In a nutshell, running a business is all about reaching out to the right people. No matter what your goal is, whether it’s to gain profit or raise awareness, talking to the correct audience will help skyrocket your business venture.
It’s no surprise that LinkedIn, a platform made primarily for connecting to business-minded leaders and individuals, gained popularity among entrepreneurs. Today, LinkedIn has nearly 660+ million users in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. For those who are working their way up the business ladder, there’s no better way to do it than through the world’s largest professional network.
Because of the overwhelming number of users, it’s nearly impossible to target everyone with the content and advertisements you put out on your page. Most of the time, staying within your LinkedIn network creates an echo chamber and rarely brings you new customers.
And so, when LinkedIn introduced LinkedIn groups, marketers were quick to inject this into their strategies. Apart from giving you an audience where you can engage and discuss ideas, LinkedIn groups are an excellent tool to help reach your business goals.
A quick definition
LinkedIn groups are private forums where professionals in the same industry or with similar interests can share ideas, meet clients, make business contacts, and connect with influencers of a particular niche.
Apart from engaging and connecting with others, these groups are also an effective means of LinkedIn lead generation because of their specific interests.
How to join groups on Linkedin?
Before you go searching for how to join groups on LinkedIn, we listed down an easy step-by-step guide on joining and finding groups within your industry.
Step 1: Finding the right groups
There are two ways to look for groups on LinkedIn. First, you can use the helpful search bar to find forums that match a name or keyword. If you’re out of ideas, you can check out the recommended groups by LinkedIn based on your content and interest.
You’ll find this by clicking the Work icon on the top right and going to Groups.
Step 2: Double checking groups before joining
Before sending a join request, double-check if a group is undoubtedly within your areas of interest. Click on the group’s name and look for the About This Group section – this is where you’ll most likely find all the information you’ll need.
Step 3: Send a request
Once you’re sure of the group description and interest, you’re all set to send a request and start connecting with the members.
Four reasons to join LinkedIn Groups
There are many ways on how to market your business online, and lead generation is one of them. While there are readily available tools, LinkedIn Groups are an excellent avenue to reach out to potential customers without the need for automated plugins.
What can LinkedIn groups do for your brand?
- Boost your brand credibility
Engaging with others in LinkedIn groups helps establish yourself as an engaged business with an extensive understanding of your field. As such, potential customers will reach out to you should they need your products or services.
- Widen your reach
With groups, you have a highly-targeted platform to share content and advertisements. With the opportunity to reach out to users outside your LinkedIn network, your content will be on the timelines of more people. And we all know that the more people you connect to, the more chances of conversions.
- Help you benchmark new content
There are several ways on how to market your business online, but nothing beats putting out content and advertisements that hit audiences exactly in their areas of interest.
You can leverage LinkedIn groups to find new trends and plan your content accordingly. When you listen to what your audience talks about, effectively reaching out to them will be a breeze.
- Strengthen lead generation
Because you’re primarily marketing to a targeted audience, it will be much easier for you to do a sales pitch to people who are already interested in the field. It will need less convincing to convert those leads to sales, too.
Must-remember rules when using LinkedIn groups for marketing
As with any strategy, you can either market your brand correctly or not at all. Here are important rules you shouldn’t forget so you can make the most out of your groups.
Find the right groups
Filter out the groups you’ll market to so you don’t waste time and effort, and to avoid being marked as spam. All forums must be built around industries and topics related to your business.
Follow group rules
Groups have the authority to implement their own rules, which is usually laid down in a single pinned post. Always check and read through their by-laws, so you don’t put yourself at a bad angle. It’s likewise best to keep in mind some unwritten rules of online etiquette so that you can position your brand correctly.
Engage and participate as much as you can
LinkedIn groups, like your LinkedIn network, exist so you can connect with other people to share ideas and opinions. Don’t join a group only to self-promote. It wouldn’t give your brand (or yourself) a good reputation.
It’s best to build relationships with people by liking posts, responding to comments, and entering discussions that others have started.
Post as yourself, not your company
People do business with people, and consumers value authenticity most of all. When putting out content, remember to post as yourself instead of always promoting your brand in everything you put out.
Most importantly: Avoid hard selling
LinkedIn groups aren’t advertisement forums where you can flood your content to get people to purchase. Nothing will make people more annoyed than spammy promotional content. Whenever you’re about to put out a post, ask yourself: Is it helpful to the members and relevant to the topic of the group?
With over two million groups on LinkedIn, it’s safe to assume that you’ll be getting quality leads by participating in a discussion. While these didn’t have a shiny reputation back then, LinkedIn groups aren’t something your marketing plans should miss out on.
Remember, the key to successfully utilizing groups is to stay personal, share useful information, and participate whenever possible. You’re all set to get those leads!
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