Introducing The Moderator’s Field Guide for LinkedIn Groups

The LinkedIn Groups platform has been an important aspect of LinkedIn’s growth over the past ten years, and with over two million groups (covering marketing, tech, financial services and more), millions of like-minded professionals have been able to connect to share and exchange information relevant to their careers and interests. Being a part of a healthy, active group has its benefits: members of LinkedIn Groups that participate in discussions can get up to 4 times as many profile views as our regular members.

The most active and thriving groups on LinkedIn all have one thing in common: dedicated moderators who engage group members and foster community. Great moderation can lead to career and business opportunities for both the group moderators and the group members, creating connections via professional discussions and shared professional knowledge. Additionally, group moderators that take on the responsibilities of leading a group are able to position themselves as thought leaders and experts in their field. It’s important to get the right tools and support for their success.

Today we’re excited to introduce a new tool for LinkedIn Group moderators, the Moderator’s Field Guide eBook, as well as a new, official LinkedIn Moderator Community Group.

LinkedIn Groups are already known in the community for being a rich source of information so, naturally, it made perfect sense to leverage that platform to create a one-stop-shop for group moderators to find and exchange valuable knowledge, insights, and best practices to help them succeed. Peer-to-peer dialogue, member insights, and professional discussions have formed the basis of this eBook. In fact, we spoke with dozens of successful group moderators from all types of groups covering a variety of subjects and professions. What we learned was that successful groups have a number of things in common: healthy engagement, meaningful discussions, and an active group growth strategy.

Here are just a few of our favorite tips from the Moderator’s Field Guide provided by LinkedIn moderators, with a few based on our research thrown in: 

• Be sure to use a logo for your group, as members are 10x more likely to check out your group.
• Don’t be afraid to enforce your group’s rules! Moderate as needed and let members know what is and isn’t allowed.
• Create a welcoming discussion for new members to jump right in and participate. Create an introduction post, thank them often, and like their comments to encourage future discussions.

Whether you’re just starting out and are interested in learning more about leading a group, or are a veteran group moderator with thousands of active group members, we hope the Groups eBook, LinkedIn Groups: A Moderator's Field Guide, will help answer every question from how to welcome group members to who to invite to your group, and provide helpful insights on everything from enforcing guidelines to kickstarting meaningful conversations.

The nature of human conversation has changed over millions of years and online dialogue exchanges are now one of the most important forms of knowledge acquisition. LinkedIn Groups are an extension of this evolution and the most powerful way to share professional knowledge and advance your career.

We invite you to join your fellow moderators to continue the discussion over at the LinkedIn Group Moderator Community, where you can discover and share insights on group growth, expanding your professional relationships, and building your reputation through community management.