One of the challenges I face as I make a career change is building a brand as a bookkeeper.
I have more than a decade of marketing experience. In fact, I’ve done marketing work for some of the most famous car brands, luxury fashion stores, and hundreds of other businesses. But despite all this, I struggle to do marketing for myself. To be honest, I’ve never really been into self promotion. Something about it just makes the introvert in me feel somewhat uncomfortable. Plus, since I got most of my previous clients by word of mouth, I never really needed to do much of it…until now.
The virtual work landscape has vastly changed since I started in 2011 and the number of workers has increased tenfold. Every month, hundreds of aspiring bookkeepers enroll in training courses. Needless to say, the competition is high and those who don’t do any type of marketing will likely get left behind. One must at least get the basics down: optimize your LinkedIn and Facebook profiles, post regular social media updates, connect with prospects.
Why haven’t I done it though? Why do my social media accounts still look bland with barely any content in them? Why haven’t I tried connecting with potential clients? The answer is simple – I’m taking it slow. I know the power of digital marketing and its potential to bring in work quickly. I also know of new bookkeepers who prioritized marketing and immediately got hired, only to fail at completing the work required.
My marketing experience has taught me that excellent marketing can get customers in the door but it’s great service that makes them stay. I’ve always taken pride in being able to deliver excellent work on time, every time. At this stage of my bookkeeping journey, I would rather focus on refining my bookkeeping skills first until I reach a level where I can confidently do what I claim I can do. I want my work to speak for itself, to be the foundation of my personal brand.
Personal branding and marketing are important especially for a new bookkeeper like me but for now, my social media accounts will have to wait.
