5 Steps to Starting a Group on LinkedIn

By Sean McVey

Have you ever dreamed of having your own LinkedIn group?  Now you can!

It’s no secret that Groups are one of the most popular features on LinkedIn.  And managing your own group can have several benefits for your firm, including:

• Thought leader positioning
• Website traffic generation
• Ability to send email marketing messages
• Lead generation

Getting a group started is fairly straightforward.  But to get the most from your group you must continually build the network and engage the community.  Below are five steps to start and manage a successful LinkedIn group.

1. Develop a Strategy – Before launching the group, decide what you are trying to accomplish.  Consider the following:

• Target Audiences – Who are you trying to attract?  Is this a general group or niche specific?  Should you open it to the public or make it invitation only?
• Goals – Is you goal to generate leads? Create a non-commercial educational community? Meet new connections? Become a thought leader?
• Topics – Having a focus is critical to building a community.  What types of discussions are you going to encourage?
• Measuring Success – How will you measure success? Size of the group? Number of conversations per week? New business?

2. Create a Description – Once you have your strategy nailed down, it’s time to set up the group.  While signed into LinkedIn, find the "Groups" navigation item and select "Create a Group."

LinkedIn will ask you to provide certain information such as a group name, description and logo.  Instead of naming the group after your company, consider choosing a name that highlights the educational topic area being discussed.  You don’t want potential group members thinking the discussions will all be about your products and services. 

When creating a group description, spell out what you are trying to accomplish with this community.  It’s helpful for potential members to have a bullet point list of benefits and topics.  Be clear about the type of demographics you want in to the group to encourage quality membership.

3. Build Up Membership – Like most social networks, the easiest way to grow a group is to build a foundation from your personal network.  Reach out to existing connections that fit your target audience criteria and invite them to join.  If ask other members of your firm do the same, your group should be able to hit 100 members with minimal effort.  Once the group reaches triple digit membership numbers, some organic discussion should begin to take place. 

4. Discuss and Moderate – The most challenging aspect of running a successful group is keeping it alive.  Many groups start with a bang—lively conversations and frequent commenting—but then fade within a month or so.  To encourage ongoing conversation that flourishes over time, you must proactively spark discussion on a weekly basis. 

At least once a week, post an engaging question in the group.  If others respond, do what you can to keep the conversation going as long as possible.  In addition, as other members post fresh discussions, be sure to reply with thoughtful comments.  Playing the moderator role is vital to producing activity, especially in the beginning stages of the group.

5. Continue to Promote – Once you’ve exhausted your personal connections, you must find other creative ways to promote your community.  Examples include:

• Include a link to the group in your email signature
• Design a call to action to join the group on your firm’s website
• Experiment with LinkedIn advertising
• Send out an email blast to your list and invite them to join
• Let your Facebook and Twitter networks know about the group
• Write a blog post referencing a hot topic being discussed in the community
• Announce the group at speaking engagements and webinars

Most popular LinkedIn groups go through a phase of heavy promotion.  If given enough attention, the group will eventually take off and maintain a life of its own.

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