Connect Through LinkedIn Groups
Are you a member of any groups on LinkedIn? Are you an ACTIVE member?
I enjoy joining in the discussions but I am beginning to learn some of the added benefits of participating in groups. At a recent blogging meet-up, one of the members said that you should join groups that are deep and wide.
We asked what he meant and he said:
"Join all of the groups that are geographically near your home office. This way you can connect with people in your area and participate in meet-ups to build your network. That's the deep – it is narrow in focus (your town) and deep in categories. Then join groups that are in your industry. Those are the wide groups – wide across the globe but narrow in topic."
I was already a member of groups that focus on Customer Service, Retailing and Franchising so I came back to my office and looked for groups in my town.
A new group had just been started locally in Hudson – a suburb of Cleveland. The administrator of the group emailed me and we met for coffee. It was a great learning experience. Then he challenged the group to grow to 100 members and we'd have a meet-up. That happened last month. Almost 200 gathered at a local banquet hall for the purpose of networking but it also turned into a fund raiser for Haiti. I made several new connections which have been beneficial for my business.
If there isn't a group in your town, consider starting one. Check out these 8 Tips for Managing LinkedIn Groups from Mashable.