In today’s professional world, it’s not enough to be good at what you do – you also need to show future clients that you’re someone worth engaging.
Personal branding is the story people tell about you when you’re not in the room. It’s the combination of your expertise, your values, and the way you show up online and offline.
For many professionals in accounting, law, engineering, and consulting, the idea of “marketing yourself” can feel uncomfortable or even awkward. But personal branding isn’t about bragging – it’s about sharing your knowledge, building credibility, and connecting with the people who matter most to your career. Because in professional services, people work with people, not just firms. A strong personal brand can make the difference between being noticed and being overlooked.
This article covers how you should be building your personal brand in professional services, and why it matters.
What is a personal brand?
Simply put, a personal brand is the image others form of you. It’s what people say about you when you leave the room. It’s how your expertise, values, and personality come across – both in person and online. A strong personal brand helps people understand who you are, what you stand for, and why they should trust you.
Tom Peters famously predicted in his widely-cited 1997 “Brand Called You” article, career-minded professionals would need to think and behave like brands to succeed. He argued a strong personal brand matters regardless of age, job title or industry. That prediction is no longer futuristic – it’s the reality today.
“A clear personal brand helps signal credibility, relevance and trustworthiness. It shows the market what you know, how you think, and the kinds of problems you help clients solve,” says Jon Huxley, Beaton partner and personal branding expert.
A clear personal brand helps signal credibility, relevance and trustworthiness. It shows the market what you know, how you think, and the kinds of problems you help clients solve.
Why personal branding matters in professional services
Professional services are fundamentally a people business. Decisions about whom to trust and work with are often driven by emotional factors. In fact, research from Gallup shows 70 per cent of hiring or purchasing decisions are emotional, with only 30 per cent being rational. A strong personal brand helps clients connect with you emotionally before they even pick up the phone.
Why is this even more important in the modern, online and connected world? Digital natives now make up the largest proportion of buyers in the B2B space. The APAC B2B Buyer Journey Research Report 2025, published by Green Hat, reports that 72 per cent of buying teams are Millennials and Gen Z (born after 1980). They lean heavily into self-directed research and expect transparent, frictionless access to information online. Compared to buyers aged 51 and over, they also engage far less frequently with sellers.
These potential clients are increasingly discerning and, with all the information available online, prefer to learn plenty about you before they even speak with you or your firm. They’ll research your website, read your LinkedIn profile, and evaluate your thought leadership before making a decision. In this environment, a strong personal brand is essential for attracting and retaining clients.
“I regularly see clients and prospects looking me up before deciding whether to engage me, says Huxley.
“If my profile were bare, that would send a very different signal. In that sense, personal branding is really just making your professional reputation visible.”
A strong personal brand communicates your expertise, values, and personality to others – both in person and online
Overcoming the ‘self-promotion’ barrier
For professionals in Australia and New Zealand, talking about your own achievements can feel awkward or “icky.” Cultural norms tend to favour humility over self-promotion. But building a personal brand isn’t about bragging or constantly talking about yourself. At its best, it’s about demonstrating your expertise and sharing insights that help others. When approached this way, personal branding becomes less about self-promotion and more about contribution. Done thoughtfully, it positions you as a trusted advisor and builds credibility with potential clients, colleagues, and employers.
A helpful mindset shift is to focus on sharing knowledge rather than promoting yourself.
“The biggest misconception is that personal branding is self-promotion. In reality, the most effective professional brands are built by sharing useful insight, not talking about yourself,” says Huxley.
“That applies whether you’re speaking at an event, writing an article, giving an interview or posting on LinkedIn. The professionals who build the strongest reputations are usually those who share thoughtful perspectives on issues their clients care about.”
Beaton teaches professionals to share useful insights in practical ways via our “valuable conversations” skills workshops and business development training. For example, instead of posting about how successful a project was, you might share a short lesson learned from it: a regulatory change clients should be aware of, a common mistake businesses make, or a trend you’re seeing in your industry. This kind of content is valuable to your network and reminds them of your availability to help, while subtly reinforcing your expertise.
You can also engage with other people’s content, which is often the easiest place to start. Commenting thoughtfully on industry news, congratulating clients on milestones, or adding perspective to a peer’s post helps build visibility while contributing to the professional conversation.
“LinkedIn has been a genuine source of opportunity for me. I’ve received enquiries from prospective clients as a direct result of my LinkedIn activity, and some of those have turned into real work,” adds Huxley.
How to build a personal brand
Building your personal brand online is an intentional activity. Here’s where to start:
1. Thought leadership activities
Beaton’s 2025 Marketing, BD & CRM Effectiveness Report confirmed that thought leadership is one of the most valuable branding exercises. By “thought leadership” we mean published insights on topical ideas and whitepapers that are relevant to your clients’ industries. More than half of the 700 clients we surveyed said that this kind of thought leadership strongly influences their choice of firm.
Why does it work? Clients are hungry for information and insights to help them conduct their business. When they see you producing insightful, relevant content on the issues they care about, it sends a message that you know their world and you know how to help.
You don’t have to necessarily publish a 50-page whitepaper (this might be best left to your firm with its organisational resources and budget). As an individual, you could write a monthly column on topical issues, invite clients to subscribe to your short newsletter with industry updates, share videos on social media where you talk through a common problem clients face, or host a free webinar. In professional services, where the “product” is “expertise”, a compelling piece of thought leadership like this can establish your expertise before the first meeting.
2. Social media content, sharing, and engagement
Social media – particularly LinkedIn – appears to be an untapped goldmine for promoting your personal brand. Clients are already there: scrolling, researching, and yes, quietly forming opinions about the people and firms they may one day work with.
Our research found nearly two in three (65 per cent) of CEOs and business owners (i.e. decision makers in the business) told us they are happy to engage professionally with firms via social platforms. Yet most firms are squandering the opportunity: fewer than half the clients say the content they see on company pages is interesting or relevant.
This is where individual professionals have an advantage. People tend to trust and engage with individuals more readily than corporate accounts. A thoughtful post from a practitioner, sharing insights or commenting on industry developments, often carries far more weight than a polished piece of firm marketing.
“LinkedIn is a bit like a large networking event that’s always running,” says Huxley.
“You know there can be value in attending, and when you’re there it helps to engage with people. But just like a real networking event, you wouldn’t spend the whole time talking about yourself, your successes or your awards.”
Focus on meaningful participation: connect with clients and peers, comment thoughtfully on their posts, and occasionally share insights or perspectives relevant to their challenges. Sometimes the simplest interactions can have the greatest impact. A well-timed comment, or a message referencing a client’s recent post, can open a conversation far more effectively than a formal business development approach.
Beaton partner Jon Huxley explains that posting consistently on Linkedin with useful, informative content can lead to real business opportunities and growth for professionals.
3. Carry a few 'polished diamonds'
Jon Huxley advises having a few “polished diamonds” in your pocket – short, sharp ways of describing the work you do and the clients you help. These are refined, easy-to-deliver lines you can draw on naturally in different conversations, each one capturing your personal brand with clarity and confidence.
In professional services – where trust and credibility are everything – being able to explain your value quickly and clearly can leave a lasting impression on clients, colleagues, and potential referrers. Your “diamonds” should move beyond generic job titles and instead communicate the specific problems you solve and the outcomes you deliver.
Instead of introducing yourself with a job title, try to communicate the specific problems you solve and the outcomes you help clients achieve. Try to do this in one or two sentences and focus on three elements: who you help, what you help them do, and the benefit they gain.
For example:
- “I help mid-sized law firms streamline compliance processes so they can focus on delivering client value.”
- “I advise engineering firms on sustainable infrastructure projects that meet regulatory and environmental standards.”
Crafting your “diamonds” starts with thinking about your ideal clients and the challenges they face. Ask yourself: what problems do I consistently solve? What do clients value most about working with me? From there, refine a small set of go-to lines that feel natural to say and are easy for others to remember and repeat.
4. Content planning
Consistency is critical when building a personal brand online. Posting once every few months is unlikely to make an impact, but regularly sharing relevant insights can gradually position you as a credible and trusted voice in your field. A simple content plan can help ensure your activity remains purposeful rather than reactive.
Aim for a balanced mix of content. Thought leadership pieces – such as commentary on emerging trends, regulatory changes, or new research – demonstrate expertise and signal that you are actively thinking about the issues affecting your clients. Industry commentary, including reflections on news, events, or developments in your sector, helps show that you are engaged with the broader professional landscape. Just as importantly, engagement matters: commenting thoughtfully on posts from clients, peers, and industry leaders keeps you visible and part of the conversation.
“The key isn’t posting frequently. Like anything to do with reputation, trust and relationships, it’s about consistency over time,” says Huxley.
“A small number of thoughtful contributions sustained over several years can build a very strong professional reputation. The law of compounding applies.”
Over time, this steady and intentional activity builds familiarity and trust – two essential ingredients in establishing a strong personal brand.
5. Networking
While much of personal branding today happens online, traditional face-to-face networking remains just as important. Professional relationships are still built through conversations, introductions, and shared experiences. In professional services especially, trust is often established long before a formal business opportunity arises.
Industry events, conferences, alumni gatherings, and client functions all provide opportunities to meet prospects, collaborators, and referral partners. Your personal brand plays an important role here. When people clearly understand your expertise and the type of work you do best, they are far more likely to remember you (and recommend you) when relevant opportunities arise. (Have your elevator pitch at the ready!)
Good networking also involves building relationships and giving as much as you receive. Sharing insights, making introductions, or connecting people with useful resources helps position you as someone who contributes value to the professional community. Over time, these relationships can become one of the most powerful drivers of both your reputation and your career growth.
LinkedIn is a bit like a large networking event that’s always running. You know there can be value in attending, and when you’re there it helps to engage with people. But just like a real networking event, you wouldn’t spend the whole time talking about yourself, your successes or your awards.
Why personal branding should matter to employers
A strong personal brand doesn’t just benefit you – it benefits your firm. Professionals with visible, credible personal brands attract clients, enhance firm reputation, and differentiate the business in a crowded market. Supporting employees in building their personal brands is therefore a strategic investment for firms to make in any industry.
If you’re a partner, CEO or other leader in a firm, encourage your employees to be active on LinkedIn and share parts of their professional lives. The more prospective clients start to see and trust your people via personal branding, the more likely they are to trust and hire your firm.
It is a good idea to have a social media policy in place that gently reminds employees of the need to always stay professional and respectful when directly or indirectly representing your company. Many industry associations have example policies (such as this from the Law Society of NSW) that can help guide yours. Try not to be too restrictive. Remember, most professionals are under-utilising the branding opportunities social media presents.
Conclusion
Personal branding is no longer optional for professionals in accounting, law, engineering, or consulting – it’s a strategic necessity.
In a world where clients research you online and form opinions long before the first meeting, a strong personal brand helps you stand out, build credibility, and establish trust. By combining thought leadership, social media engagement, consistent content planning, a clear elevator pitch, and genuine networking, you create a professional identity that communicates your expertise and the value you bring to clients. Over time, these efforts position you as a trusted advisor and make it easier for clients to choose you (and your firm) over the competition.
Visible, credible professionals enhance a firm’s reputation, attract clients, and differentiate the business in a crowded market. Supporting employees in developing their personal brands is a win-win: it grows their individual careers while reinforcing the firm’s credibility and reach.
Start building your personal brand today, and let your expertise, insight, and authentic voice do the talking.
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