LinkedIn Groups can be a great source of new subscribers for your blog or email list. But, most Group owners/managers miss this one key place to encourage new subscribers…

[NOTE: this is an evergreen tactic. I checked the steps in March 2015 and they are still correct. ~ Denise]

The last time you joined a LinkedIn group, what happened? Most likely you received a generic welcome email.

While this looks nice, it doesn’t provide much information and there’s nothing personal about it. I don’t even know who the Group owner is. And, it’s a missed opportunity.

I believe most group owners don’t realize they can customize the default welcome message. This is where you want to warmly welcome your new member and invite them to visit your blog AND get a free report, videos, white paper, your newsletter, etc., by joining your list. About 25% of the members who join my Online Visibility Boost group, click through the link on the welcome message they receive and get my free Visibility Boost Tips.

Isn’t that message from the Linked Strategies group warmer and more welcoming?

How do you customize the Welcome Message?

1. Click on the Manage Tab at the top of your Group page.

2. Click on Templates in the left sidebar

3. Click on Create/Edit Template next to Welcome Message.

If you have a private group and manually accept members vs. letting people join automatically, you can also create custom messages for people who request to join your group, people you decline, and block.

Pretty simple, right? Here’s the custom message I send to those who join my group:

Remember: always add a call to action in your welcome message. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. 🙂

Now, to give credit where credit is due, I learned this tip from Lewis Howes when I studied his program Linked Influence. Seems so obvious, right? Yet since I’ve been actively joining and particpating in LinkedIn groups, I’ve only received a couple of custom welcome messages that included links and a call to action. You can take the lead in your niche, stand out from your competitors and build your list if you implement this one tactic today.

Click to Tweet this Tip> Build your list by customizing your LinkedIn Group welcome message.

If you own/manage a LinkedIn Group, do you customize your welcome message? What information do you include?

The post List Building Tip – Most LinkedIn Group Owners Miss This appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

Recently I started using LinkedIn with a lot more intention. Working through the LinkedInfluence course, I learned quite a few important LinkedIn tips. Rather than simply adding new connections and giving occassional recommendations, I decided to really use it. The most effective thing I did was start a LinkedIn group for people who wanted to boost their online visibility. I also optimized my profile for sending new traffic and prospects back to my blog.

The Adventures in Visibility Group is extremely active with over 1600 members at the time of writing this post. It’s a generous group, sharing tips, resources, and helping each other. Most importantly, though, we actively share each other’s content to help boost visibility.

My co-faculty member at Social Media Biz School, Viveka Van Rosen is a LinkedIn expert. She travels all over the U.S. doing social media seminars with a particular emphasis on LinkedIn. Below, she shares one of her important LinkedIn tips…

LinkedIn Tips from Viveka von Rosen

Viveka recommends using LinkedIn Groups to connect to potential clients. Some of the groups to consider are:

• Jobs (with 640000+ members)
• Toplinked
• LinkedStrategies (Top LinkedIn Strategies Group on LinkedIn)
• LinkChat (LinkedIn group associated with the #LinkedInChat)
• Groups related to your industry
• Groups related to your client’s industry
• Alumni groups
• Local groups

To find groups simply click on the groups tab in the middle of the page, then click on the “Groups Directory.” Finally, start typing in the keywords, location, group name or company group you are looking for.  Then click on Join and start exploring!

Remember, you can only join 50 groups but you can always delete groups and join others.

Viveka von Rosen is a nationally renowned LinkedIn speaker, trainer and consultant, working with business professionals sharing the secrets and strategies of using LinkedIn effectively.  She helps clients create a more powerful presence on LinkedIn, grow a truly useful network, and build connection and relationship strategies unique to their company culture. As an early adopter of social media, she learned through her own experience how to create powerful social presences and engaging networks! Host of the weekly #LinkedInChat on Twitter, and co-moderator of LinkedStrategies, the largest LinkedIn strategy group on LinkedIn, she is constantly learning, sharing and transferring social media skills and strategies to her tribe.

Got some hot LinkedIn tips? Share them in the comments below!

The post LinkedIn Tips – Use Groups to Connect with Potential Clients appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.