8 Reasons You Should Start a Linkedin Discussion Group

Linkedin is more than just a social media channel to set up your profile and wait for someone to find you. Your profile is where prospects can go to learn more about you, AFTER they’ve connected with you and engaged with you, and want more information on how you can help them. That’s were a Linkedin discussion group comes in to play. It’s the perfect virtual networking opportunity for people to meet you, see you in action and get to know you, to determine if they want to know more. Here are 8 reasons to have your own Linkedin discussion group. 

Grow Your Brand. It’s a great way to get professionals to know your brand. Searches on Linkedin groups are chances that your brand will be found, if your discussion group IS your brand. Group managers are allowed to include logos and headings that advertise. It gets you, your product and your brand publicity. 

Demonstrate Your Expertise. Let’s say your sell automobile tires and you start a discussion group on tires and safety. Every time you post a discussion or respond to someone else’s, it’s your opportunity to demonstrate what you know about your subject matter. 

Attract Prospects. When you’re discussion group logo is found in searches or seen on the group list on someone’s profile, it could attract someone who may want to do business with you. I’ve created several groups and on numerous occasions, someone who joined my group ended up hiring me or purchasing my products or services. 

Grow Your Connections. After reading someone’s posts in your discussion group, you could instantly see that they were someone you truly want in your network. Being a member of your discussion group makes it incredibly easy to send them a connection invitation because you’ve already met. 

Follow Up to Networking Events. You return to your office after attending a networking event and send connection requests to those who gave you their business card. For the ones who accept and who may also be a prospect, you can invite them to your discussion group so they can learn more about you and your brand. 

Invite Your Connections to Join. Similar to the connections you meet at a local live networking event, anyone who sends you a connection request may be good candidates to invite in to your discussion group. Determine if you have a connection with them and invite them in using the easy-to-use invitation process. 

Get to Know Your Connections Better. Let’s say you’ve got a professional in your 500+ network who you can help or someone who can help you. Interacting with them in your discussion group gives you the opportunity to further investigate the possibilities that a business relationship with them might be possible. 

A Marketable Audience. Number 8 on this list is probably the best. As a discussion group manager, you can send a message directly to everyone in your group once a week. This means you can send a new product or service announcement directly to them, or an invitation to an event. There is the risk that some may feel that they are being sold to and will leave your group, but that’s the risk we take with any business communication.

Ten Things to do Immediately Following Publishing a Great Blog Post

I’ve stumbled on some really good blog posts and I’ve written a few myself. But no blogpost serves anyone well if it is not promoted on social media channels. To get found, you’ve got to get seen and not be waiting for Google search to stumble on your post. Here are 10 things to do immediately following every good blog post that you want to get read.

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1. After you write a great post, view it and copy it’s URL to your clipboard

2. Go to a Linkedin discussion group that you created for your niche

3. If you haven’t created a LI discussion group specifically for your niche, create one now

4. Click on DISCUSSIONS and start a discussion (title it so that people will WANT to comment)

5. Further describe your post and then paste the URL address to your blog post

6. If you still don’t have a discussion group, post your blog post in one your subscribe to

7. Go to the business Facebook page that you started for your business

8. If you don’t have one, create one now

9. Create a post with an attention getting heading that will tease your blog post

10. Paste the URL address of your blog post in the body of the Facebook post


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These tips are just for starters and I’m sure other professionals can offer others. Got an additional suggestion for using social media to get your blog post read? Post it in a comment here.

I Don't Know What to Write in My Blog!

Having a blog is required of anyone hoping to establish a presence on the Internet who considers themselves a mover and a shaker in their their field of expertise. This is especially true if they want to be considered an expert in their industry. One of the hardest things for many (this writer included) is trying to figure out what to write about when it comes time to putting together the next post.

To help those who struggle each time they pull up a new blank post, I came up with ten questions that any blog writer can ask themselves when they are struggling with coming up with content. Keep these questions handy and refer to them when you feel writer's block coming on.

1.  What do you consider yourself an expert in that you can write about in 300 words or less?

2.  What problem does your typical client deal with that you can provide a solution for?

3.  What recent incident occurred in your area of expertise that you could tell a story about?

4.  What product used in your industry, do you absolutely love (or hate) that you can talk about?

5.  What 5 tips can you offer someone that will help them grow their business?

6.  What industry book have your read lately that you could write a review on?

7.  Tell your readers about one particular huge success (or failure) that you experienced that they can learn from.

8.  Describe an incident you recently observed that could lead you into writing a post that would get read.

9.  Relate a news story that you saw recently that could lead you into writing a post that would teach something.

10.  What industry leader recently did something that is worth writing a post about?

Did these questions trigger any others for you that I can add to this list? Post a reply to share it with my readers, and thanks for reading.