I did an interesting analysis of my 30 or so LinkedIn groups today. I had a proper look at the statistics for each including the number of members, level of activity, and location of the members. I established some very interesting things indeed. A good number of the groups are tiny and have very low activity. Equally, a good few, whilst they are large, have little or no UK members above 2%. Now, whilst that isn’t an issue in itself, I trade predominantly within the UK. I would therefore prefer the core of my sphere of influence to be within the UK. This set me thinking…….
I write a lot about lead generation and the importance of target market definition. Yet, had I recently applied that logic to LinkedIn groups? Had I become ‘socially’ lazy and tired of spreading myself too thinly as far as LinkedIn is concerned? I had joined the groups and periodically posted discussions or commented on them. But, to be honest, I’d got to saturation stage and had reduced the number of times I opened the emails and clicked through to comment or read the comments.
I am a big advocate of social media and our lead generation tips blog is testimony to my belief in the use of online and inbound marketing to supplement the outbound telemarketing we do for ourselves and our clients. I am a big believer that SME’s can produce content for online lead generation.However, have I really applied the same focused strategy that I recommend to my clients for their marketing to my own presence on LinkedIn? The answer was sad no. Cobblers shoes perhaps?That has already changed.
I have reduced the number of groups by 20% already with the resolve to become more involved in fewer groups henceforward. I have already posted on two of them today. Within minutes, one of my posts, which included a link to my blog, has been shared and I have had several comments on the other. We are all busy. We all know that LinkedIn is important (or at least I think it is). But do we all apply the same rigor to LinkedIn as we do to other aspects of our marketing? If not, here are a few tips to get you going.
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- Make a plan for your LinkedIn participation in terms of number of groups, frequency of participation, amount of time allocation, type of participation, and so on
- Research groups based on your areas of expertise, location, sector, and areas where you can showcase your knowledge and provide useful knowledge
- Join active groups with a good membership. It is quality not quantity but a bit of quantity has to help your exposure
- Think about relevant content for those groups that focus on your expertise, something topical, content you already have or commonly create, or something or something of general interest to the group
- Make sure your content has links but adds genuine value and is not just a blatant advert for your business
- Post and respond to comments but don’t overdo it so you become a bore or absorb too much of your valuable time
- Add a poll from time to time. This can provide content for future blogs or articles.
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The above is far from everything but it’s a start. In addition, I quite like these tips that I found online for making the most of LinkedIn Groups. If you’ve become a LinkedIn Junkie, maybe this is an opportunity to wean yourself off some of the groups that absorb your time and cost you money. If you’re a LinkedIn Virgin and are scared to get going, hopefully, this short blog will encourage you to get involved.
And if you’re like me, and you have become a bit LinkedIn jaded, this blog may give you the motivation to use LinkedIn Groups more strategically to help grow your network and thus your business. GSA is a London-based telemarketing agency with an office in Manchester. We offer telemarketing services and telemarketing training to ensure that you can hone your telemarketing techniques and deliver better results. If you’d like to know more or book a new business development strategy workshop and find out how GSA Business Development can help Generate Growth for your Business, by contacting us now on 0845 658 8192 or send us an email.
