Cracking the Linkedin Code: Guest

One of the biggest overlooked tools for businesses LinkedIn. I once posted a discussion in one group that was e-mailed to over 30,000 people twice. It didn’t cost me a dime.

This is going to be a two-part post. First, we are going laser in on getting the best exposure.

LinkedIn allows users to create groups to better facilitate more meaningful connections.

This includes professional groups like estate-planning attorneys, association groups like Booth MBA Grads, interest groups like dog owners, etc. This is important to note as you plan what kind of groups to join.

So what groups should you join?

1) Target joining five to seven groups

2) Each group should have 500 or more people

3) Groups should be active (at least 1 post a day)

Targeting the groups that you join:

1) Create a complete ideal client profile (include age, education, likes, dislikes, professions, hobbies, as much information as you can compile)

2) Find 1 peer group that has the most members

3) Search for 4 plus groups that match at least one component of your ideal client e.g. Estate Planning Attorneys that are part of firm with less than 15 attorneys

How to search:

>You will find a search box in the upper right corner of the page. This box has the option to search by group with the pull down tab.

>I’ve joined groups, now how do I dominate LinkedIn (in a polite way)?

>The main function of groups is discussions. You will see a box where you can add a discussion to the group. These steps will help you get results and fast.

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• Discussions should be relevant to the group. If you only post discussions that promote your business you will quickly be ignored.
• Comments drive discussion rankings. The more comments posted on a discussion lead to that discussion becoming the number one post. A great tip is to ask people you know in the group to add to your discussion.
• Comment on your discussion when people comment. The best thing you can do here is avoid just saying “thanks” and say something compelling or that promotes follow-up commenting.
• The discussion with the most recent and total comments gets emailed to the entire group. This is huge. Some groups have tens of thousands of members. If you get a few comments and you post responses to each, that is six total comments and usually enough to push you towards the top.
• Post on other peoples' discussions. Contributing will help people see you are active and that leads to more comments on your discussions.
• Avoid flat-out pitching. If you must, invite people to your blog, but do so sparingly. This is a place for information, not a sales pulpit.

>A good thing to know is about 80 percent of your discussions or more are never going to get commented on. This happens to the best of us and shouldn’t get you down. That is why you should post one new discussion per group per day (If you are in five groups that would be one discussion a day or about 5-10 minutes).

>Next week we will look at how to convert people that view your profiles into leads by creating an incredible profile.

>Jabez LeBret has authored three books and is a managing partner for Get Noticed Get Found. Over the last 9 years he has delivered over 700 keynote addresses in five countries. His main area of expertise is managing Gen Y in the workplace, advanced Facebook strategies, LinkedIn strategies, Google+, SEO, local directory optimization, and online marketing. He recently relocated to Chicago.