Let’s Talk about Groups in Linkedin
Let’s talk about Groups on Linkedin. Here are my 3 favorite things about groups.
1. It’s a great place to find like-minded people.
2. To build your connections.
3. Find groups in areas you’d like to learn more about
Let’s breakdown the groups a little bit more to give you the full exposure to how to find a group and move on from there. One thing you should know is at this point you are limited to 50 groups total and can only have 10 groups pending at a time. You have to be accepted into the group, so that usually takes anywhere from a couple minutes to a couple of days. So as you are joining groups once you hit 10 you have to wait until some of them are approved or exit an existing group you are in. As you can see in the picture the groups in yellow are pending approval.
1. Linkedin groups are another great place to meet like-minded people in your areas of interest. And what’s even better is the members of that group may live all over the world!! What that translates to is great exposure to countries that may never have had the pleasure of meeting you and hearing about your company. And in addition people you can visit! The power of networks!
So first thing is go to Groups – Groups directory. Then put in your keywords, languages, and categories. I put in women in business and got 1,635 groups!
I usually look at the member size and how long it’s been in existence. If you like one of the groups then click on the group title and join it. Move on to the next until you get 10, then wait to be approved and go on to join more.
2. Now that you’ve joined and been accepted into the group it’s time to build your connections. I usually add the group leader to my connections and any other top notch members in the profile. Next I go into the members of that group and read their profiles and if I like what they are doing or am interested in learning more I add them to my network. As you may or may not know they have to accept your invitation, so that can take minutes to days. You will also have access to the groups discussions and that’s a great place to get involved by either adding to a discussion or starting one.
3. Have you ever wanted to learn more about a topic, subject or category? If so, linkedin groups is a great place to join groups that have always been of interest or you may need to know people who you can partner with in that field. Our company specializes in content development for television, radio, mobile and online social media and video. So I joined groups for iphone developers, web designers, and writers. You never know when you may need to expand your freelancers.
Now is the time to start connecting within new groups start talking on the discussion boards and start announcing yourself and your company. You never know when someone will come to you for your expertise.
Please leave a comment, start a discussion, let me know your thoughts.
