Do a quick Google search about using LinkedIn groups and you won't find much. Sure, there are a million results for using LinkedIn, but what about the actual groups? In this blog, I'll tell you how to find the group listings and how I am using them to grow my business and my network.
First of all, try finding a comprehensive directory of groups on the LinkedIn site and you'll be out of luck. You'll see several alumni groups and corporate groups, but the list pales in comparison to the actual number of groups available for your perusal. There are two great sites that I use to find groups: the LinkedIn Groups Directory (http://www.linkedingroupsdirectory.com) (it's in blog format) and the MyLinkGroup directory on the Dallas Blue Business Network (http://www.mylinkgroups.com). These are great places to start if you are looking to find groups to join.
One strategy that many people employ is to join every group that you can. To my knowledge, LinkedIn does not have any restrictions on applying to groups. Once you are in the groups, you have the advantage of being able to contact group members directly without having to burn an InMail or an Introduction. I personally don't have the time to request membership in thousands of groups, but I am a member of a large quantity and I do get many invitation requests from just being a member.
I personally manage two groups and am working on developing more. One of my groups is industry specific (Government Contracting Consortium - for professionals in the government contracting industry). Building an industry specific group puts you in contact with decision makers and the people that can refer you to them. Again, once someone is in your group, you have free access to them. Right now, LinkedIn's group functionality is still limited, so I'm building a website through Ning that allows me to host events, discussions, forums, other blogs, etc. Once my group size is large enough, I will send invitations for people to join my Government Contracting Consortium website which opens up the doors to people who are not on LinkedIn.
The other group that I manage is company specific (Abacus Solutions Group - for employees, business partners and prospective candidates of my company). During my daily recruiting calls, if I find a good candidate that I want to stay in touch with, I invite them to my company group as a potential candidate. Then when I begin looking for a specific skill set, I send out the job description to people in my company group for referrals. Yes, you could do this with your entire network, but this is a good way to brand your company, get its name out and reach out to people that have already expressed interest in future employment with you.
Know a different group directory? Use LinkedIn groups some other way? Please share your comments.
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