Visit the LinkedIn Tavern: Find the Right Groups for You

 Based on my 2011 LinkedIn User Survey, the LinkedIn feature most people selected as being the most helpful in their LinkedIn strategy was Groups. Not only was this the first time in the three years I have been conducting this survey that Advanced People Searching was not the winner, but this was the highest response rate to this question ever, with over 82% of the respondents picking this feature as most helpful. In previous surveys, Groups always held a spot somewhere in the top three. So clearly most people find this feature helpful. If you are not feeling the same way, you might want to reconsider your approach and usage.

Let me start by asking you this question:

"Would it be beneficial for you to know where the most connected people in your industry are hanging out? It is sort of like the corner tavern or neighborhood meeting spot. If you know where the action is in your neighborhood, you tend to go there in order to get caught up on what is going on, in hopes that the people you see and the information they share will help you.

That is what some of the groups (especially industry groups) feel like and even act like on LinkedIn. Follow these specific steps, and you will find your industry's most important watering holes or hangout spots:

Go to the top tool bar and click "Profile," then "View Profile."

Click your industry (mine is Furniture).

This should take you to the Advanced People Search screen and a list of your connections in your industry.

Again enter the name of your industry (Furniture) in the Keyword box on the top left. This is required by LinkedIn in order to move your search past your connections and into the entire LinkedIn database.

Change the "Sort by" on the top from "Relevance" to "Connections."

Click the blue Search box.

What you now have is a list of all the individuals in the entire LinkedIn world in your industry who also have that keyword somewhere in their profile. The person with the most connections is at the top of the list. In other words, you have a list of the most connected people in your industry (listed in order from most to least connected).

Now scroll down and look for individuals who look like they are even closer to your specific section of the industry. (For me, finding office furniture people is better than let's say residential furniture people). Once you find a good candidate, click on his/her profile and review the LinkedIn groups that person is a member of.

Make a list of the groups that you are not in but should be in and join them ASAP.

Repeat these steps for other secondary industries you may be involved in or (wink wink) what about industries your customers are in? (Don't tell anyone I told you this one--top secret!)

I hope this tip helps you figure out just where you should be hanging out (of course, I mean in LinkedIn groups).

I have designed a really helpful tool to assist you in finding the right LinkedIn groups. It is called LinkedIn Groups: Ca$h in on this powerful tool. Check it out in the Free Resources section of my website.

Wayne Breitbarth was once a skeptic and now is an outspoken proponent of LinkedIn, "LinkedIn Guru" Wayne Breitbarth is passionate about helping business professionals--from entry level to CEO--learn how to combine their previous experience and relationships with this innovative tool in order to more successfully brand and market themselves and their businesses. Wayne's diverse professional background uniquely positions him to assist not only individuals but corporate entities as well. With thirty years' experience in the areas of operations, finance, management, consulting, and business ownership, he is able to "put it all together" for his corporate and individual clients. In addition to his consulting work, Wayne is a dynamic speaker. His practical yet entertaining presentations have inspired audiences both locally, at many of Milwaukee's most prominent companies and organizations, and nationally, at conventions, industry association events, and corporate training sessions.