5 Ways to Use LinkedIn Groups to Increase Sales

5 Ways to Use LinkedIn Groups to Increase Sales

LinkedIn is one of the most fantastic tools for getting your message out in front of people you didn’t know you didn’t know and for generating sales leads. Group access and member engagement is a mass marketing opportunity to get seen but one of the biggest mistakes professionals can make is using the groups to advertise, solicit or market their products and services directly.

To make the most out of discussions within LinkedIn Groups is to educate; talk about what is interesting to your target audience – i.e. what do they care about? There are five great ways to do this:

1. Create Polls – Polls in groups let you to ask members in the group a question and list up to 5 answer choices for members to vote on.  We recommend that you ask the question and then write “in comments please tell us why you feel this way” this will allow you to engage individually with professionals interested in your topic. Here is how to create a pole in a group – From the group’s discussions tab:
   1. Click Poll next to the Start a Discussion section.
   2. Type your question in the Ask a question box.
   3. Specify up to 5 answer choices box. Additional boxes will appear after you enter your first choice.

2. Create a Discussion – be sure to ask an engage question or talk about a relevant topic that will interest your prospects. Think about this from their perspective not yours. Get this right and you’ll start to generate sales leads sooner than you might think. You can start a discussion from your group’s discussions page.
   1. Click Groups at the top of your home page.
   2. Click the group’s name.
   3. Enter your topic or question in the “Start a discussion or share something with the group” box (required).
   4. Enter details in the “Add more details” box (required).
   5. Attach a link (optional).
   6. Click Share.

3. Share Your Blog – first it is important to have a blog that is educational and is not in any way promotional. It is also terrific to have calls to action at the bottom of each blog so that you can capture the information of your readers. You can share content first on your home page update: You can use the posting block near your photo towards the top of the page.

1. Click into the text box that says Share an update and  type in your remark.
2. Limited to 600 characters maximum.
3. To attach a link, type in the URL. Allow a few seconds for a summary to automatically display.
4. Select an option under Share with:
5. Select LinkedIn to show the update to everyone in your extended network, including your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree connections.
6. Select Connections to show the update to only your 1st degree connections.
7. Select LinkedIn + Twitter to have your update visible on both your LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. Note: Only the first 140 characters will be visible on Twitter.

4. By clicking  the Share link under your update you will be able to share it in groups. You’ll only be sharing the URL, so be sure to add a subject line and details. When you click the Share link under an update,      you’ll have the following options:

1. Click Share and then click post to groups.
2. Add you subject line and details.
3. Begin alphabetically and type “A” in Group(s) line.
4. Choose from the drop down under each letter. You may choose some or all of your groups – then hit share. You can send to individuals as well, just remember to unclick allow others to see each others’ names so that everyone is blind copied.

5. Getting your  poll, discussion or blog in the inbox of your prospects – This is key to attracting the right people to your message.  When you are in a group:

1. Click on Members Tab.
2. Filter your location, prospect title etc. in the Search bar on the right i.e. “CEO” AND “London”.
3. Then in the search list hover over the right side of each box and click send message:

Dear XXX,

Sales Accelerant has just posted a blog for Sales Leaders and I thought you might be interested. https://www.salesaccelerant.co.uk/more-customers-now-90-sales-lead-generation-ideas – Please let me know your feedback. Thank you in advance.

Kind Regards,

Duane Lacey

Please share your comments about our blog in the comments section below, thank you. Please also share any tips which have worked for you too.

Sales Accelerant specializes in sales lead generation. We also provide sales training, market research and sales consultancy services. If you would like more sales leads, more lead generation ideas, training or other related support, you can reach us on 01273 358170 or via info@salesaccelerant.co.uk