Guide to LinkedIn Groups in 2 Min 30 Sec

This Blog explains how and why you should setup a LinkedIn Group. The headings are:

 

1. Why Start a LinkedIn Group
2. Example of Successful LinkedIn Groups
3. An Example on How to Promote a LinkedIn Account

 

1) Why Start a LinkedIn Group

 

• Build more awareness of your brand/company/service
• Position brand/company/service as an Industry thought leader
• Forge Industry Relationships
• Convert group members into advocates of the brand/company/service

 

What are the Key Aims of the Group:

 

• What is the Objective
• Who is the Audience
• What is the Message
• Who will manage the Group

 

Should the group be Open (unlocked) or Closed (locked)? Open groups are popular for brands because they remove barriers to join and tend to grow faster. Closed groups give you more control over who is in the group but take more time to manage and as a result can ramp slowly.

 

2) Example of Successful LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn contains over 1.7 million Groups. Two of the most successful groups on LinkedIn are Social Media Marketing (unlocked) and eMarketing Association Network (locked). They each have over 500,000 members.

What makes these two accounts successful is the Regular Postings, Topical Discussions Relevant to the Groups, Free Advice, User Engagement, Polls, Job Listings and in some cases Networking Events outside of LinkedIn. 

 

3) An Example on How to Promote a LinkedIn Account:

HubSpot which is the fourth largest on LinkedIn promoted the group on their standalone blog as a static link and other specific articles. They issued this call to action to potential members: “Are you passionate about startups? Then, connect with other like minded people in the LinkedIn OnStartups group”. HubSpot also created a custom URL (http://linkedin.onstartups.com) that was co-branded, catchy, easy to remember and short enough to fit on Twitter.

When you join the group you get the following email:

Greetings,

Thanks for joining OnStartups.com group on LinkedIn. It is the largest entrepreneurial community on LinkedIn with over 220,000 members.

If you’re interested in interacting with other entrepreneurs, you should also join the OnStartups community on Facebook.

Author: John works in the digital sector and has experience with  advertising and integrated digital marketing techniques. Interested in networking with John? Check his LinkedIn, Twitter and Google +