Margie Barkley: How to Join Create or Manage LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn groups will be perfect for you if you like to work hard but also play hard.

LinkedIn groups allow you to mix with other professionals and entrepreneurs in a relaxed environment. Here you can relax and chat with colleagues in your industry or other entrepreneurs. You can also share ideas, engage in spirited debates or collect valuable wisdom.

What if, along the way, you manage to connect with potential clients or partners and promote your brand? Win-win.

How to create deeper connections using LinkedIn groups.

Download a free guide showing the 11 tactics that Hootsuite’s social media team employed to grow its LinkedIn audience from zero to 278,000.

What are LinkedIn Groups?

LinkedIn groups allow users to connect with others who share similar interests. Imagine it as a modern message board or online clubhouse where you can create or join discussions to build relationships.

LinkedIn groups can focus on a particular industry (e.g. social media marketing!) Or a particular topic (e.g. Ultimate Frisbee). Ask questions, give insights and perhaps make some new friends.

Find LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn Groups can be listed or unlisted.

You must be personally invited by a group member to view or join a group that is not listed.

Use the search bar at the top-left corner of the page to find the group you are looking for. Tap Groups in the menu “On This Page” to view all groups that are associated with your search term.

Click on the name of the group to find out more about it, or click Join to join without any further information. You live on the edge and we love that!

LinkedIn’s algorithm also suggests groups for you. You can find these recommended groups in your LinkedIn groups page, on the right.

How to join a LinkedIn Group

Tap the Join button on either the results page of the search or the group page to join the LinkedIn group.

You’ll be accepted immediately if you join a group with an open door policy.

Some LinkedIn groups require that you wait for approval from the admin before you can join.

You can choose to make your LinkedIn groups visible by changing the visibility in your personal group list.

Tap on the three dots to update your settings.

Toggle off Display group on Profile.

How to create a LinkedIn Group

Go to the Groups section and click the Create a Group option.

Fill in the following details: group name, description of industry, group picture, etc.

Here you can explain group rules and change discoverability and permissions. You can always change them later!

When you are finished, tap Create to view your new group. Tap Write a welcome message to create a welcoming automated message for group members before you send out invitations.

You can now invite members to your group or make posts on it. Tap the Manage Group button or Edit Group button on the left to adjust settings, modify your page content or review members.

Tips on how to manage a successful LinkedIn Group

Just like any other social media platform groups, creating a LinkedIn Group alone is not sufficient to generate engagement. It takes some effort to create a successful LinkedIn community.

Promote your group through other social media networks

You might consider looking beyond your professional network if you want to fill your LinkedIn group with enthusiastic, vibrant participants. Promote this new group on your other social media networks. You might attract fans, followers and even creepers that are interested in your group’s topic.

You can create videos, Stories, or posts about your LinkedIn Group. Or, you can add a link in your bios. It’s simple to share a single message across all platforms with a scheduling tool such as Hootsuite.

Invite your friends, colleagues and other professionals that may be interested

You don’t have to invite everyone in your network to join your LinkedIn group. Instead, you can reach out to people in your network that might be interested.

If people don’t even know that your club exists, how can they join? If you have a strong group description and name, people might find it through a search engine. But the truth is that word-of-mouth is your best recruitment tool.

Post about relevant topics regularly

One day, you’ll have a group so full of members who are enthusiastic that conversation will flow all day long, every day. You may have to don your super host hat first and manage each post one at a time.

Post regularly on relevant topics to add value for your members. Stick to the theme of your group. They joined for a reason. A content calendar can help you stay on track with your group’s content.

Think about engaging content when you post to your LinkedIn business page or personal profile.

You can keep people interested by asking questions, provoking discussion and sharing content related to your industry.

Here are a few social media content ideas that will help you get started.

Answer any questions or comments promptly posted by members

A great LinkedIn group has a lot of interaction and lively conversations. What happens if someone posts a comment, and then there are crickets? Then they’re not likely to be very interested in returning to read what you have to add.

Answering questions quickly is the easiest way to let your group members know that their comments are being heard. LinkedIn groups allow you to set up an alert so that any new posts or comments are notified. Turn it on to ensure you don’t miss out on the chance to become the host who has the most.

Watch out for inappropriate conversations in the group

You may be happy to let everyone behave as if it were the Wild West, but you will want to establish some standards to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and safe.

Taking some preventative measures can be beneficial. Set clear expectations with your members to stop inappropriate posts. Remember the “Rules” section you created when setting up your group? If you want to reject spambots and bad guys before they join, you can set up the group so that any new members must be approved by an admin.

You can delete posts and comments that are inappropriate as soon as they appear. You can also disable comments for sensitive posts.

Turning on the post-review is another helpful moderating tool. It may take a bit more time but adding an extra step to ensure that posts are approved by an administrator can stop inappropriate content from going public.

Appreciate active members

Engage active members in conversation by responding to their comments and posts, or shout them out when you post.

You can tag them and ask for their expert insights. Can you celebrate a certain milestone? “Congratulations on your 100th posting, Darlene!” Are there any special privileges that you could consider giving someone who has proven themselves to be a leader in your community?” You can share their story and thank them for the value they have added.

Special treatment will not only make the all-star feel special but may also encourage other players to up their game.

Offer participation incentives

You can encourage participation by responding to comments, or thanking people for their likes or shares. But maybe you and your group could go further.

Offer prizes or special opportunities to specific participants — a chance of being featured in a LinkedIn Live Question and Answer session, for example, or a title honorary (“Supermember”)

If all else fails, promise them a tote.

Request feedback

Ask your members what they want to discuss. Ask them about their goals for the group and get feedback on how to make it better.

This is a great way to find out what topics of conversation will inspire and delight you.

Clarify expectations and guidelines

Be sure that everyone in your group knows what you expect of them.

If things do not go according to plan, you will be able to block or expel the member who has been in breach of expectations.

Now that you’re all set to start using LinkedIn groups, go ahead and group up! You can stay and read more about LinkedIn for Business. This is a great resource for you.

Hootsuite allows you to manage your LinkedIn page along with your other social media channels. You can share and schedule posts, including video. Engage your network and boost the best performing content.

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