How to Choose Which Linkedin Discussion Groups to Join

You get 50 groups to join on Linkedin, but how do you decide which groups to join?

Let me help by explaining a group strategy I use to make the most of my time on Linkedin.

First off, not all of the groups I join are industry specific, this is where several people go wrong.

Choose Your Linkedin Discussion Groups Carefully

Ideally you should split up the groups you join based on the following topics.

This way you get the most out of Linkedin discussion groups and the opportunities that lie within.

  1. Specific to My Industry– Why, get referrals, job offers, post job openings, discuss trends, etc.
  2. Specific to the Industries Where My Target Client Is– Why, to meet people you could do business with, answer their questions and display expertise in their industry for future opportunities when they may need you.
  3. Specific to Geography– Why, a mix of different types of professionals, in a specific area, is a small sample of Linkedin members you can get to know.
  4. Blog Posting Groups– Why, to get content and share your own content for curation and traffic.
  5. Specific to Profession– Why, you’ll meet CxO’s, buyers, vendors, etc for possible business partnerships.

How to split the 50 groups number wise? I suggest splitting them this way:

  • Around 5 for your industry= 5 groups
  • Industries that have your target client, 2-3 groups each- most companies have around 5 of these industries= 15 groups
  • Specific to geography= 5-10 (all different areas that you know work well for your products/services) so you are up to 30-35 groups
  • Blog Posting Groups= 5 (40-45) Specific to profession= 5 (45-50) groups

Bonus- Participate In More Than 50 Linkedin Discussion Groups

You can participate in more than 50 groups on Linkedin, actually you can participate in an unlimited number of groups. All you have to do is find open groups that do not require membership.

These are still good places to find leads, answer questions and build relationships, but you won’t get daily emails or be able to see them on the Groups page on Linkedin. You’ll have to use your browser bookmarking to keep track of them.

Summary-

There are so many benefits to using Linkedin groups, the exposure for your own profile and company is quite extensive and can be very powerful for your revenue. Work on building up a portfolio of decent Linkedin discussion groups every week until you are participating in as many as possible.

If you have any problems or questions, let me know, I’ll do my best to help.

 

© 2014 – 2015, Social Media Consultant. All rights reserved.

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5 Comments

  1. Hi Mary,

    another great post! I think it’s important to understand who your customer is before diving into any business. I join industry specific groups on LinkedIn as well as B2B groups. The B2B groups are usually where my potential customers are.

    I must admit though I’ve not been on LinkedIn as much as I should be, but going to take your advise here and start applying it when I am on LinkedIn 🙂

    Ben Laing
    Online Marketing Consultant

  2. Great post.
    Thanks for sharing this post.

  3. Hi Mary,

    I LOVE LinkedIn! It is by far my best social media site and much of it is because of the groups. I belong to about 25 because I constantly test and measure which ones work best for me, and I don’t want to haggle with 50 of them, lol…

    I belong to one blogging group and it’s awesome. I am looking for a few more that would tailor to my audience a little more. All in all, it’s really cool. I even thought of starting my own for blogging but I’m not sure I want to make that commitment right now.

    I really appreciated your post and the details you provided. Just wanted you to know that!

    ~ Don Purdum

    • Hi Don,
      Thank you for visiting and for the kind words. I have a lot of fun on Linkedin, there is always something to discover there. I visit a lot of groups by using Hootsuite, because going to each one individually would be a LOT of time. I am part of a lot of groups (over 40) but I often change out those that are not working for me, to try something new. It takes a lot of time to find those that are beneficial but once you do, it’s like opening a gift. What is the blogging one you are in?

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