We recently launched a new LinkedIn group — Let’s Get Strategic About Communications! — that we’re hoping will generate some good discussion and sharing of best practice insights among communication professionals. It’s a closed group, meaning that we are carefully monitoring participation and limiting it to those who are committed to openly sharing information in a non-promotional manner. The trouble, we think, with so many LinkedIn groups is that they quickly devolve into blatant self-promotion and become nothing more than individual members saying “look at me!,” “look what I’ve done!,” “come to my webinar!,” “read my whitepaper!,” etc. Now, there is certainly
a place for these types of invitations and we generate them ourselves from time to time. But, there is also a place for simply sharing and learning among a group of peers. The beauty of the online environment is that group members can be spread around the globe and can interact at times, and in places, convenient to each individual member. That creates great opportunity for learning.
As we contemplated starting this group, it generated an important insight or philosophy that we have found is shared by most of the clients we work with: “Let your knowledge be your promotion!” We work with a number of “thought leaders,” primarily in the healthcare and business consulting arenas, and we find that those who are most successful are those who freely share their wisdom and expertise with others.
It seems counter-intuitive, but particularly in these days of MOOCS (massive open online courses) and free content widely available through blogs, webinars and websites, if you’re not willing to share freely, you’re likely to quickly become irrelevant.
So, if you’re a communication professional interested in connecting with a group of other communication professionals from various backgrounds, we encourage you to join our group and become part of the conversations. And — we promise — no promotions!
