Linkedin Groups: Moderators Field Guide
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The document provides tips and strategies for moderating LinkedIn groups. It discusses engaging new members, fostering community, enabling great discussions, finding and sharing content, celebrating member success, and growing the group. The document includes success stories from moderators and their advice.
Linkedin Groups: Moderators Field Guide
- 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Welcoming New Members Moderator: Otilia Otlacan Fostering Community Enabling Great Discussions Taking Part in Great Discussions Discovering Killer Content Starting Discussions with Content Moderator: Lee Buckler Celebrating Member Success 01 STEP 1: ENGAGE 03 04 05 STEP 2: ENABLE 07 08 09 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 Growing Your Group Keeping Your Group Rolling Mistakes to Avoid Moderator: Steven Bonacorsi Resources STEP 3: GROW
- 3. 01 l LinkedIn Groups INTRODUCTION Participating in LinkedIn Groups is rewarding for many professionals, and we know a successful group is often a direct reflection of the time, energy and effort of you, the people who manage them—the group moderators. While success at anything requires some work, moderating a LinkedIn Group shouldn’t be a burden. With this in mind, we’ve created this field guide to help surface dozens of expert insights, time-saving tips and perhaps lesser-known LinkedIn Groups features that we think will help moderators like you more easily engage and grow your groups today. We hope you keep this field guide by your side for quick reference and also consider joining our new LinkedIn Group for moderators to learn and share more. — LinkedIn Groups Team
- 5. 03 l LinkedIn Groups HELLO SEND A PRIVATE MESSAGE TO MAKE SURE YOU CONNECT Private messages are the most-read communication on LinkedIn. They’re a good way to send an etiquette guide to clue new members in on the tone and “unwritten rules” of the group. 1 2 3 GIVE THEM THEIR FIRST KUDOS Everyone wants their contributions to be valued. Try to share and show your support for new members by commenting on their initial posts. SAY “HELLO” The welcome email is a great opportunity to greet new members. You can personalize the template with an introduction, some features of the group and a “thank you” for joining. LAY DOWN THE LAW A clear, detailed set of guidelines will help new members get in on the conversation. Use the Group Rules to let them know what type of content and discussion your group encourages. INVITE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE RULES Posting the group rules in a discussion makes it more likely members will see them. You can also collect feedback to continue refining the rules as the group grows. LET THEM INTRODUCE THEMSELVES Try creating a separate discussion for introductions, it’ll provide the group with one destination for welcoming new folks. Top Pick WELCOMING NEW MEMBERS It’s easy to create a welcoming environment for your new members. Try a few of these quick tips to help ensure each new member has a great first experience:
- 6. MODERATOR SUCCESS STORY Otilia Otlacan Co-Founder at RightFit Media THE GROUP Ad Operations Professionals Group FOUNDED 2008 MEMBERS 12,500+ TIME SPENT MODERATING 45 min-1 hour per day ADVICE FOR GROUP OWNERS “Make sure that you communicate the group expectations and offer fresh content every day.” THE SECRET TO SUCCESS “We spend a lot of time and effort making sure members are relevant to the group. We are a really niche community and that brings people in.” ON WELCOMING NEW MEMBERS “People start talking and interacting if they receive the welcome email, which outlines guidelines, topics, etc. We stress that everyone should feel comfortable reaching out to the group if they have questions. ON KEEPING DISCUSSION ACTIVE “I try to identify conversations that sound interesting but have gone stale because they got buried under new content, or identify conversations that have a sense of urgency. I try to bring them up—stir them up a bit—then I answer myself or pull others into the conversation that can help answer the questions.” ONE MISTAKE TO AVOID “I realized I was afraid to be an aggressive moderator. When I decided to be more firm, it was welcome within the group and worked better.” 04 l LinkedIn Groups 1 2 3
- 7. 05 l LinkedIn Groups SEND A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER Once a week, you can send an announcement to all of your group’s members. Make it useful, not self-promotional; call out great discussions and link to news about the group’s members. SET UP THE VELVET ROPE Consider only allowing group members to post. A little privacy and exclusivity enhances the sense of community. And, it helps keep out spam. MAKE A VISUAL IMPRESSION LinkedIn members are 10x more likely to check out a group that has a logo. A good logo helps establish the group identity that keeps your members coming back. GO BEYOND LINKEDIN Try to encourage members to network in as many ways as they can. Create a dedicated discussion for members to exchange their profile info on other social media sites. MAKE A SPACE FOR CHATTER It’s helpful to create a discussion just for personal chat to help people connect and bond. Keep it contained to one space so everything else remains on-topic. LET MEMBERS FLY THE FLAG 20% of all group growth comes from traffic through member’s profiles. Make sure you allow members to share your logo on their profiles so they can show their loyalty. FOSTERING COMMUNITY Creating a group doesn’t automatically create a community too. Community forming can take some time, but these six tips can help accelerate your progress: 1 2 3 Top Pick
- 9. 07 l LinkedIn Groups 1 2 3 SHINE THE SPOTLIGHT You can highlight a discussion at the top of your group’s feed with the Manager’s Choice option. Change it up regularly so it’s fresh and relevant. CELEBRATE YOUR ALL-STARS When a member posts a useful article or an insightful comment, give them a public thumbs-up. It’ll give everyone an example to follow. LET THE CONVERSATION FLOW If your group is set up so that discussions require approval to be posted, try to keep the queue clear so you don’t bottleneck the discussion. TAKE IT TO THE WEB Don’t be shy about linking group discussions on other social media. It’ll help bring new voices into the conversation. ENABLING GREAT GROUP DISCUSSIONS People often join a group to get industry news and discuss trends with their peers. As a moderator, there’s several small things you can do to help encourage conversations: Top Pick
- 10. 08 l LinkedIn Groups 1 2 3 TAKING PART IN GREAT GROUP DISCUSSIONS There are a variety of ways you can keep your group talking, some of which might require you to get directly involved: DITCH THE GENERIC QUESTIONS Instead of, “what do you think?” ask, “do you agree with this point?” Specific questions are more likely to spark discussion than generic ones. STAY ON POINT You’ll get more quality comments on posts that are directly related to your group’s specific purpose. STAY IN THE MIX When you start a discussion, make sure to respond when people reply. Your members are more likely to jump in the conversation if it’s active. “We do a lot of Q A’s with industry experts. Then we have quite a lot of members whose work is relevant to the audience, and they share content with the group.” — Otilia Otlacan Ad Operations Professionals Group Moderator Top Pick
- 11. 09 l LinkedIn Groups 1 2 3 FINDING KILLER CONTENT Regularly sharing content is a simple way to add value and encourage group discussion. Here are just a few resources you can use to discover great stuff to share: INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC NEWS SITES AND BLOGS The more specific, the better. Many sites have an InShare button to let you instantly share to your group. If not, you can always copy and paste the link. GOOGLE ALERTS You can set Google Alerts for keyword topics relevant to your industry. You’ll get an email when news articles that match your alert are posted, so you can evaluate and share them. LINKEDIN PULSE There’s a whole lot of great content on LinkedIn Pulse if you customize it to work for you. Follow leaders in your industry and subscribe to relevant categories to make Pulse a go-to resource.
- 12. 1 2 3 STARTING DISCUSSIONS WITH CONTENT As you surface great content to share with your group, try some of these tactics—they may help you boost engagement and discussion: STIR THE POT You don’t want every post to start a riot, but the occasional controversial article can be great for getting members fired up and contributing. KEEP IT REAL It’s important to stay true to your group’s specific purpose. More generalized topics may dilute your mission statement and won’t inspire your members to insightful discussion. ADD A PERSONAL TOUCH It may seem easier to just click “share” and move on, but you’ll get a better response if you include a personal note when you share an article. What struck you as important about the article? What should your members think about as they read it? Top Pick10 l LinkedIn Groups “Be a little like the talk-show host. You want to be hard-nosed, opinionated, provocative. At the same time, you must be absolutely respectful of other people’s opinions.” — Lee Buckler Cell Therapy Group Moderator
- 13. MODERATOR SUCCESS STORY ADVICE FOR GROUP OWNERS “You want to be very protective of your member’s time, of their contributions. You want to make them feel like they’re somewhere safe, somewhere that’s useful.” THE SECRET TO SUCCESS “My commitment to active engagement with questions. Policing of off-topic or promotional content. I also screen every applicant.” ON WELCOMING NEW MEMBERS “I created a standing thread that’s an ‘introduce yourself or your company/ tech thread.’ It’s good to have a space for self-promotion.” ON KEEPING OUT SPAM “The best way to moderate spam is to moderate people. 99% of unwanted content comes from repeat offenders.” ON SPARKING DISCUSSION “Be a little like the talk-show host. You want to be hard-nosed, opinionated, provocative. At the same time, you must be absolutely respectful of other people’s opinions.” 11 l LinkedIn Groups 1 2 3 Lee Buckler VP of Business Development at Replicel THE GROUP Cell Therapy Industry Group FOUNDED 2008 MEMBERS 10,000+ TIME SPENT MODERATING: 45 minutes-1 hour a day
- 14. 1 2 3 CELEBRATING MEMBER SUCCESS Supporting your group members outside of the group is a very effective way to keep them engaged. Here’s a few easy ways you can recognize their accomplishments: WHAT’S NEW WITH YOU? If you follow your members on LinkedIn, you’ll get notifications when they change jobs, get promoted or have a work anniversary. You can congratulate them privately or include them in your weekly announcement. GET THE WORD OUT 97% of people writing posts and updates on LinkedIn belong to groups too. When a member writes or shares something new, post a discussion and throw them a link. Your members will appreciate the cross-promotion. THIS JUST IN… Newsle is a service that finds mentions of your contacts in the news. Once you connect your LinkedIn account to Newsle, check in regularly and don’t miss an opportunity to celebrate your newsworthy group members. Top Pick12 l LinkedIn Groups
- 16. 14 l LinkedIn Groups 1 2 3 THROW A (WEB-BASED) PARTY Open events can be a good way to promote as well. Your group can sponsor an online webinar or discussion to reach a wider audience. WHO ARE YOU, AGAIN? Make sure you only invite people who will want to join. If there are too many unaccepted invites associated with the group, LinkedIn could suspend your ability to send new invites. EXTEND AN INVITATION Start with your established network. You can directly invite LinkedIn members, provided you’re either directly connected with them or know their email. DON’T BE ANTI-SOCIAL You can reach a wider audience by sharing links to the best group conversations on other social networks. Definitely encourage your members to share as well. VISIT YOUR NEIGHBORS It’s acceptable to share valuable, unique content with similar groups. Just make sure such posts are permitted in their rules, and only share the best content from your group. EXPAND THE GUEST LIST If you have an existing email list, you can upload it to send Group Invites quickly. This may also help you identify connections you haven’t made yet. GROWING YOUR GROUP Building a great group is far more about the quality of your members, not the quantity. If, however, you’re looking for some smart ways to enrich your group’s discussion with new perspectives and opinions, here’s a few suggestions to consider: Top Pick
- 17. 15 l LinkedIn Groups 1 2 3 KEEPING YOUR GROUP ROLLING As your group grows in membership, what you can do with the group and how you operate it will evolve too. Here are just a few paths you may want to explore as your group thrives: GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP If you feel overwhelmed keeping your group spam-free and thriving, tap your all-star contributors to help moderate. They’ll feel more invested in the group’s growth, and you’ll get some of your free time back. BREAK IT DOWN As your discussion feed fills up, you’ll start to see certain topics over and over. Consider making a separate group for popular topics, so people can easily find the specific conversation they’re looking for. FILL UP ON CONTENT If you see an organization putting out content that your group would love—white papers, videos, articles, eBooks—you can approach them about posting directly to the group. TAKE IT OFFLINE Face-to-face meet-ups are a great way to strengthen your community. If you’re not into organizing an offline event, there are bound to be a few enthusiastic people in the group who can put it together with your blessing. BRING IN THE BIG GUNS Set your sights on thought leaders with network influence. Share their content in the group, then invite them to lead a discussion. “Certainly I’ve always believed in the power of flattery and acknowledgment. So I was overt in my appreciation of their contributions, both in person and in the forum itself.” — Lee Buckler Cell Therapy Group Moderator Top Pick
- 18. MISTAKES TO AVOID Even the best moderators make mistakes once in a while. Keep an eye out for these common mistakes that can hurt your group’s chances of success. 16 l LinkedIn Groups 1 2 3 DOING IT ALL YOURSELF If your group is growing quickly, moderating it may require a little more effort. Deputize managers and moderators to help keep discussions relevant and active. MODERATING TOO LIGHTLY We’d all like to avoid conflict. Sometimes, though, a moderator needs to confront, warn, and even ban members. Don’t hesitate to address members who violate your group rules. BEING TOO PROMOTIONAL It’s easy to think of your group as an audience to promote your business, but too much self-promotion will cause members to tune out. The bulk of your shared content should focus on what members want to read. LETTING THE GROUP STAGNATE Your community is a living ecosystem. It needs nourishment to continue to thrive. Make sure you’re keeping the Manager’s Choice updated, curating content, and posting in discussions at least weekly. DOMINATING THE DISCUSSION You definitely want to stay active in discussions, but not at the cost of members feeling shut out. Try to offer thought provoking questions in the comments that encourage continued on-topic conversation. LETTING SPAM TAKE OVER Spam is the top reason people leave groups. To cut down on spam, manually approve requests to join, then actively moderate posts from new members for the first week or so. Top Pick
- 19. MODERATOR SUCCESS STORY ADVICE FOR GROUP OWNERS “Know who the audience is that you’re trying to reach. What’s in it for them? You’ve got to know the purpose of your group, know the audience, and message them in a way that will hook them right away.” THE SECRET TO SUCCESS “The engagement is number one. You need to have good leadership. You have to show up. A group is a long-term investment to lead the team.” ON WELCOMING NEW MEMBERS “We send two messages. One is more focused on, ‘here’s how you use our group,’ the other is, ‘here’s a bunch of free stuff’.” ON FINDING QUALITY CONTENT “More than finding an article, it’s creating a relationship with content creators so they can post themselves. We have partnerships with 300 companies who we trust to provide valuable content.” ON KEEPING THE DISCUSSION GOING “You’ve got to be there to finish. You can’t start a handshake and walk away. Don’t leave the conversations hanging.” 17 l LinkedIn Groups 1 2 3 Steven Bonacorsi Lean Six Sigma Six Sigma Consultant THE GROUP Lean Six Sigma Group FOUNDED 2007 MEMBERS 325,000+ TIME SPENT MODERATING: 8+ hours/day
- 20. RESOURCES GENERAL Groups: Getting Started Group Management: Best Practices ENABLING GREAT GROUP DISCUSSIONS Stay up to date with LinkedIn Group discussions DISCOVERING VALUABLE CONTENT Influencer Content: LinkedIn Pulse Industry Content: Google Alerts News Release Content: Newsle Social Content: Buffer GROWING YOUR GROUP How to rule LinkedIn Groups 18 l LinkedIn Groups
- 21. We hope you found this field guide helpful. If you’re a Linkedin Group moderator with your own tips or advice — and would like to give us some feedback on this and future moderator materials, please click here.