From my experience most LinkedIn users are not using the very useful ‘Groups‘ facility on the platform.
For your industry or your business community there is more than likely a group set up with like minded individuals who have already joined.
These could provide you with the opportunity to interact with like minded people, discuss topical issues, solve problems, demonstrate your expertise, get information or these could easily help you to identify useful connections for your business or organisation.
If you do a search right now…Dublin Chamber, Cork Chamber. UCD Alumni, Marketing professionals, Hospitality professionals in Ireland – you are likely to find a group that matches your search.
Groups will have a filter process for members depending on how they have been created – you will need to request to join or be invited to join by an existing member and an administrator somewhere will decide whether to let you in or not.
If it is a group for a membership organisation it is very likely that they will not grant you access unless you are a member.
When you create a group you have a number of options including:
- Name and description
- Industry types (up to 3)
- Stated rules for the group (how members should use and behave within the group)
- Whether the group is visible or not: you could for example make it a “closed” group for your organisation so it won’t appear on searches
- If you allow existing members to invite others to join
- Approval setting for posts within the group.
New Feature: Messaging
The functionality is always changing so how you can use them is always changing. For example LinkedIn have just now given members within groups the ability to send a message to other members, without being connected to them (and without having the paid version of the platform).
These messages will come into you just like a normal message on LinkedIn.
So…look for a group today that could work for you and your business, click that ‘Join’ button and off you go!
Or…maybe you could be the one to create that group?
What are you waiting for?!!
Greg
