Most of us know Linkedin as a B2B social network that connects businesses and professionals. But Toady Linkedin is more than that, LinkedIn groups act as a hub for people sharing the same keen as it allows users to find or give an answer, share information, make connections, and establish themselves as the industry experts.
After LinkedIn was acquired by Microsoft there have been a lot of advanced features embedded into it. LinkedIn groups are one among them. If used properly LinkedIn group allows you to take advantage of its features to grow your business and connect to other business owners.
With the right techniques and strategies, a linked group can be used to expand your business, market your company in front of experts and increase your customer reach. One of the well known saying “social media is the best place to build a strong connection with customers” LinkedIn proves it.
But the darker side of LinkedIn groups is filled with self-promotion and spam than the important and meaningful information. We are not saying that all the groups are not effective or useful but there are LinkedIn groups that openly promote product advertisements.
If you are looking to spend time building a strong connection with other professionals that belong to your industry then it is recommended to select high authority groups with active members participating in the conversation.
In this article, we will help you to know how you can use LinkedIn groups to grow your business, spread awareness about your brand, connect with professionals, and establish yourself as the industry experts.
If you are looking to restructure your video marketing strategies then check our blog on Social Media Video Marketing Strategy: Tips To Boost Your Video Reach In 2020
What are LinkedIn Groups?
In simple words, Linkedin Groups are considered as the hub where professionals from the same industry with similar interests share or exchange information, find answers, make new business contacts with the goal of establishing themselves as industry experts. With the increase in the Linkedin users and business pages, the popularity of linked groups is gradually increasing.
If you want to join a specific linked group that falls under a specific niche let’s say marketing, then you can type the term marketing in the search bar, and from the drop-down menu (more) you can select and join the Group you desire.
What are the benefits of using LinkedIn Groups?
Linkedin groups can offer results beyond your expectation. Becoming an active group member or admin allows you to connect with professionals outside your circle or reach and helps you to share your expertise to grab other professionals’ attention. Linkedin is the place that allows you to connect your business with other businesses outside your circle.
It’s no brainer that your action will be recognized only when you offer a unique solution or share unique ideas. The LinkedIn group allows you to do that and enables you to advertise your products and services in the form of a solution.
As a business, it is always recommended to have an active LinkedIn group not to advertise your products or services. But to solve a problem that falls under your niche. Solving group members’ problems will allow you to build a strong trust and network and help you to convert your members into customers.
Creating a business group will also help you to reach the target audiences that are likely to content with your product and services. Remember LinkedIn group is not built for advertisement but it allows you to connect with industry professionals for quality interaction.
You can make use of the LinkedIn group to share content that solves user problems and helps you to drive organic traffic on your web page. Linkedin groups can help you to get a better understanding of your target audience. Not only that but you can also join other LinkedIn groups to get an insight into your audience demographic and depending on that you can create your marketing strategy.
If used properly LinkedIn groups will allow you to experience other parts of product advertisement using communicational tone. If you are a beginner then it is recommended to join LinkedIn groups that fall under your niche. Joining other groups will allow you to get an insight into LinkedIn functioning. Once you are aware of it’s functioning then you can create a separate group froyo business.
Tips to grow businesses using linked Groups
1. Join multiple groups relevant to your business
Joining different LinkedIn groups enables you to connect with a wide range of audiences and allows you to explore more about your industry problems. If you are a basic member (not a premium one) then you can join up to 50 groups.
If your goal is to identify, understand, and connect with the target audience then you can join multiple groups and start building a connection with the members of the group. There are niche related multiple groups available that allow any member to join and explore the group. You can find the group depending on your location, industry, and topic.
You can also select the group depending on the type of audience you want to target for your business. Spend time in finding a group that has active member participation and has a good amount of existing members.
If a group has fewer members then try to look for the member participation during the conversation. Sometimes groups with little to few members offer more benefits than a large group with a lot of restrictions.
Linkedin offers a special feature “groups you may like” that suggest groups that relate with your profile and connection. It is recommended to find groups that don’t allow a member to promote their product directly to other members. Spending time in these types of LinkedIn groups will help you to grab leads that will actually convert into paying customers.
2. Showcase your expertise in front of members
Compared to other social media channels LinkedIn groups are the best way to showcase your expertise in a particular niche. No matter how effective your products and services are for users, until and unless you don’t gain their trust none of them will show interest in your business. Becoming subject matter experts and showcasing your expertise allows you to grab your target audience’s attention and encourage them to trust your business and products.
Linkedin posts and groups are the best way to showcase your expertise in front of the target audience. You can leverage LinkedIn groups to connect with your target audience, get yourself involved in the discussion in a way that shows your expertise and allows you to drive LinkedIn members to your LinkedIn business page or your website.
If you are an active member and offering an instant reply to users’ problems then there will be a time when group members will start trusting your words. There are cases where your unique and problem-solving conversation can grab other member’s attention and they may start considering you as a subject matter expert.
Once you find your replies to be engaging then you can start pitching your products in a conversational tone so that your members don’t consider you as a product advertiser. Remember your potential customer test and evaluate your business 7 times before making a successful purchase from your website.
3. Make Group interactive by asking and answering questions
Answering group member questions and offering advice to the needed ones not only grab their attention but help you to showcase your expertise. It is always recommended to identify different groups and answer questions that belong to your niche. This will allow you to interact with group members and win their trust.
When I say subject matter experts that doesn’t mean you should always answer your group member’s question to show you expertise. Remember your goal is to showcase your expertise so that group members start trusting you and your business.
For that, you need to get yourself involved in a conversation. If you don’t find an ongoing conversation then you can pose an interesting question in front of your target audience with a goal to get answers that can help you to improve your product and services.
Every step you take in LinkedIn groups should work toward making yourself a thought leader and showcasing your business authentic in front of the target audience.
4. Create your own group
If you already have a good user base in other LinkedIn groups where group members listen and accept your words then it’s recommended to take your business promoting to the next level by creating an industry-specific LinkedIn group for your target audience.
Many companies focus on building community by creating Linkedin groups for a specific group of people that relates to your products or have an interest in your product and services. Following the above steps will enable you to position yourself as a thought leader by sharing your expertise.
Once you become popular among the audience as subject matter experts then you can create a separate group for the target audience for the company hopes to engage in the future. It’s true that today most of the groups have different restrictions which group members have to accept and follow while being in a group. One of the common restrictions is not to advertise the product.
Becoming a group admin enables you to set restrictions and give you full authority to advertise your product and service in front of the audience in a communicational tone. But remember if you want your group to grow then you have to commit your time so that every member feels satisfied after joining your group.
5. Promote your latest content
Undoubtedly, the content you offer plays a crucial role in grabbing your target audience’s attention and helping you to grow your business. You can always make use of LinkedIn groups to promote your content as it is considered as the best way to drive organic traffic on your web pages. Remember the content you are sharing should relate to audience questions or problems.
Most of the business commits a mistake by over-promoting their business by sharing content in the LinkedIn groups. If you are a member of some other group then sharing unwanted content with the aim of promotion can get you kicked out of the group that’s why it is recommended to share the content link only when it’s needed.
You can also create content depending on the group member’s requirements. For example, if a few of the group members are looking to know the unique techniques to grow their email list then you can create short content and share it with them.
You can also ask group members about their requirements in the form of questions to find what they actually want to know. To make it more effective you can ask what type of content they prefer? Video content, text content, or audio content. Asking these types of questions will help you to produce more engaging content for your LinkedIn members.
6. Expand your network
Earlier we have mentioned Linkedin is the place where you can build and expand your network. Linkedin groups allow you to connect with new members that belong to your niche. When you communicate with new member do it in a way that increases your network.
The above-mentioned tips and techniques will help you to connect with new members out of your reach or circle. In LinkedIn groups, if you find members interacting with you or engaging with your content or asking your different questions related to your niche then they could be the potential customer for your business.
Try to find more details about them by visiting their LinkedIn profile gather more information about then you can also contact them individually in a conversational tone (remember don’t pitch you product directly) build a strong connection with them. If possible try to get their number and contact them via calls so that you can build a strong connection with them.
7. Be consistent and active in groups
Earlier we recommended joining multiple groups to expand your reach and connection. But remember if you are looking to establish a strong connection with the user then you have to be consistent and active so that your reply can grab group member’s attention.
Most of the time late reply doesn’t grab the user’s attention and it gets lost between other thoughts (no matter how effective your thoughts are). Being active in the group helps you to grab more member’s attention on the thought or solution you shared with the user.
If you are engaging or getting involved in the conversation once in a month then instead of building authority you will be considered as other random members. To showcase you expertise, build trust, and acknowledge yourself as a subject matter expert you have to be consistent an active in LinkedIn groups.
The more active and consistent you become in the group, members are likely to ask more questions which will help you to interact with more group members. That’s why if you want to grow your business it is recommended to be consistent and active in different LinkedIn groups so that you can communicate with more members and expend your reach.
Final Thoughts
As you focus on LinkedIn groups to grow your business make sure you reach out to at least 5-6 connections daily with a goal of starting a new conversation by saying hi or introducing yourself. You can make use of LinkedIn groups that you have joined to identify your target audience and reach out to them.
Linkedin groups can offer you more than you can expect. Leveraging its features will allow you to grow your business and advertise your product in front of your target audience. You can make use of the above tips to find multiple niche-related groups and start communicating with their members.
Even if you want to create a group for your own business then first it is recommended to understand how the LinkedIn groups and later on you can create your own LinkedIn groups. If you want to optimize your current LinkedIn business page that reflects your goal and grabs your target audience then it is recommended to hire social media marketing experts for your business.
