INTHEBLACK December - January 2022 - Magazine - Page 55
“Everyone is a walking,
talking brand. It’s about shaping
what others say about you, so that
you create the most authentic and
credible representation of yourself.”
REBECCA TAYLOR, REBECCA TAYLOR PHOTOGRAPHY
a person’s career, or indeed for a company
in its own phase of growth.
McCall recommends steering clear
of generic values, such as “teamwork” or
“honesty”, because they will not help you
stand out in a crowded field and may even
smack of insincerity.
Taylor asks clients to identify which wellknown personal brands inspire them (she
says that Michelle Obama and Richard
Branson are among the most commonly
cited). However, for a personal brand to be
effective, it must be authentic. Aspiration is
one thing – consistency is another.
“You can’t fake your personal brand. We
don’t make a brand for somebody out of
thin air – we ‘dig into’ the person to see
what’s inside and then extract the brand
out,” says Ford.
Anderson agrees, saying, “Just be yourself,
but make conscious choices about what
your goals are in the next six to 12 months.
“Let’s say an accountant has the goal
of working with businesses that have a
turnover of A$100 million – up from
the A$50 million clients they usually
work with. That means that the branding
and positioning need to look a little bit
different, but you’re not suddenly having a
personality transplant. It’s about aligning
the messaging and connecting with the
problems that A$100 million business
owners tend to have.”
In Anderson’s experience, accountants
tend to undervalue their expertise and play
down how they can help others.
“I asked my accountant client the other
day, ‘What is the most common question
you are asked?’, and she told me that it’s
whether someone can buy a car through
their business. That is understandable,
because it is quite a mark of status. I told
her that she should write the answer as
a piece of content in a blog post. She
was incredulous that people would be
interested to read it.”
TOP TIPS FOR GREAT
HEADSHOTS
In many cases, first impressions of a personal brand
are formed by an individual’s headshot. Photographer
Rebecca Taylor has four tips for a distinctive headshot.
High-quality headshots
are about building trust
and connection. This
takes time and many
touchpoints, which is
why it is a good idea
to have more than one.
Use different headshot
styles to showcase
different layers of your
personality, with some
images more corporate
and others more
relaxed.
hoose outfits that
C
make you feel good,
because confidence
will translate into the
images. Wear what you
would normally wear
to meet a new client.
When people see you in
person, there needs to
be a connection with
the person they saw in
the photo. A mismatch
can create distrust.
esist the urge to
R
follow the latest trends,
so the images do not
date too quickly. The
chunky necklace or the
bright jacket may be
very fashionable now,
but may be less so in
six months’ time.
H
ave the image
background represent
your personal brand.
For example, if you are
an innovative, forward
thinker, try concrete
textures or a glass
reflection as your
background. Try to
avoid backgrounds that
could be distracting.
55
DEC 2022
JAN 2023
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au
