Linkedin for Business – 3 Reasons Your Small Business Should Consider Creating a Linkedin Group
Why should your business create a LinkedIn Group? There are over 41 million users on Linkedin, spread over 200 countries of the world. And estimates show that there is one new member ever second of every day. So clearly, your ideal customers are hanging out on Linkedin. Especially if you deal in the Business to Business market.
The problem is, your competition is there as well. Or, at least they will be soon. So, its easy for you to see, you need to be on Linkedin, just to be on a level playing field. Otherwise, you are clearly at a disadvantage.
But, who goes into business just to be equal? You want to stay one step ahead. What can you do to actually pass your competition? What can you do to differentiate yourself in your industry?
Enter Linkedin Groups! By providing an engaging group to your community, you are setting yourself apart from the rest of the crowd. It establishes you as an expert, drives traffic to your site, and helps to build a thriving community hooked on your business.
Here are 3 more reasons a Linked Group can be valuable to your business.
Positions You as a Thought Leader
As soon as someone visits your new group, they will see you as the owner. This instantly positions you as the expert in the topic of your group. Even as other contributors build content and your engagement grows, you will always be seen as the leader. In addition, because you are in control, your own site can be featured highly on your LinkedIn Group as one of the first things that new members see, further positioning your small business as the expert in your industry.
Builds Your Personal Network
As more and more people join and get engaged in your group, they will naturally want to be connected to the person they see as the thought leader. Groups are one of the fastest ways to build your personal network of like minded individuals and potential clients interested in your industry. And that network building effect is even greater when your name is mentioned as the owner of that specific LinkedIn Group.
Generate Leads
One of the main reasons you joined Linkedin, just like other networking sites or organizations, is to gaher leads for your business. Industry contacts and learning opportunities are great, but without a constant supply of leads, your business will not survive. And your small business will be out of your industry quickly. Many of the followers of your group, and your personal network are potential customers. And as they see you as the thought leader in your industry, they will naturally gravitate towards you as leads.
There are many benefits of joining a site like Linkedin. It is becoming a necessity for your business in today’s social media driven market. But creating a Linked Group or groups of your own can set you above and beyond your competition. Provided you nurture it correctly. It can help you with establishing your credibility, building your personal network and generating leads. In addition to many other benefits and sub benefits.
Your first course of action should be to join several LinkedIn Groups and watch how they operate. What do you like or not like about the group. Figure out what your favorites are and why. And then, get started.
I will putting together a free, short video, on how to create a Linkedin Group soon, so leave a comment below if you are interested and I will keep you updated.
Keep watching this blog for tips on growing your LinkedIn Group and engaging your community.
It’s your call; you can be one step behind your competition by not having a Linkedin account at all for your small business. You can “get in the game” by creating your account and profile. Or you can take it to the next level for your small business with a Linkedin Group.
Glen Kowalski is and Inbound Marketing Expert and the founder of BoostYourLeads Inbound Marketing in Panama. They provide internet marketing consulting services to small businesses in Panama, and throughout North America. Are you ready to ready to start using inbound marketing in your business to help you gather more leads and generate more profits?
Contact us today. And remember to download your free gift, blogging tips for business here.
