LinkedIn groups: worth your time?

I have been a user of LinkedIn for many years… and started using groups in the late 2010s bringing together HR leaders when I was a senior executive search consultant. I have to say that I got good engagement at the time.

But now, are these groups really useful? Well with the explosion of social-media and SaaS, apps etc...now it's a different story ...

There are over 2 million active groups on LinkedIn , where professionals can network, share insights, and engage in industry-specific discussions.

Technology and Financial Services are two of the most active industries on LinkedIn.

Groups are often focused on professional development, industry trends, and job opportunities.

I have canvassed this week a number of groups and here is what I found:

In most groups, public or private, the level of engagement is minimal. There are not many discussions. I would even say, hardly any discussions.

Some professionals use those groups to market their products/services, and at times, it comes across like spamming.

However you can find good quality posts.

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?? In my opinion the benefit of using a group is that once you have joined a group ( public or private) you can message any person in that group for free, even if they are 2nd or 3rd connections. Isn't that cool?

However, there are no filters to sort out the members of a group, so you need to browse them one by one and when there are 2million people in one group, .... hello!! ?? it can be tedious.

But, some smart nerds have found a way to extract the members of any group in LinkedIn and give you even more details on them that they find on LinkedIn for each person.

If you want names of these apps, DM me GROUPEXTRACT.

Other than that, I do not find the features of LinkedIn groups very sexy… next week, I will discuss other Industry groups in Tech and Financial services that present many more interesting features, allowing great networking and getting access to insights, trends and work opportunities.

So how do you find a group on LinkedIn that will give you insights, trends and networking opportunities?

?? Here is an example for a Sales Director in Fintech searching relevant groups:

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He should identify the most active and valuable LinkedIn groups relevant to his role and industry.

This is what he needs to do:

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? Use LinkedIn Group Search function: search for relevant keywords, like “Fintech Sales”, “Sales Leadership Fintech”, “Financial Technology”, “Digital Payments” ( Or “SaaS”, “Crypto”, “Digital Banking”, “NeoBanks”…etc

? Filter for GROUPS. LinkedIn will show you only groups related to your search terms.

? Evaluate the group size and activity levels.

? For the size, search groups with a healthy number of members, between 5,000 to 50,000 members.

? For recent activity, check the group description to see if it mentions regular post and engagement. Scroll through recent posts to check how often discussions are posted and the number of likes, comments and responses …. ???? ???????????? ???????? ???????? ????????????' ?????????? ???????? ?? ???????? ?????? ?????????? ???? ????????????????????.? Groups with at least one post a day or several a week are the most active.

? Analyse the content and engagement, look for quality insights, trends, jobs, and avoid groups that are filled with self-promotion or spam.

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Regarding the engagement, I found that those groups are not great vehicles for discussions... you will find many more valuable discussions under the posts of qualified influencers in your field. For a Sales Director or Sales Manager, they should look for those influencers who post about sales trends and strategies on LinkedIn at least 4 times a week.

They tend to have over 100,000 followers.

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? Well managed groups tend to have moderators who will keep a certain level of quality and prevent spamming.

? Explore LinkedIn groups recommendations, based on your LinkedIn profile and activity.

? Check for peer recommendations. Ask your peers what they have found valuable.

? Try to find niche groups, that may offer better content.

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Here are 2 interesting LinkedIn groups for a Sales Director in Fintech:

Fintech& Digital Banking Innovation Group and The Sales Leadership Community

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I am sure you got the gist of it.?

You can also join groups in an industry you want to join to get insights, trends job postings and learn the jargon.

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Stay tuned ?? for the next week’s edition of my Newsletter where I will discuss other very interesting platforms with great features for networking opportunities and acquiring knowledge on trends, insights and jobs.

What has been your experience with LinkedIn groups so far??

?? If you need help with finding a group relevant to you or if you want to know how to extract in a spreadsheet the list of members of a group, or if you want tips on how to network effectively, DM me GROUP and we will start the discussion.

Until next time…

Warm regards,

Catherine Parson

Career Coach - Mentor - Talent Acquisition Consultant

My website: www.principleselection.com

For any career advice or personal branding ?? Book a free call with me

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