Leveraging the full potential of LinkedIn groups

LinkedIn has earned the rank of professional referral social network. And one of its best tools to generate business are Groups.

Many entrepreneurs still use Linkedin only to have their CV on the net and do not look at the opportunities they lose because they do not know how to work on it in a systematic and constant way.

The owners and / or directors of SMEs must be in it and generate “business” right there, expanding their network of contacts, increasing their personal reputation, which in turn increases that of their own brand.

For those who already have their profile, they know the impact of the network and are wondering how can I work on it? I leave you the first post in a series that I will be writing about marketing strategies that you can use to generate B2B business on that network. This time we will start with the “Groups”.

Let us work this network for the benefit of your person and business!

Clear objectives. Before starting any type of work in the network you must have very clear your objectives in the same one. With Linkedin what you can achieve is basically:

• Establish yourself as an expert in your market
• Generate traffic to your website
• Increase your network of contacts
• Maintain direct contact with potential clients and prospects
• Generate knowledge and acquire knowledge of value

The wonderful tool that are the “Linkedin Groups”. There are basically two ways to work with this tool:

Join Groups .

This is one of the strongest strategies in Linkedin, since it is in the Groups where the relationships of “trust” are generated. But you must know how to move in them, it is not enough to be a passive member, you must participate, comment, debate and in summary dedicate some time to your groups daily.

The first thing to do is select the groups that you should and want to belong to. Look for groups where your potential market is located or where you can find people who can introduce you to them. Look for them with keywords, evaluate them before entering them. Try not to enter Groups that allow you to advertise, since they are the ones that work the least. Integrate in those where there are rules of participation and in which the main value is the sharing of knowledge. I also suggest you to start only enrolling two three groups, since the idea is to work them well.

Once you choose your Groups, first study and observe their dynamics, identify the influencers and the most active, review their profiles and understand what type of information is the most responsive on the part of the community. When you are clear all this is time to “participate”. Share your knowledge, opinions and experience. Please DO NOT SELL and do not only publish your own content you can see as SPAM. There are some groups that allow the promotion of services “tailor made” in the section “promotions” within the group, you can take advantage of this but in a measured way and only if you have something really attractive to offer the members of the Group.

Try to connect with influencers and start generating “Public Relations” of value. As the community identifies you, it is time to ask the members to be part of your network of contacts. Do not do it before interacting with them, it is not well seen.

The groups are working, imagine that it is like a COPARMEX breakfast that you go to every morning. What are you doing? Sit at the table watching the conversation of everyone without participating? Right? You participate, you comment, you intervene and you generate relationships !! Here you must do the same !! Create Groups Is not well seen. The groups are working, imagine that it is like a COPARMEX breakfast that you go to every morning. What are you doing? Sit at the table watching the conversation of everyone without participating? Right? You participate, you comment, you intervene and you generate relationships !! Here you must do the same !! Create Groups Is not well seen. The groups are working, imagine that it is like a COPARMEX breakfast that you go to every morning. What are you doing? Sit at the table watching the conversation of everyone without participating? Right? You participate, you comment, you intervene and you generate relationships !! Here you must do the same !!

Create Groups

When you already know how to work with Groups you will see that it is a great way to make contacts and good relationships, only then you will be ready to create your own Group. The advantage in this is that as a “moderator” you will have much more influence and scope. Remember to establish very well the group’s goal and the rules of the game.

Invite as many people as you know off and online who have the desired profile to your Group. Through your Web, Blog, Social Networks, Invitations in Linkedin, Email, Electronic Bulletins, Business Cards, etc. Let everyone know about the Group and its benefits.

Having a Group also involves a lot of work, since you have to be very careful to moderate, but also to participate and motivate the members to do it too. What you are looking for is the interaction, More than the number of publications made. As in all social networks, the more active participation there is, the more success your Group will have.H

Oy at the moment there are many groups that started as a good forum, but its “administrator” does not moderate or motivate and end up being a trail of publications with no one participating in them.

It encourages debate and good conversation, the construction of new visions. Do not let them just post information from the web, make them SPEAK !! TO CONVERSE!!

For this you can make them participate in specific events at specific times and days, organized by you that stimulate the value of the Group. And if tomorrow you can take the Group to offline meetings, GREAT.

Help members relate to each other, connect them, introduce them. Everything always in a professional and business environment, do not go to make the mistake of changing the tone of the conversation within Group, When relationships of greater trust and friendship are generated, it is better to go to other forums to talk in less formal tones such as Twitter or Facebook.

You must also take care of the profile of the members of the Group, this is very important since the value of the same lies in the people who make it up. If your group aims at specialized topics, ensure that only people with such profile are accepted in it. In case it is a Group with more general topics or of common interest also cares who enters the same although you allow that its entrance is automatic.

The last thing is to have patience and constancy, a good group is not generated overnight. You must also take care of the profile of the members of the Group, this is very important since the value of the same lies in the people who make it up. If your group aims at specialized topics, ensure that only people with such profile are accepted in it. In case it is a Group with more general topics or of common interest also cares who enters the same although you allow that its entrance is automatic.