As I write this article there are currently over 426,857 groups on Linkedin. So what is so important about Linkedin Groups? These groups can help you stay informed, keep in touch, & generate new opportunities with people that share your interests. Another way of putting it, Is that you have the opportunity to join target specific groups i.e. “industry related, interests driven, education background, etc…” allowing you to position your brand in front of your targeted audience at “no cost”.

I am going to take a moment to share a couple of secrets I have learned that have made my group participation worth while for my business.

Here are four secrets I have learned. I realize the first two are pretty basic, but the last two may be things you have not realized to do.

1. Post quality discussion topics in the group that are thought provoking. Keep this in mind, if possible post discussions that are driven by your own qualifying question you use in your business with prospects. From there you should know what to do with the responses.

2. Post quality answers and responses to post’s made by others. Be a resource to the group as often as you can. This drive’s continued brand awareness of you and what you do.

3. Create a signature that is short and sweet that you leave behind on every post or response. It should be your name, website, and 3-5 words of what you do. Save it to word or notepad so all you have to do is copy and paste. Be sure to put the http:// when you add your website, otherwise it will not be a link that people can click on.

4. Joining targeted groups enhances your options in “advanced search”. If you are looking for key contacts and you have joined specific groups that relate to what your business goals are, then you can use advanced search to only search the members of your groups. This is a major resource as you can truly find an endless source of leads, opportunities, and more through this strategy.

That is it for now, but I want to encourage you to take the time to think about utilizing Linkedin Groups to the fullest, for the success of your professional goals.

Here are three bonus resources I would like to mention:

~ Get your free copy of the Fast Start Guide to Linkedin Success: Grab it here
~ Join me on the Linked Strategies Group on Linkedin to access more tips. Join Here
~ Join us for one of our “Complimentary” Linkedin Power User Webinars every thursday at 4pm EST with Live Q&A: Count Me In Can’t make it? Register for the playback.

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So what makes a highly successful Linkedin member? Here is what I have discovered as not only habits, but also "secrets" of the treasure chest on Linkedin.

1. They invest their time strategically by putting fresh content on Linkedin when it’s the best time to do so. Let me explain, for me weekends are times to prepare Linkedin content, but as you will notice most collaboration does not take place on weekends. So hold the great Q/A’s, the awesome discussion topics, or the great status updates until Monday and never late Friday. Think about what your audience is doing and be strategic.

2. They use their status update to post something new every 24 to 48 hours and 80% of those updates include a link that gives a call to action. Such as signing up for your next webinar, promotions to visit your blog, or visiting your corporate website etc…

3. They answer target specific questions that are related to their target market. This is great exposure for your business that Linkedin Pros are doing everyday!

4. They change their Picture profile every two months. This creates dialogue and interaction with your network. This is another way to keep your brand in front of everyone. Pictures are worth a thousand _ _ _ _ _ (fill in the blank)

5. They answer every Linkedin email/inmail. Maybe not timely, but they never waste an opportunity!

6. They post their company events on the events application provided by Linkedin and use this as a way to measure interest and involvement for such things as conferences, webinars, or seminars.  The events application has only been recently used by Linkedin Elite, but many are beginning to wise up to its amazing potential.

7. These highly successful members have identified their target markets on Linkedin, their goals on Linkedin, and are executing their plan every single work day. Social Media can be measured, but most don’t understand how to begin measuring their Social Media efforts because they have never identified their goals for using the Linkedin space. Once you have identified your goals then you can build a measurable matrix to anaylize your efforts. I hope you enjoyed these highlights that will help in your Linkedin efforts.

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