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Seven Behaviour Mistakes Made by LinkedIn Group Members
March 3, 2014 |Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Today I want to talk about behavior in the LinkedIn Groups. Specifically, I want to talk about the type of behavior that is not welcome.
Do Not Sell or Pitch to a Group or to Individuals
I don’t care if your company’s new product can be used as salad dressing, hair shampoo, and stain remover, yet only costs 99 cents a gallon. That’s not why I joined this LinkedIn group. People join groups for a variety of reasons, but no one joins a group to be sold to. Even if you discover the CEO of your largest prospect is a member of the group, resist the temptation. Instead, show the group your knowledge and skills through participation in discussions. Build your credibility within the group. I always suggest that prospective customers within a group should be approached “obliquely,” that is, only within context of the group. Credibility first, relationship second. Third, take the relationship beyond and outside the group. Now it is pitch time. Can’t wait that long? Too bad. You can have failure now or success later.
Don’t Stray Off Topic
Most LinkedIn group managers are too busy to monitor all the discussions taking place in their groups. Do them and everyone else a favor and don’t wander off topic. If you have something to say on another topic, start a new discussion.Don’t Post Promotions or Jobs in the Discussion Area
Yes, more people will see your promotion or job offer if you post it in the general discussion area, but most of those people will think you are either a) an idiot who can’t read directions or b) a jerk who thinks the group rules don’t apply to them. In general, being recognized as an idiot or a jerk is not a good way to build influence.
Don’t Flog a Dead Horse
Discussions can live on forever in LinkedIn groups, and occasionally I will receive a notification that someone has commented in a discussion that took place a year ago. If you come across a discussion that has died of natural causes, let it be. By all means read through the discussion thread, learn from it, and find interesting people who were involved in it, but if the crowd has moved on, so should you.
Don’t Post and Run
The basic idea is that if you start a conversation, stick around to guide it. And this includes posting an article and leaving. Starting an actual discussion shows that you are interested in adding value. Posting an article with a generic “this is interesting” introduction doesn’t help add value. If I want to read the news I will go to the Pulse section of LinkedIn.
Don’t Blather Inanely Just to Get Ranked as Top Contributor LinkedIn introduced this feature a couple of months ago. The top four contributors get their photos prominently placed at the top right of the group page. This has turned some LinkedIn group members into fame seekers (and there is a better word than “seekers” that I decided not to use). Don’t be one of these people. Make your comments count, don’t count your comments.Don’t Get Personal and Don’t Be NegativeThe members of a group will range from LinkedIn newbies to LinkedIn veterans, and the knowledge of the group’s area of interest will range from naive to expert. Be kind to those with lesser experience and knowledge that you possess, and be kinder still to people you disagree with.You are positioning yourself as a thoughtful, articulate, and insightful person in the group’s subject area. Your actions should support this goal. Bruce Johnston is a sales consultant specializing in social media and especially LinkedIn. He has over 25 years experience in high-tech sales and management. He can be reached at brucej@practicalsmm.com or through his profile on LinkedIn.