LinkedIn is the social hub for business professionals. The site now has over 45 million members in over 200 countries and territories around the world (LinkedIn Press). According to LinkedIn, a new member joins LinkedIn approximately every second, and executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members. If you are not familiar with LinkedIn, see the introductory video below.
LinkedIn links me to a vast number of qualified professionals and experts. While it is great to have tons of LinkedIn connections, another LinkedIn feature that I believe has been underexplored is the fact that you can join many LinkedIn groups. LinkedIn Groups is your destination to find and join communities of professionals based on common interest, experience, affiliation, and goals. Stay in touch with organizations, schools, and companies that you are and were a part of, network with professionals with similar interests and goals, and collaborate in a professional community online. In this post, I will sort through 30 top LinkedIn groups that allow great efficiency for all entrepreneurs, marketing professionals, and social media enthusiasts.
Category A – Top 10 Groups for Entrepreneurs/Business People
1. On Startups – The Community For Entrepreneurs (90,079 members) – On Startups is the biggest LinkedIn group for entrepreneurs and business owners.
2. TopLinked.com (60,747 members) – A networking group for LinkedIn Open Networkers (Lots of top connected LinkedIn business professionals are from this group.)
3. Startup Specialists (32,083 members) – A group for people who believe they are startup specialists and love the challenges of being with startups.
4. The Indus Entrepreneur, aka TiE (7,134 members) – Founded in Silicon Valley in 1992 by successful entrepreneurs and professionals with roots in the Indus region, TiE is spread over 48 chapters in 11 countries. Over 12,000 Members and 1,600 plus Charter Members – entrepreneurs, VCs, Private Equity, Angels, Law Firms, Tech & Mgt.professionals.
5. Linked Business Strategists (6,247 members) – A business network for professionals, exchanging knowledge and helping entrepreneurs and start ups find and evaluate the right strategies for their business worldwide.
6. Start-up Phase Forum (5,860 members) – A FREE community for the entrepreneur and small business owner in the start-up phase of starting their own business.
7. Linked Strategies (5,702 members) – Linked Strategies focuses on strategies for creating professional success on LinkedIn for entrepreneurs and business owners.
8. Band of Entrepreneurs (4,007 members) – A non-profit organization of, by and for entrepreneurs. It is formed to facilitate and accelerate the development of the entrepreneurial/startup ecosystem.
9. GoBigNetwork Startup Community (3,235 members) – A community for entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and others who have an interest in facilitating the rapid growth of startup companies.
10. Linked Business (2,847 members) – A business advisory group for small business owners, entrepreneurs, startup businesses, attorneys, accountants, marketing & PR professionals, etc.
Category B – Top 10 Groups for Marketing/Sales Professionals
1. eMarketing Association Network (148,264 members) – It’s the largest marketing group with 148,000+ members. It is managed by the eMarketing Association, and open to all professionals interested in Internet Marketing.
2. Innovative Marketing, PR, Sales, Word-of-Mouth & Buzz Innovators (60,225 members) – Innovate with innovative marketing, public relations, promotions sales & selling professionals skilled at using creative marketing methods. Organized by Gerald “Solutionman” Haman.
3. Media Professionals Worldwide (49,982 members) – Media & Entertainment group for media professionals from USA (America), Europe, Asia (China & India), Australia etc..
4. ThoseinMedia (48,410 members) – A group for Social, Online, & Broadcast Media, Ad Sales, Marketing, Buying/Planning, Interactive, Gaming, Print, TV, Radio, Mobile, Internet, Animation, Newspaper, PR, SEM, Paid & Organic Search, SEO, CPM, CPC, CPA, Analytics, Publishing, Ad Agency.
5. Inbound Marketers – For Marketing Professionals (35,261 members) – Online group for marketing professionals. A community for those looking to reach their best customers online through techniques like inbound marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) and social media.
6. ! Sales Best Practices (34,997 members) – Topics involved in this group include business strategy, sales development, productivity, trade performance, team management, marketing, etc.
7. Social Media Marketing (33,133 members) – A decent and very active social media marketing group on LinkedIn. It is intended for interactive advertising and marketing professionals who are actively engaged in social media and community-oriented websites.
8. True Wealth Marketing & Communication Group (23,903 members) – A great group for marketing and sales professionals
9. Digital Marketing (19,167 members) – A group for people who want to engage in debate and exchange information on best practice digital marketing. It’s ideally designed for Digital marketing, internet and e-commerce professionals.
10. SalesBlogcast.com (19,138 members) – Sales & Leadership Blog. Related topics include sales, leadership, management, marketing, CRM, recruiting, business development, selling tips, training, networking, etc.
Category C – Top 10 Groups for Social Media Enthusiasts
1. Facebook.com (18,745 members) – A LinkedIn group for Facebook fans
2. Web 2.0 (11,994 members) - Web 2.0 group is a network of professionals involved in the 2nd generation of web-based communities & hosted services, such as social-networking sites, wikis and folksonomies, which aim to facilitate collaboration and sharing between users.
3. Social Media Today (11,604 members) – A social media group for tech savvy people and Web 2.0 lovers
4. Twitter innovators Innovation & Creativity Network of Tweeters (11,302 members) – A LinkedIn group for Twitterers. Many members are experts on innovation or passionate about using creativity to Twitter. Exchange questions, ideas & advice.
5. Search Engine Strategies Conference & Expo (8,680 members) – Search Engine Strategies, the conference and expo series for search marketers (SEO & SEM), was launched in 1999. With events around the world SES has taught many thousands about paid and organic search, social media strategies and integrated marketing analytics. A good group to join if you are interested in search engine optimization.
6. Future Social Media (8,526 members) – The essential online meeting place for people captivated by the transformational power of social media marketing, buzz monitoring, social media metrics, Enterprise 2.0, collaboration technologies and Web 2.0.
7. Twitter Power for Business (4,770 members) – Based on the book Twitter Power written by Joel Comm. Another great LinkedIn group to join if you like Twitter.
8. Social Media Mafia (3,054 members) – Facilitate information exchange on issues that relate to creative business, social media, technology embracing, advertising, new-media skills training and industry related education.
9. Fans of Mashable (2,821 members) – One of my favorite blogs “Mashable.” This group attracts a variety of social media lovers.
10. Professional Bloggers (1,062 members) – A group founded by Darren Rowse, the owner of Problogger.net. It’s a group to discuss the business of blogging for entrepreneurial bloggers of all levels. Worth to check it out.
Note: All groups were ranked based on the number of group members as of 8/20/2009. The number may have changed over time.
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