Just five months after celebrating it’s third birthday and 6,600 members, the business networking group, LinkedUp Grand Rapids, surpassed 8,000 members—that’s 1,400 new members in five months! LinkedUp Grand Rapids continues to be the largest Michigan based business networking group on LinkedIn.
How did I grow LinkedUp Grand Rapids to over 8,000 members? First and foremost, it's about people. Just because LinkedIn is focused on business, don't forget the personal touch. At least part of the success of LinkedUp Grand Rapids is due to the fact that I try to make it personal. Even if I've not met someone face to face, people feel like they know me because I've taken the extra time to send a personal note or make a comment that let's people know I'm paying attention. I've tried to inspire loyalty and confidence by taking the extra time to acknowledge individuals. I think some groups have a herd mentality. It's as simple as actually using someone's name in correspondence. Instead of Dear New Group Member, Dear Tom or Claire means so much more.
Here are five things that I've done that might help you grow your group:
- A well defined group—geography, industry, profession, etc. LinkedUp Grand Rapids is geographically defined. The only criteria for membership is that the person must live and/or work on a full-time basis in the Greater Grand Rapids / West Michigan region (Lansing to the Lakeshore, and south to Kalamazoo). The value this creates is that everyone in the group is a business professional from the area who knows the economy and the culture, and they have a vested interested in the community--they pay taxes! They are physically able to participate in face-to-face networking events that are critical in building trusted business relationships. And, they can participate in events designed to give back to the community.
- Acknowledge and follow up requests to join, questions, and concerns—within a reasonable amount of time. Early on in the development of the group, I determined that I would respond to every request to join the group. Initially I created a standard response that I would cut and paste for requests to join that were accepted and another one for those that were rejected. Later I customized the templates provided by LinkedIn. Many people have expressed gratitude for the welcome message they received upon joining the group. As the group has grown, the requests to join from people outside the area have increased--some from individuals who have moved away and from others who simply want to exploit the group for their own profit or gain. Even those who have been rejected respond positively when I take the time to explain why.
- Hold regular meet up opportunities, but not too frequent. It's critical in building trusted business relationships that we have opportunities to meet in real life (IRL). While social media has given us the opportunity to connect and network faster and with more people, we still tend to do business with people we have met IRL. In an effort to keep things interesting and relevant, I have purposely spaced out the group's meet up events. It allows for more planning and keeps the events from getting too routine. The value this provides is relevant events that attract more participants giving attendees the opportunity to network with more people.
- Keep discussions focused on questions and topics relevant to the group—free of spam and self promotion. From the very beginning I have monitored the discussion section of the group in an effort to keep it free of spam and self promotion. Topics posted in the discussion section should be interesting, relevant, and helpful. Basically questions and topics to which members of the group can respond. The value this creates is a rich source of information that will benefit group members. It also provides an opportunity for group members to establish themselves as a resource or as a subject matter expert in their given field.
- Be a resource to group members—take your role as group owner/manager seriously. Recent survey results show that nearly 80% of people depend on their network of connections for recommendations. Group members will seek you out for help in connecting with other members. By facilitating these connections you will help members grow their professional network and their business.
These are just five of the things I've done to help grow the LinkedUp Grand Rapids group. There are more including things like having an up-to-date profile picture to help people identify you. You can read more about that in my previous post HERE.
That's My2Cents. Now it's your turn. Do you have a group on LinkedIn? What do you do to help your group grow and provide value?
That's My2Cents. Now it's your turn. Do you have a group on LinkedIn? What do you do to help your group grow and provide value?
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