The benefits of joining a group

For the aspiring social media evangelist, budding marketer or savvy business owner wanting to get the most out of social media, then I cannot recommend enough the value out of taking your social media learning to the next level. To do this, join an online “group” and follow it up with a little human interaction.

By using your arsenal of social media tools you can join many different groups based around your interests and industries. You will then be informed when different events are occurring and get the opportunity to meet a plethora of people not only willing to share ideas and experiences but also willing to help you out with your next campaign.

Where can I find or join such groups?

The best place to find out what is on in your local area is to exploit that assets contained within the big three – Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Facebook is useful as you can see which of your friends are likely to attend a particular event. This way you are assured of knowing someone else at the event – perfect if you need a little handholding. To find a group simply do a search at the top of the Facebook site.

Social Media Melbourne – FaceBook Group

https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=75266618409

LinkedIn stresses the importance of groups by placing a tab specifically for it in the navigation bar. LinkedIn naturally has more of a business networking focus and there are a large number of groups in the system. The best place to start searching is by your industry type.

Australian New Media – LinkedIn Group

https://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=42690

Twitter groups have generally been formed naturally from conversations between random people. A group of people all discussing common interests often take it to the next level over a few drinks. Twitter meet ups generally tend to have more of a socialising focus but are still a great way to engage and network.

Melbourne Twitter Underground Brigade

https://www.twitter.com/mtub

At the end of the day it’s not what you know – it’s who you know. So if you are looking to learn more about a particular topic, make some quality business contacts or need a bit of help with your next campaign, then getting involved in these groups is a great step forward.

Benjamin Nicoll is a founding partner of GoDigital Media, one of Australia’s best value digital media agencies, which provides up-to-date, affordable products and services for SMEs.