Grow and Succeed Together With LinkedIn Groups

Now more than ever we are seeing the critical role that community plays as we navigate our lives. 

Professionals around the globe join LinkedIn Groups to extend their networks and connect with school classmates, company colleagues, alumni, or professionals who share common interests. 

As a group owner or manager, you play a pivotal role in the way people interact and feel supported by like-minded professionals.

Starting a LinkedIn group

Before you get started, ask yourself: 

• What is the purpose of this community?

• What type of members would benefit from this community?

• What types of conversations would get engagement?

Once you’ve evaluated your plan, search to see whether similar groups already exist. If you find one, join it and send a message to the current group admins to see how you can help.

Mikael Blaisdell, who has been running The Customer Success Forum group since 2009, encourages new group admins to evaluate the time and resource commitment it takes to manage and maintain a successful community. 

If you decide to start your own group, build an admin team by adding multiple managers so that you can share the responsibilities. With a group chat with your admin team, you can delegate responsibilities and keep each other in the loop on any changes.

Getting the conversation started 

You want your group members to feel like they belong right from the start. That’s why it’s important to start with a set of initiating members and then grow membership at a steady pace.  

Kick off the conversation with an introduction and icebreaker. Ask members what types of content and conversations they want to see so that the group stays relevant and valuable. 

Then when you’re ready to scale your group, you can: 

• Invite your 1st degree connections and allow members to invite theirs as well 

• Share the group publicly to your LinkedIn feed or privately via LinkedIn Messaging 

• Share the group URL in any other channels where you engage with potential members

Growing meaningful community engagement  

Especially in the early days, regular admin engagement is essential to building an active and engaged community. To set the culture you want to see: 

• Thank members for their contributions with a like or comment 

• Send private messages to members to follow-up on a specific topic  

• Recommend a member's post on a weekly basis to highlight their contribution   

Tsufit who has managed the Step into the Spotlight! group on LinkedIn since 2013 took the initiative to get to know her members well enough that she can @mention people into the conversation when others have questions. 

She also enforces her group rules so that posts stay focused on the conversations and topics that are relevant to her community. 

With the right purpose, plan, and people your LinkedIn group will become the go-to place for professionals to feel encouraged and supported in their career journeys. For a handy overview, also check out the LinkedIn Groups Best Practices Guide.