You know LinkedIn – the professional, polished and responsible sibling of the social media sphere.
Considering the social network has Over 722 million membersYou almost certainly already have a profile.
The statistics on its effectiveness and usage are staggering: for example, three people are hired on LinkedIn every minute, and the network reports a 55% more calls between connections only in the last quarter.
If you’re anything like me, read these stats and get the feeling that you are should Get more out of your LinkedIn experience. However, navigating a world of over 700 million people can seem quite daunting – and like any social network, there is a lot of spam from publishers clogging feeds with promotional material.
You’ve probably seen these terrifying posts. Things like, “I rushed into an interview, but stopped to help a woman collect some papers she’d left in the lobby. It turned out she was the hiring manager. I got the job immediately. #Karma. ”
But, unique among social media platforms, you can be sure that people will show up on LinkedIn and think about work. This means that LinkedIn users are prepared for it Social sellingand there are numerous ways to find, connect and develop relationships with potential prospects on the network.
The data prove this: A HubSpot study of over 5,000 companies was found LinkedIn traffic generated nearly three times the visitor-to-lead conversion rate from either Twitter or Facebook.
This is extremely valuable in any profession – and especially if you work in the B2B space.
Get the Essential Guide to Using LinkedIn for Marketing and Professional Networking.
How do you focus on a community of people from your industry or with common interests to get the most out of this vast network? Enter: LinkedIn groups.
Here we’ll explore what LinkedIn groups are, as well as best practices for LinkedIn groups and the most impressive groups to join on the network. Let’s dive in.
What are LinkedIn Groups?
LinkedIn groups is a dedicated space for professionals to share expertise, seek advice, and build meaningful relationships. It’s been around for a while, but the trend on social media is towards more intentional, self-selected communitiesIts importance continues to grow.
Groups are a targeted opportunity Build your personal brand and professional community on LinkedIn.
Only members of a specific group can view, post, or comment on conversations within that group. Groups can set their own admission criteria and set up administrators as gatekeepers.
By default, your group affiliations are shown at the bottom of your LinkedIn profile in the “Interests” area. You can Edit the visibility for specific groups – just one of the many ways to customize how your LinkedIn profile represents your personal and professional brand.
Groups not listed will not appear in search results and only other group members will see the group’s information on your profile. These more private communities require a direct link or an administrator invitation for access.
Best Practices for LinkedIn Groups
Be a good community member to get the most out of LinkedIn Groups communities. Remember that your golden rule in this ecosystem. Let your work and your insights speak for themselves – avoid obvious self-promotion or downright spam.
Other recommended course of action To become a valued group member, include:
- Contribute first – Bring value to the group. This builds trust and offers greater value for she also in the long term. Hoping in with an off-topic post or a link to your own content is a great way to get banned or moved [/ignored].
- Listen and get involved – Remember, unless you are the founder and creator of the group, you are participating in an ongoing conversation. Take some time to listen and observe. Pay attention to the topic, tone, and who the group recognizes as experts or authorities. Try to like and comment on some posts before expressing contrary or opposing views.
- Suggestion for discussion – Ask questions. Then listen and respond to move the conversation forward.
- Keep it professional – People are on the platform for work, do you remember? If you wouldn’t personally tell a coworker or your boss, don’t say it here.
- Think before you link – LinkedIn is pretty clear about that. All URLs to commercial websites attempting to sell a product or service will be reported and removed, as will those redirecting to inappropriate / spam-like content.
Pro tip: Do you want to use the time you spend getting used to a LinkedIn group and their respective communities? Leadjet is a browser extension that enables sales reps to work faster and more efficiently. Automatically add LinkedIn prospects to your CRM with a single click without wasting time manually entering the data.
With a tool like Leadjet, you can fit yourself into a group’s community while also meaningfully expanding your pipeline with high-quality prospects. Win win.
Navigate LinkedIn groups
You can navigate to LinkedIn groups in a number of ways. Search for groups right from the search bar just like you would find connections, companies, or any other item on LinkedIn.
You can also find them in the Work grid in your navigation bar in LinkedIn or at linkedin.com/groups.
How to find groups on LinkedIn
Find groups that match your industry and interests by searching for relevant titles, keywords, or phrases. You can find a number of LinkedIn groups for virtually any industry or job function.
Assess the descriptions of the groups as well as the connections from your network that are already members to determine which groups are best for you.
LinkedIn group directory
Search the LinkedIn group directory – Access via the right navigation as well as the search dropdown menu in the top left of the LinkedIn user interface. Search by name, phrase, or keyword and search the results by group name or keyword in the group description.
How to join groups on LinkedIn
You can join a group on LinkedIn by clicking “Request to Join” on a group’s home page or profile page. Your request goes directly to the group administrators, who will assess your suitability for the group.
If another connection invites you to join a group, simply accept the invitation in your inbox or notification screens as you would with a standard connection request.
Where are my groups on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn groups affect the Appearance of your LinkedIn profile In many ways. As mentioned earlier, people who look at groups can see which of their connections are already members. In addition, the “Interests” section at the bottom of your profile will display a variety of information, including topics and experts you follow on LinkedIn and group memberships.
If you’ve been on LinkedIn for a while, you may have stale or inactive group memberships. You can Curate what appears on your profile for others to see by leaving groups that no longer interest you. But what if you still want to receive messages from certain groups, but you don’t want them to appear in your profile?
On the page with all group memberships, click on the three dots to the right of a group list and select “Update settings”:
On the linked subpage, switch “Show group in profile” to “No”, which will keep your membership, but hide it in the “Interests” section of your profile. This ensures that only other members or people looking directly for this group can potentially see your affiliation.
Now you can stay connected with this high school alumni group or follow a competitor’s learning community without this information showing up on your profile for anyone.
This applies to listed groups. Groups that are not listed are not publicly searchable and will not appear on your profile except for anyone else who is also a member of the same group. Potential members can only see or access the group after receiving an invitation from a current member or administrator.
Best groups for LinkedIn
Regardless of your industry, role, or your goal of joining LinkedIn groups, there is likely no shortage of curated recommendations for the best groups. To start with, you can use resources like “20 LinkedIn Groups Every Marketer Should Join“or”11 Must Join LinkedIn Recruiter Groups. “
It is also helpful to think beyond immediate or explicit professional affiliations. Don’t limit yourself to joining groups that are directly related to your industry.
Alumni groups are often both particularly active and helpful – especially when you’re trying to break into a new field or build relationships in a new region.
Find groups that include your ideal customers and be an active, dedicated member of the groups you join to maximize the potential for meaningful networking Social selling.
Discover the potential of LinkedIn Groups to support your own goals by joining some groups today. Start with one or two groups in your industry and a different one depending on where you went to school or what personal interest you have.
Think of these as digital versions of groups and rooms that you want to visit offline too. Monitor the conversations, find opportunities to contribute, and evaluate how you might fit into the group’s community. Good luck!
