step.
Now that you’ve positioned yourself properly, you can start to really take a deep dive into you.
What makes you, you?
Building off of my example above, there are going to be plenty of accountants out there who also help real estate investors in the same way. What sets you apart?
Chad Davis is a great example here. If you know him, he shares all about his journey living on the road in an RV.
If I’m someone who connects with that and I’m looking for an accountant, that may be the piece that really creates a connection.
So, dive deep into these things and explore those pieces of you that make you you.
Now, this isn’t just about looking at your hobbies or interests.
It’s about looking at who you are at your core.
Dig deep into these things because they ultimately are what will help you connect with people on the other end of your brand.
Find that something that makes people say, “Okay, that person, they’re for me. They can help me. They get me. I like the way they think and the way they speak. I like the presence they give off.”
The only way to find that is to focus on what makes you uniquely you.
Now, if you’ve never really thought about this topic before, you may be wondering where to start. The whole process may even feel a little bit uncomfortable, and that’s okay.
Here’s what I recommend: Take some time to journal and reflect on it.
Ask friends and family about it. Get their perspective.
I would also recommend digging into your values as an accountant. Think about what makes someone work really well with you.
These are both values.
Which category do you fit into?
Maybe you have a unique one of your own.
There’s no right or wrong answer here.
But the important thing is to think about what matters to you as an accountant and where the line is drawn on what someone should and shouldn’t do whenever they’re working with you.
For example, if you get really upset when people send you documents late, then this needs to be a value of yours. You want to work with someone who is prompt, tidy and on time.
I’ve always been this type of person. If I show up on time, I’m late. And so, people who are tardy? We’re not a good fit to work together. That’s just one of my personal values.
Whatever yours are, you have to define them for yourself.
Finally, as part of figuring out what makes you you, think about your lens.
What are the experiences that you’ve had in your life that help you view the world in the way that you do?
Here’s a personal example: My parents have a history of building businesses. Different things happened. Some were positive and some weren’t necessarily positive in those businesses, and these events really shaped me into the person I am today. They affect how I go about my life day to day and how I make decisions, both personal and in business.
All of this feeds into what ultimately makes me me and what makes me different to work with from other marketing agencies.
As an accountant, you have a lens of your own and personal experiences to share that contribute into what makes you, you.
Now that you’ve defined yourself, it’s time to shift your focus to the platforms you’re going to post on.
The best creators in the world will tell you that you have to be everywhere. I don’t disagree with that.
But the truth is that big creators have content teams and other people helping them be everywhere at once.
And for a lot of us, when we’re just getting started, it’s just us and maybe a person in the background – that’s a big maybe. .
So, I recommend starting with just one platform for now so that you can be consistent.
The question is: Which one do you start with?
Ask yourself a few questions:
The key word here is “right now.”
So, maybe you decide, “Hey, my ideal clients, they’re on TikTok, Instagram and LinkedIn. But me personally right now? I’m not comfortable posting videos. And when it comes to photos, I’m probably not going to be the most reliable at taking them.”
Then, go with LinkedIn because it supports text-only posts.
If you try to pick a platform that doesn’t support the type of content you’re comfortable creating, you are setting yourself up for failure.
Now, while we’re on the subject of picking a platform, I want to bring up another really important point: Building a brand isn’t just about posting content.
You need to build a community of people around your brand.
Yes, posting is great, but when you’re just getting started, algorithms probably aren’t going to be pushing your content to many people.
On top of that, the people who do see your posts aren’t going to be invested in consuming your content truthfully (if they don’t already know you).
That’s why it’s so important to build a community. And that means that you have to go out and start conversations.
This means:
I like to look at it like this: If you went to a networking event where you knew absolutely no one and just sat in the corner of the room the whole time, what would happen?
You would walk out feeling like you wasted your time. Because you probably did.
Why? You didn’t make any connections.
You didn’t get to know anyone, and no one got to know you.
The same thing happens on social media when you’re trying to build a brand.
You have to be willing to put yourself out there and start conversations.
So, remember that content alone is great, but it won’t really build your personal brand. It will support it (we’ll talk about this more later on), but you have to be committed to engaging with other people on your chosen platform.
While we’re on the topic of content and social platforms, let’s talk about something else that’s crucial to building a brand: consistency.
And this is where things can get challenging.
So many firm owners post consistently for a month or even three months. They post a few times a week. They add people. They start conversations. But things are really slow to start. They give up and lose that consistency because they’re not seeing results right away.
But if you keep at it and don’t give up, I promise that your life will look totally different a year from now.
It’s easy to look at successful firm owners who have been at this for years and think, “Wow, that looks so easy.” The reality? They’ve put in a lot of hard work over the years. They’ve stayed consistent.
They showed up even when there were zero likes, zero comments and their content got nothing but crickets.
I’m not trying to shame anyone who has stopped once they’ve started. I just want to encourage you and show you that everyone starts from zero.
The people who are getting the results you want and have the brand you desire have been consistent.
Consistency may be boring, but it’s really easy to do.
Pencil it into your calendar and stick to it. No ifs, ands or buts.
Consistency is just one piece of the content puzzle. I also want you to create three different pillars that you structure your content around.
What do I mean by pillars? These are, in simple terms, topics or subjects to focus your content on.
Now, you can absolutely post outside of these three pillars, but they will give you a foundation so you always know, “Okay, if I need to come up with some new content, let’s look at these three buckets.”
Here’s an example of what your three pillars may look like:
You can make your pillars whatever you want, as long as it’s relevant to your potential clients.
When you create content related to any of these topics, try adding a story or transformation that’s relevant. The key to really great content is to not only help people learn things, but also let them know that you understand where they’re at.
You let them know, “Hey, we had a client that was there, too. Here’s what we did, and now look where they’re at.”
Stories can really take your content to the next level, but you also want to find a way to inject your opinion. Your stances on these topics really matter.
Because the reality is that we all have access to information these days, whether it’s from Google or chatbots like Claude or ChatGPT.
Your opinion is what sets your content apart. It’s not enough to just share information these days.
So, while you’re sharing transformations, you can share the opinion and your perspective all in one post.
Now, if you’re thinking, “Hey, this is too much. I’m overwhelmed getting started when trying to share my opinion and perspectives and all of these transformations.”
I get it. Don’t panic. Just start posting. Don’t worry about these other aspects just yet.
Over time, you can refine and improve and get more confident and comfortable putting your opinions and perspectives out there.
Now, we’ve talked a lot about defining yourself, picking platforms, consistency and opinions. But I want to cover one last crucial component here, and that’s moving from rented to owned.
Initially, you’re going to start on a platform like LinkedIn or Instagram (or whatever you choose). But once you’ve built up your audience, you want to start shifting towards owned platforms.
Essentially, you want to move from platforms you have no control over to your own ecosystem.
There have been countless times over the years when an Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn or Facebook account went down and we could not access them.
In an instant, all of that hard work building a community went up in smoke.
If you’re going to put in the effort to build a presence and brand online, then you don’t want to subject yourself to a platform that you have zero control over.
The goal is to have a plan to get people off of these platforms and onto owned platforms.
This could be getting them:
There needs to be some way and some thought process behind how you’re going to get thes people from social media to your own ecosystem.
At first, the process will be slow. You’ll be getting a handful of contacts here and there in your ecosystem.
But that’s the point.
Over time, it builds up.
You can’t look at this on a micro level. Building a personal brand is a long game that doesn’t have an end.
You have to zoom out and say, I’m in this for the right reasons. I’m in it to build a brand. I’m in it to build a firm that ultimately can support my goals and allow me to make the biggest impact that I’m able to make on the world.
When you view it from that lens, everything changes.
I’ve had clients speak on stages they’ve dreamed of and get awards they never thought were possible.
They can now actually take a break from work and take vacations because they’re able to attract talent who want to work for them.
All of this comes back to building a personal brand. If you follow this system and stick with it, you, too, can achieve your goals and build your dream life.
Identify a specific niche or audience you want to serve, and articulate a clear value proposition that highlights how your services meet their unique needs.
Share personal stories, interests, and values that resonate with your target audience, as these can create a deeper connection and make your firm more relatable.
Choose a platform where your ideal clients are active and that aligns with the type of content you feel comfortable creating, starting with just one to maintain consistency.
Consistency is crucial; regularly posting and engaging with your audience helps build trust and recognition over time, even if results aren’t immediate.
Content pillars are key topics you focus on in your marketing. They provide structure and help ensure your content is relevant and valuable to your audience.
Transitioning to owned platforms like email lists allows you to maintain control over your audience and protect your hard work from potential platform changes or outages.