If you haven’t yet created a LinkedIn page for your business, you should certainly think about doing this. LinkedIn is an effective tool for gathering new business leads and networking. Like with any social media platform, it is important to use the features available to promote your business in the best possible way. From sharing the latest insights and updates, to gaining the relevant following, it is a free way to market your business, increase traffic to your website and develop brand awareness.

Create engaging content

Produce content that will interest your audience. By engaging your audience, they will inevitably share your content, therefore expanding your reach and influence.

Remember: keep your post authentic. If you don’t, you may lose following.

Introducing new products or services you’ve developed

LinkedIn is a great platform to introduce new products and services. From writing a status to uploading a blog post, LinkedIn is a great way to reach professional audiences that will engage with your message.

Ensure you upload a variety of different content, such as blog posts, articles, infographics and videos to suit the viewing preferences of your target audience.

Tip: try to include links to your website in your blog or status – this will increase web traffic.

Stand out

A company page is like a profile page. You need to describe your business in order to stand out from your competitors. Include company news and share information about your company culture such as its values, mission and vision.

Remember: fill out each of categories, such as Website, Industry, Headquarters, Founded and Type – this will help people understand your business a lot better.

Competition? What competition?

Whether you are new to setting up your company profile or you have had one for a while, take a look at what your competitors are posting and measure their success. It may prove tiresome doing research but you can learn a lot.

Tip: researching will help you identify trends in the industry and new opportunities.

Manage your analytics

Managing your LinkedIn page doesn’t stop at creating and uploading content. If you are the administrator for the company page, you have access to the analytics and these allow you to measure the engagement from the posts you have created.

Remember: understand the analytics.

This is just one of the topics covered in our Social Media Marketing course; for more helpful tips, follow @Rthinking

Have you ever considered your own leadership style? According to findings, there are four fundamental leadership styles, these being Pragmatist, Idealist, Steward and Diplomat. Leaders can be effective or ineffective with each of these four styles, and there are vast amounts of subtle variations which can determine what kind of a leader a person is.

We take a look at the defining features of all four categories – Can you identify your leadership style?

The Pragmatist
• High standards and expect themselves and their employees to meet those
• Driven and competitive
• Bold thinkers
• Least common of all leadership styles.

The Idealist
• High-energy achievers
• Believe in the positive potential of everyone
• Want to learn and grow
• Charismatic
• Open minded
• Prize creativity from themselves and others.

The Steward
• Dependable
• Loyal and helpful
• Values rules, process and cooperation
• Stabilising and calming.

The Diplomat
• Kind, social and giving
• Typically develop deep personal bonds with their employees
• Resolve conflicts peacefully
• Socially adept.

There isn’t a correct style of leadership and it certainly cannot be defined into a specific role. Often leaders today take defining features from each style in order to develop their own leadership style and capabilities. It’s incredibly important to understand your own style as you can then start to think about how to develop this further to achieve even greater results.

For more helpful tips, follow @RHThinking!

Sources
www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2015/07/09which-of-the-4-leadership-styles-is-yours/#405020f411a2

Leadership is one of the most essential attributes of an effective manager and is often developed over time through training, mentoring and experience.

Even if your performance has been strong and you’re considered a good management, leading others can be an adjustment for most. We take a look at 4 tips to help develop your leadership skills further.

Set goals
Every employee needs goals to strive for. Goals give employees direction and purpose, but also ensure that employees are working towards the overall organisational goals. Setting specific and measurable goals with employees, also allows you to regularly monitor their progress towards achieving them.

Communicate
Communication is key. Often, leaders communicate far too little. In a busy business, it can sometimes prove difficult to keep employees up-to-date on the latest organisational news. Regardless of how busy you are, leaders must make the effort to communicate with employees and give them the information they need in order to do their jobs efficiently.

Make time for employees
Leadership is a job that involves working with people. If an employee needs to speak to you, ensure you set time aside to do so. It is incredibly important to be a clear communicator and a good listener. It also worth initiating a Coaching and Mentoring program as these help professionals grown, develop and learn new skills under the direction and advice of an expert. Organizations implement mentoring programs to align the goals of the company with the professional development of its employees.

Recognise achievements
Ensure you recognise when your employees do a good job. Recognition is something all employees want to receive and by publicly recognising the efforts and achievements of your team, you not only develop their confidence, but also encourage future contributions and effort. Try to incorporate praise into your day-to-day communication – investing in your colleagues will pay off.