No matter what your intentions are when you use LinkedIn, it can only help you when you grow your network of connections. I like to use LinkedIn Groups to enhance my network with people that have common interests and business goals. Here’s what I do:

Search for groups based on the topic that I wish to pursue. For example, when I wish to grow my network of contacts in Social Media Marketing, I search for groups of this nature.

Join the groups that look like a good fit. It doesn’t make sense for me to join a group that is for…say Airplane Mechanics, for example. I am not, nor do I know anything about Airplane Mechanics! So, I choose the groups that resonate with my world. For me those are LinkedIn Groups focused on writing, social media, recruiting, blogging, WordPress, etc.

Read and contribute to Discussions. This is where you begin to develop your network. I Like and Comment on the discussions that interest me. If you have expert advice to add, share it! Be sincere and do promote yourself.

Grow, baby, grow! I’ve been able to double my first level of LinkedIn connections fairly quickly with this method.

Regardless of what you hope to achieve with expanding your LinkedIn network, this method is a great way to grow it!

Please share your success or tips in using LinkedIn Groups here in the Comments section. We’re always looking for good ideas to share with our friends!