Why You Should Be Using LinkedIn Groups. What are LinkedIn Groups? LinkedIn Groups are hubs on LinkedIn which provide a “place for professionals in the same industry or with similar interests to share content, find answers, post and view jobs, make business contacts, and establish themselves as industry experts.” If you’re looking to find relevant groups to join, simply use the search feature at the top of your homepage or select from the suggestions of “Groups you may like.” The benefits of LinkedIn Groups Whether you’re the owner of a LinkedIn Group or a member, these networks have many benefits. A LinkedIn Group isn’t a place for businesses to blast advertisements—it’s a channel to share content to those who will find it most valuable. Search for Groups relevant to your industry to start engaging with posts and members. Some ways to do this include: Provide an easy way to introduce themselves and share welcoming messages Engage with new members’ posts to encourage them to share their expertise Share the group rules and guidelines so members can confidently participate in the conversation Send private messages to new members to make a one-on-one connection After you’ve established a community with your LinkedIn Group, it’s your job to ensure things keep building. LinkedIn’s guide to engaging and growing Groups suggests the following tips for creating your community: Allow members to share your logo on their profiles, as 20 percent of all group growth comes from traffic from member’s profiles Only allow group members to post, to create some privacy and exclusivity Use your brand’s logo to entice LinkedIn members to check out your group (as they are 10 times more likely to do so when a logo is visible) Encourage members to exchange group information on their other social networks Send a weekly newsletter to highlight the most valuable discussions that took place in the Group that week For more information on getting started with your LinkedIn Group, check out LinkedIn’s handy help section. Make sure your Group members are making the most of the Group by: Recognizing members and liking or commenting on the content they share Using the Manager’s Choice feature to pin a discussion to the top of your Group and highlight the issues that are most relevant to your audience Linking your quality group discussions to your other social media channels to encourage new voices and contributions to your discussions When you’re participating in conversations, whether as a Group member or moderator, you’ll want to keep these tips in mind: Ask questions. Do research Once you find or create a LinkedIn Group, this online community is full of valuable individuals. Whenever you see an opportunity to answer a question posted in a Group you are a part of, take the time to respond thoughtfully.
The need to connect with like-minded people is a basic human desire. Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs cites “belongingness” immediately following physiological and safety needs such as food and water. This quest for belonging might be the reason that communities on social media, such as LinkedIn Groups, are so popular.
LinkedIn Groups are the place to be, not only for professionals looking to belong, but businesses aiming to cultivate a valuable community. Continue reading to find out everything you need to know to make the most out of LinkedIn Groups.
What are LinkedIn Groups?
LinkedIn Groups are hubs on LinkedIn which provide a “place for professionals in the same industry or with similar interests to share content, find answers, post and view jobs, make business contacts, and establish themselves as industry experts.”
If you’re looking to find relevant groups to join, simply use the search feature at the top of your homepage or select from the suggestions of “Groups you may like.”
The benefits of LinkedIn Groups
Whether you’re the owner of a LinkedIn Group or a member, these networks have many benefits. As our post LinkedIn for Business: The Ultimate Marketing Guide explains, “Being an active participant in a Group can help you and your business network with other professionals and businesses in your field, especially those outside of your immediate circle of current and present colleagues, classmates, and employers.”
As a business, having an active LinkedIn Group will help you connect with your customers. In building a LinkedIn Group, a brand creates a forum for their customers and audience to connect. This allows companies to reach a targeted audience of industry professionals and establish authentic relationships with these people.
A LinkedIn Group isn’t a place for businesses to blast advertisements—it’s a channel to share content to those who will find it most valuable. This allows for not only higher engagement, but more quality interactions.
You can greatly boost your brand’s name and online reputation by participating in Groups. Search for Groups relevant to your industry to start engaging with posts and members. Once you have made a name for yourself by engaging with the community, you can start sharing your brand’s content and building credibility.
Sharing relevant content is also a way to drive more visitors and prospects to your website. These individuals are in a LinkedIn Group relevant to your business, which makes them extremely valuable as potential leads.
Our post, LinkedIn for Business: The Ultimate Marketing Guide, sums this up: “Groups can help you gain insight into your target audience. You can join Groups with audience demographics you think may be interested in your brand’s product or service to see what kind of information the participants deem valuable and worthy of sharing.”
How to join a LinkedIn Group
Now that you know some of the benefits of LinkedIn Groups, you’re probably wondering how to jump in and get started.
First, you will want to use the search field at the top to find Groups that appeal to you. There are two different ways to do this. You can either search for Groups by their name or keyword, or browse Group recommendations provided by LinkedIn.
If you want to search for groups by name or keyword:
- Select Groups from the dropdown list on the left from the search box at the top of any page.
- Enter in your keywords.
- If you need to narrow down your searches, you can do this with the filters on the left side of the search results page.
If you’d rather browse groups recommended specially for you by LinkedIn:
- Hover over the Interests bar at the top of your homepage and choose Groups.
- Click Discover…
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