Never Ask “Add Me To Your Network” in a LinkedIn Group Discussion
Written by Jorge Olson of Negro Energy Drink
Group Discussions on LinkedIn.com are some of the most important strategies you can use on the internet. You have access to 30 million high end executives all in one place. With groups you can communicate and interact with hundreds of thousands of them at the same time.
Why would you want to waist your opportunity to make a first impression with “please add me to your network?” Is that the best you can do? Is that the most value you can add to the network? I know! You want to add thousands of people to your network and don’t know what to do and this looked like a quick and easy way to add a few more contacts.
Don’t do it! It only shows you are not a seasoned networker and looks amateur.
Remember you can participate in 50 total groups on LinkedIn.com. You can join 50 in total or choose to start your own. If you start your own you can start a total of 10 groups.
This means your discussion posts will have a lot of visibility and go to many people. LinkedIn mails discussion to group members daily or weekly. Imagine if you have 50 groups with an average membership of 10,000 people. Your discussion could go to 500,000 people… WOW!
So what can you do on group discussions to add more people to your network? The answer is: “Be Unselfish”. Think of what others would like to hear, to read or to learn about. If you are unselfish and think of others in your post you will always get great response. Write something of value. Write an article, a story, a joke or something that will help others in some way. At the bottom of your great post invite people to join your network. One good post can add hundreds of people to your network, not to mention spark a discussion that might get attention and plenty of responses and give you even more attention as an expert in your field.
