It’s called social networking for a reason, and that’s because you have to, you know, interact with other people. I’ve used LinkedIn groups to gain very loyal followers, land new clients for my agency, and connect with professionals who ultimately enroll in one or more of my programs. We’ve talked about LinkedIn strategy before, and LinkedIn groups are no different. There’s a little strategy involved. So let’s jump in, with this LinkedIn groups tutorial!

Psst! If you prefer video, here you go.

LinkedIn Groups Tutorial: 4 Tips for Success

Step #1: You need to start by finding groups that have your target audience.

Because there are countless LinkedIn groups, one of the first mistakes I see professionals make is to join as many as they can and then spam the hell out of them.

Not only is that a really good way to get kicked out of these groups, but it’s also not going to do much to help you or anyone else.

And you probably don’t need me to remind you that LinkedIn is watching, and if they see you spamming, your account can get locked or suspended.

Instead, what you want to do is find groups where your target audience is hanging out. For example, I might seek out groups where people are trying to learn how to rank higher in Google. These are my people because I own a content agency, and we help brands rank higher in Google. So I can help these people.

Don’t go down the whole list and join all of them. That is spamming. We are trying to find the best environments for you so that you can form real relationships with people who are likely to become loyal fans and possibly paying clients.

This is about quality.

When you see a group you want to be a member of, you click the Request to Join button and wait for an admin to accept it.

Let’s keep going.

Step #2: Before you do anything, read the rules of each group.

Once you’re given access to a group, on the right side of the page, you’ll see a section that says “About this group.”

Read it, from top to bottom, because sometimes, the admin will put that group’s rules in that section. And if you break any of these rules, you can get kicked out.

One of the most common rules is no self-promotion.

Now I know what you might be thinking: What’s the point of joining a group if I can’t promote myself?

Here’s the thing: Promoting yourself isn’t going to get your followers anyway. Promoting yourself isn’t going to get you clients.

Solving people’s problems will.

I never post in a group, “Subscribe to my YouTube channel!” or “Enroll in my course.” I provide value. I offer information. I offer my guidance and help.

That is what gets people’s attention.

But how do you do that? Let’s cover that next.

Step #3: Consistently provide free value.

“But free value won’t make me money!”

Yes it will.

Nobody wants to be sold to, but everybody is shopping.

But you need to form a relationship with people first, because they’re not going to spend money on a stranger that they don’t know and trust.

You’re not going to give away all your secrets. You’re not going to tell them how to do everything, so that they won’t end up needing you anymore. That’s not what it’s about.

Instead, you’re going to give them little nuggets, little gems of wisdom, that will grab their attention, get them to listen to you, and help them get to know and trust you.

I might go in a group and post about how if you want your blogs to rank, then they need to satisfy user intent. And then I’ll spend a few sentences talking about what user intent is and why it matters.

If you need help creating valuable content, you might like this video.

Step #4: Engage with other people’s posts.

This is another huge step that I see professionals commonly skipping because they’re just… getting lazy. There I said it.

This isn’t all about you. In fact, it’s mostly not about you. It’s about them. Your audience. (This is normal!)

You need to spend time liking and commenting on other posts in the group that you’re active in. Remember what I said earlier: This is about forming relationships, and relationships are a two-way street.

You don’t need to spend hours on this. Set a timer for five to 10 minutes, and in that time, focus only on engaging with other posts.

Do not spam. Do not hit “like, like, like” all the way down the page. Do not leave pointless comments like, “Nice!” Be thoughtful. Be intentional. Be strategic and genuine and authentic.

The other members in the group will appreciate it, and LinkedIn will appreciate it.

Keep it real.

Building a business, landing clients, making money is ALL about building relationships, and you cannot fake this. You can’t fake relationships. You can’t rush relationships. There are no shortcuts.

I know because I’ve tried! I’ve looked for the shortcuts and I’ve tried the shortcuts and they don’t work. Learn from me, save yourself some time, and just do it the right way. You’ll be glad you did.

I’ve used LinkedIn to help scale my content agency and now I’m consistently earning more than $15,000 a month. If you want to know more about how I did, then you might be interested in my private program, Revenue Spark. Reach out and let’s see if you’re a good fit.