Expand your search to 50 Groups, Events, and more.
LINKEDIN GROUPS
You can join, monitor, contribute to, and become a credible expert in up to 50 LinkedIn Groups. This is an enormous opportunity to extend your competitive surveillance and your influence.
Use keywords to search for individuals within each group. Additionally, you can send a direct message to any fellow group member (though other benefits, like viewing connections, are limited if you are not a Number 1 connection). Here are key tips to make your power sleuthing productive:
GROUP SELECTION STRATEGY
1. Select a range of groups/people you want to follow based on your search strategy. Consider these group topics:
- Geographic (national, regional, local – each will have a unique focus)
- Industry
- Affiliation (alumni, chambers, clubs, religious organizations, hobbies)
- Practice area / expertise
- Profit/Non-Profit
- Suppliers
- Thought leaders/ideas shared
- Classmates
- Customers/potential customers
- Competitors
- Interests
- Strategic partners
- Events and activities of interest
- Speaking opportunities
2. For additional suggestions, view groups your connections have joined.
3. Look for other groups in the Groups Directory section using keywords and categories. Go to Groups>Group Directory>Search Groups.
4. Start your own groups to further refine your group strategy. Go to Groups>Create A Group.
5. Some groups may post comments too frequently for your purpose. Turn off a group’s email notification in Settings (top right on Home Page under your account name)>Groups, Companies & Applications (bottom left under Profile) > Set the frequency of group digest mails (under Groups).
6. Follow Group discussions to gather data and to participate with you own content. Select a Group, select “Search”, then input keywords.
- For example, there is much to be learned by questions that are asked and the answers that are provided. Assess group Q&A to determine what would it take for you or your company to become a thought leader
- The frequency of questions and the intensity of answers can also be an effective method of identifying blog content.
7. Keep track of upcoming events. You’ll want to know what your competitors and vendors are planning and who is attending.
- Find the Event tab on the top menu under “More.” Go to More>Events and:
- Browse events by your connections, most popular
- Find network updates
- Search for an event in the same Events section using the “Find an Event” search box on the right side. Search by keyword.
OTHER TIPS
8. Follow other people’s reading list via Amazon Reading List (an app you can install). Discover what business and personal reading material is important to your key prospects.
9. Similarly, view what your key prospects or competitors are posting as articles, video, and presentations (found at box.net, another app you can install). Obviously, you have the same posting capability.
10. See who’s viewed your profile. See “Who’s Viewed Your Profile?” in the right hand column on your Home Page.
POWER TIP
Do an Advanced People Search to see what competitors come up ahead of you. Your aim, of course, is to be on top.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Becoming a detective with LinkedIn is easy. Infomation about people, companies and organizations you want to follow is in the public domain and easily found by using the process described above.
