LinkedIn Groups for Media/Marketing Professionals

I’ve written a blog post last year titled “30 Top LinkedIn Groups for Entrepreneurs, eMarketers, and Social Media Enthusiasts.” The post has been received favorably by WebStudio13 readers.  As a result, I decide to create another list for all media/marketing professionals.  This list contains 30 groups, ranked according to the size of their current membership.  The goal of this list is to greatly facilitate your effort and enhance your efficiency when it comes to searching and selecting similar groups on LinkedIn.  In other words, this list serves as a directory for all media and marketing professionals.

If you are not familiar with LinkedIn, watch this video first.

1. eMarketing Association Network (202,892) - Largest and most active Marketing Group with 202,000+ members. Managed by the eMarketing Association.

2. Innovative Marketing, PR, Sales, Word-of-Mouth & Buzz Innovators (79,419) - Innovate with innovative marketing, public relations, promotions sales & selling professionals skilled at using creative marketing methods.

3. Media Professionals Worldwide (67,149) - Media & Entertainment group for media professionals from USA (America), Europe, Asia (China & India), Australia etc.

4. ThoseinMedia (60,435) - 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. Social Media Marketing (53,387) – This is the LARGEST and most active social media group on LinkedIn.com. It is intended for interactive advertising, marketing and other professionals who are actively engaged in social media and community-oriented websites.

6. Online Advertising Professionals (49,987) - Online Advertising Professionals forum for discussing ideas, exchanging information.

7. Inbound Marketers – For Marketing Professionals (40,777) - 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.

8. eOffice (39,127) – Join if you are interested in the latest trends in design, technology, workplace environments, worklife balance. eOffice offers state-of-the-art flexible office space, meeting, conference rooms, virtual offices in London and worldwide, via its eNetwork.

9. Digital Marketing (30,311) - 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. Marketing & Communication Network (28,767) – A great group for marketing and sales professionals.

11. Advertising Professional (26,356) – For Professionals who work in Advertising Market.

12. Facebook.com (22,503) – A LinkedIn group for Facebook fans.

13. Google Group (22,305) - This group is for people who use Google as their primary search engine.

14. E-Commerce Network (19,625) - For people who are interested in E-Commence and its future trend.

15. Public Relations and Communications Professionals (19,585) – A group of Public Relations and Communications Professionals dedicated to increasing networking and business opportunities for its members.

16. Women 2.0 (18,690) - Networking women in entrepreneurship, business, and technology.

17. Social Media Today (17,512) – A social media group for tech savvy people and Web 2.0 lovers.

18. Marketing Communication (17,399) - A group designed for people interested in marketing and communications.

19. Creative Design Pros (17,383) – A design community that boasts a cross section of creative pros in fashion, industrial, advertising, web design, etc.

20. Web 2.0 (16,062) - 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.

21. Animation, Media & Entertainment (15,227) - Enable networking & information sharing opportunities for professionals in the animation, gaming, cinema, television and all other formats of media & entertainment businesses.

22. Advertising Professionals (14,562) - This is a group for advertising professionals of the world.

23. Future Social Media (13,522) - The essential online meeting place for people captivated by the transformational power of social media.

24. Technology Marketing Community (12,850) - This is a group for marketing professionals working in high-tech industries to build a network that connects people, opportunities, and ideas.

25. Twitter innovators Innovation & Creativity Network of Tweeters (12,132) - A LinkedIn group for Twitterers.  Many members are experts on innovation or passionate about using creativity to Twitter. Exchange questions, ideas & advice.

26. Sports Marketing 2.0 (10,457) – This group is an international, digital think-tank for sports marketers in the Web 2.0 world.

27. Search Engine Strategies Conference & Expo (10,090) - 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.

28. Search Engine Land (9,798) – A home for Search Engine Land readers on LinkedIn.

29. Search Marketing Salon (7,223) - Search Marketing Salon is a global network of Search Engine Marketers. It’s open to anyone who is obsessed about increasing search engine rankings, driving targeted traffic and maximizing revenue through paid search (PPC), search engine optimization (SEO), or Web 2.0 Marketing (and social SEO).

30. Twitter Power for Business (5,761) - Based on the book Twitter Power written by Joel Comm.  Another great LinkedIn group to join if you like Twitter.

Note: All groups were ranked based on the number of group members as of 1/16/2010. The number may have changed over time.

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10 Ways to Find Local Business Events

If you have a small business, you’ve probably realized the importance of networking with other business owners.  Networking is the key to success.  I think attending quality networking events on a weekly basis can benefit business owners in the following areas:

• Build up their business contacts
• Share and receive ideas to improve their business strategy
• Practice their business pitches
• Stay in the loop of what’s happening in the local business community
• Learn marketing & sales techniques at local seminars or workshops

Due to these reasons, I founded a local business networking group called NY Entrepreneurs Business Network in May, 2009.  Having organized nearly 30 events, now we are marching towards 3,000 members mark.  My advice for business owners is to find quality business events and network at least once a week.  There are 10 wonderful event-finding resources I would like to share so you are equipped with the right tools.

1. Meetup

Meetup is the world’s largest network of local networking groups.  The idea is to use the internet to organize local community groups with local offline meetings.  Tim O’Reilly, in a Forbes.com post, points to Meetups when he’s citing examples of ways people are using “creativity and collaboration to address challenges facing our country and the world”  Here is a list of the best Meetup groups that I’ve discovered.

2. LinkedIn

There are no other sites that can draw a parallel with LinkedIn when it comes to building professional networks.  LinkedIn is very business oriented. There are a handful of articles on my blog that have already covered handy tips on using LinkedIn. There are two ways you can get updates on LinkedIn events:

• I. Join a LinkedIn business group (local) and opt in its mailing list.  This way, you will receive event notifications every time a member posts a new local event within your group. Here is a good list of LinkedIn groups for business people.
• II. Search for events directly via the Event page on LinkedIn. LinkedIn site allows you to define your search terms by yourself, such as search by topics, locations, etc.

3. Facebook

Facebook is still the king among all social networking sites worldwide.  Chances are good you have been invited many times to different types of events by your Facebook friends.  On Facebook, you can find what events your friends are up to, search for events according to your needs, or create your own events.  Some people also use Facebook ads to promote their own events or networking groups.

4. Chamber of Commerce

Your local Chamber of Commerce should be one of the major resources for finding local business events.  The events posted on the commerce site are generally good in terms of quality.  Choose the events at your discretion.  To take a look at the events listed on the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, click here.

5. Craigslist

Craigslist has become a common marketplace for people who want to exchange information freely.  It’s the #1 classified website worldwide.  You are bound to find a variety of events if you check out local events classified section.  The only drawback with Craigslist is its overwhelming number of events.  Remember, anyone can post events on Craigslist.  It’s up to you to choose the events in the high quality bracket.

6. Twitter

If you are familiar with Twitter, you probably already know what I am going to cover here. Using Twitter search is a great way to help you find local business events.  For example, for a New Yorker, he/she can define the search criteria in the following ways

• “NYC Networking”
• “NYC Events”
• “Business Events + NYC”
• “Events + New York”

Of course, there are other combinations you can choose to define your search.  Since Twitter search is real time, you are guaranteed to get the most up-to-date event notifications in your local area.

7. BNI

The mission of BNI is to help members increase their business through a structured, positive, and professional “word-of-mouth” program that enables them to develop long-term, meaningful relationships with quality business professionals.  You can find a BNI chapter in your local area and start attending their events.

8. Yelp

Yelp is a popular Web 2.0 site where people can rate and write reviews for different venues in their own city.  The Yelp site is also designed to connect business people with great local events.  Just go to the site and click on the “Event” tab, and you are there!

9. Eventful

Eventful is the leading events website which enables its community of users to discover, promote, share and create events. Eventful’s community of users select from nearly 4 million events taking place in local markets throughout the world.  Eventful is another great site to find quality business events.

10. Local Business News Sites

A simple Google search can reveal a variety of local business news sites.  Most of these sites have complete local event listings.  One good example is “Crain’s New York Business.”  Not only does it bring you the continuous coverage of local business news in New York, it’s also a great resource for local events on key areas such as financial services, health care, real estate, small business and many more. Check out the event listings on Crain’s New York Business

.

Summary

This has been our complete event-finding guide for business savvy people. Is your favorite on our list?  Feel free to share with us what you’ve got.  Meanwhile, you can get our free membership at NY Entrepreneurs Business Network if you are interested in attending business networking events in NY Metro area.  Click here to read what our members say about this group.

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LinkedIn Jobs

I’d like to spend a few minutes today going over a simple LinkedIn job search tip that I noticed some people are doing – when in actuality every single person should be doing, but isn’t.  It increases your relevance to the company you’re interested in and increases your chances of scoring an interview dramatically.

Combing through the various job boards is extremely tiring, time consuming and a job by itself. But if you want to be thorough and maximize your chances of finding a job, it’s a must-do.  When I refer to executive search, I’m not referring to finding an executive job.  Instead, I’m referring to the level of dedication and time required that one needs to invest in order to find a job in this difficult economic environment.

When you’re looking at jobs online and find jobs relevant to you, you should mentally be classifying the jobs in one of these categories:

1) First tier company (dream job);

2) Second tier company (would be happy with the job);

3) Third tier company (not interested, but would consider);

4) Any other company (I have bills to pay…)

Applying for jobs is purely a numbers game – the more jobs you apply, the higher the chances you’ll earn interviews.  Some people may say it’s about quality, but everyone I know who literally applies to hundreds of jobs a week has been getting interviews on a consistent basis.  Depending on your time, I recommend that you separate First Tier jobs from the rest of the other jobs and take a different approach applying for these jobs in particular.  Login to LinkedIn, and in the search box, [Search by People] for the Company you’re applying for.  I’m going to use Microsoft in this example.

A List of Contacts

You’ll notice that you can refine your search on the left, by Company and Relationship. We recommend messaging people and asking them whether they have any information on the posting, know anyone in the particular division, can provide a HR contact or better yet, submit your resume directly to HR with a recommendation.

You’ll soon realize that you can’t message everyone!  LinkedIn has a special feature called ‘InMail,’ which will end up costing you an arm and leg if you do it on a frequent basis.  However, if you have a shared connection with that person, you can usually message the shared connection without cost and ask for the direct person’s contact information or to give you an introduction.

You’ll be surprised at how successful this technique works.   Is it time consuming? YES – EXTREMELY! – That’s why we only recommend doing it for your first-tier jobs.  I personally receive a dozen or so requests a day on LinkedIn.  Although I don’t respond to all of them, I’m usually happy to pass along the information to a friend or colleague.

For the JobConcierge members, you’ll receive a list of jobs each week that your assigned HR professional found. Search&Apply members have the luxury of having JobConcierge apply to those jobs for them as well.  We recommend that you apply to First Tier jobs yourself and let your JobConcierge apply to the rest for you.  You’ll save at least a dozen hours each week and also increase your odds by working your LinkedIn connections. Good luck with your job search.

About the Author: Jason Lee is the CEO at JobConcierge. JobConcierge is a human-powered executive job search service where real people search through over 300 job boards to find you exactly the right job and submit your applications. JobConcierge also has a variety of free resources including a comprehensive local job fairs list, best niche job boards online, and a collection of the best job search advice online. You can sign up for the free trial here.

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Are You Linked?

LinkedIn has become a major resource for majority of business people who want to develop their professional networks online. On Oct. 14th, 2009, the LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner announced on the LinkedIn blog that the site has reached 50 million members, and it’s roughly growing one member per second (LinkedIn Blog).  So what is LinkedIn?  For those of you who want to learn more about the basics, you can refer to this article that I wrote a while ago. The following content will help you build a professional image on LinkedIn. You can also find tons of built-in resources and links with which you can further enhance your knowledge about this site.

Why do you need a network?

That’s the question being asked by lots of business people today. My answer is that collaboration allows you to accomplish more. LinkedIn is a perfect example. According to the CEO Jeff Weiner, when LinkedIn was first started back in 2002, it took the company 16 months to gain its first million members. But today, LinkedIn gained its last 1 million members within the 12 days.  This is how the term “Network” works in the social media context, which is precisely why we all should develop our own networks.  Simply put, a network makes it easier when it comes to marketing and promotions.  Isn’t that why Seth Godinwrote the book “Tribe?“

How do you enhance your personal brand?

LinkedIn has its own mechanism to help us develop our own brand. I still remember the old days when I used to find a job.  I had to put the line at the bottom that says “References available upon request.” With LinkedIn, you can kiss goodbye to those problems. If people like you, they will leave you a recommendation on your LinkedIn profile. Of course, you have to approve all incoming recommendations before they can go visible for the public. Isn’t that wonderful?  Now if someone asks me for references,guess where I am going to send them to.  My references on LinkedIn work for me 24/7.  As an example, see a screencap of my LinkedIn profile.

Andrew's LinkedIn Profile

Besides, there are other LinkedIn features that will help build your personal brand, such as the options to join a professional group, start an event, and connect with more business professionals in your industry.  Of course, you can always complete your education and experience sections to help people get to know you better. Remember, the more genuine you are, the more likely they are willing to follow you. You can check out Dan Schawbel’s article on Mashable,“How to: Build Your personal Brand on LinkedIn” .

What are LinkedIn groups? Why are they important?

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. At most, you can join 50 LinkedIn groups.  So make your own picks wisely.  To facilitate your work in finding great groups, please read 30 Top LinkedIn Groups for Entrepreneurs, eMarketers, and Social Media Enthusiasts.

Where can I go find more LinkedIn tutorials and resources?

I’ve done a search on “LinkedIn How-to Guide,” there is no lack of how to articles in this category. It’s overwhelming. Here are a couple of very helpful resources that should help you build your LinkedIn network.

1. Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn to Find a Job

2. 5 ways to get more from your LinkedIn Group

3. How to be a LinkedIn superst

4. How to Get Started With LinkedIn

5. 33 Ways to Use LinkedIn for Business

6. HOW TO: Build Your Company’s Profile on LinkedIn

7. 30 Top LinkedIn Groups for Entrepreneurs, eMarketers, and Social Media Enthusiasts

8. LinkedIn Blog

That’s it for this LinkedIn Guide.  Do you have more resources to share? Please add them in the comment section.

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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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