Business trends, leaders’ skills and our new Northern Lights’ website

We have had a busy summer and thanks to all our clients, new and old.

Here are the highlights of what our clients are doing and the trends we are seeing.

What are the latest business trends in 2015?

We’ve worked with a number of new clients over the summer – including UKTI, Calderdale Council, Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, Danbro, the Institute of Cultural Capital and a number of confidential clients in the UAE – and are seeing some emerging trends that many businesses should take notice of.

The key points include…

• Social media is (finally) part of the overall business strategy.  It has become a critical tool for targeting potential customers and building trusted relationships.
• Video is a key part of the online mix.  Video is the most popular online content and transforms the way customers interact with your business. New social video tools like Periscope are easy ways to engage with clients
• Blogs continue to grow in importance.  Google has new sophisticated systems to ensure only relevant and up-to-date content, such as blogs, come highest.  Google loves good quality blogs
• The rise of personal branding and thought leadership. Business leaders are using LinkedIn, Twitter and blogging to position their expertise and help their businesses and themselves – personally and professionally

Leaders’ LinkedIn profiles

A key element of personal branding is a professional LinkedIn profile. We have helped some 20 business leaders to write a professional LinkedIn profile in just the last few months.  Often this is to position them for non-executive/chairman roles; and where directors want to look more a ‘leader of their business’ than their latest CV.

A few tips for your LinkedIn profile

• LinkedIn is a powerful search engine.  What might your clients or others be searching to find you?
• The job title section on LinkedIn is now called ‘professional headline’ and you have 120 characters.  Use this to explain your expertise or what your business does such as ‘aerospace components’
• Complete the summary – this is the most important section
• Think about the person reading – what information would be useful to them
• Can you bring the points to life with a story to explain?
• Don’t waste this opportunity – a good LinkedIn profile will also help your business to be found on Google

More tips in these blogs

• Director LinkedIn profiles – how to write them?
• LinkedIn profiles – first or third person?!

Our new website and brand

We have launched our new Northern Lights’ brand and mobile-friendly website- this is now important for Google searches. Take a look and we’d love to know your thoughts.

Thanks to the team at DS Emotion for our new Northern Lights’ brand and the design for our website.

And to Jonny Ross and his team for the technical side of our website.

Shining in speaking opportunities

We have helped our client, Pat Chapman-Pincher,to publish a white paper March of the Robots …into the Boardroom looking at the lack of boardroom skills to manage technology.

Pat carried out research among UK business leaders

• 58 per cent of bosses admit they do not have skills on their boards to understand or manage technology
• Nearly half (47 per cent) of business leaders have not looked at the impact of automation on jobs in their companies
• More than two thirds (68 per cent) of boards are making piecemeal investment decisions about technology rather than taking an holistic view of the business and its future

We have helped Pat secure speaking opportunities – the latest was to 500 directors of FTSE corporates at the Balanced Business.

Here are just a few of the tweets

Pat is keen to help boards understand how the future will affect their businesses – she is happy to speak at awaydays, client events and conferences.  Read her blogs for a window on your future.

We’ve also shared our insights on how you can succeed when speaking in the round.

Congratulations to the Institute of Cultural Capital

The Institute of Cultural Capital – a strategic collaboration between the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University – is this month celebrating its fifth anniversary.

We have interviewed academics and cultural leaders and written blogs looking at the value of culture in urban environments, from grassroots initiatives to large-scale cultural events and festivals.

The blog is positioning them at the heart of the cultural debate – talk to us to discuss becoming thought leaders in your field of expertise.

Latest trends from the UAE

We are regularly asked about how we see the UAE market in light of oil prices dropping.  The simple answer is it is challenging in several areas, but the long term is still positive – in our view.  Read our blog which pulls together views from bankers, clients, company formation experts and conversations with friends and colleagues.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi – what’s the impact of the oil price slump?