With just a few minutes of searching on LinkedIn, you can join some groups where you can be both a valuable resource and a contributor.

Have you ever walked up to someone at a networking event and had the person jump right into a sales pitch before you had the chance to finish your cucumber and salmon crostini? It’s not cool in the offline world, and the same rules apply online. 

You join these groups to interact and offer value. Business is generated organically as you get to know people better and they get to know you and learn about the products or services you offer. Go in looking to help people, and you won’t risk being the cheesy sales guy or gal who gets booted out of the group.

Here are some best practices for getting the most out of these groups:

• Steps to a Sale: To increase sales, try to become a valued member that people get used to and enjoy hearing from. Over time, people will ask questions or make comments that will offer an opportunity for you to potentially work with them.

• Take It Offline: If someone is interested in your products or services, send them a private message on LinkedIn, suggest a phone call, or offer to meet with them at a location of their choosing. Once out of the group conversation, you can feel a little more comfortable being in sales mode and seeing if it makes sense to do business together.

• Value-Added Content: The content that you share must bring value to your intended audience. If the content falls flat, you’re sunk. Nothing else will matter.

• Relevant Content: The content shared must relate to the theme of the group. For example, do not post “How to Perfect Your Golf Swing” in the Future Trends group.

• Established Group: Make sure the groups you contribute to are active and have a large enough audience to make it worth your time. As a reference, Future Trends has 229,000 members and multiple discussions are posted every day.

• Leave the Group: When you stop receiving value from a group, it’s okay to leave. Often, groups become spammy because they are not monitored properly. You should remove yourself from these groups so you can concentrate on the groups that will give you value.

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