The ATA Chronicle - November/December 2021 - 19

Unlike other social
media platforms,
LinkedIn Groups
are geared toward
professionals with
similar interests and
fields of practice.
Remember, you shouldn't
join a group with the goal
of pitching your business!
Instead, by engaging with
others, the work you do and
how you help your clients
will inevitably come up in
conversation threads and
private direct messages with
other group members. If
you join a group that turns
out to be not very active, try
starting a new discussion
or thread. Some groups just
need a few people to start
the conversation to become
active again!
Say something of value.
Comment on and like others'
posts in your groups and be
sure to add your perspective
on a given topic. Mention
solutions when people
request ideas and feedback.
If you can add value to a
specific thread, others will
note your professionalism,
approachability, friendliness,
and willingness to help.
Inevitably, their engagement
with you will make them
curious to get to know
you better.
If you're concerned about
spending too much time
on LinkedIn threads, set a
timer for 10 or 20 minutes
and engage for that amount
of time before diving into
your paid work. Over time,
www.ata-chronicle.online
this will add up to more
connections with the right
people who see you for the
expert you are.
Use posts to connect (not
just follow!). Connecting
with others in your groups
who seem like promising
contacts or just great people
to know is vital to growing
your network with more
of the right people-either
potential clients or people
who can refer you to
potential clients.
Send a quick connection
request if you want to
connect with another
member of the group by
commenting on a post or
comment they made. It
can be as simple as " Hi
[new connection's name],
I see we're both in the
same [name of group]
Group. I liked your post/
comment about [topic of
post/comment]. I would
love to connect with you
here and follow your work. "
Of course, you can tweak
this message to fit the
circumstances, but all you
have to do is make
the connection.
I prefer to make
connections with others
versus following them for
one very simple reason.
If I follow them but don't
connect with them, I can see
their content and activity,
but they are unlikely to ever
see mine. (Connections lead
to followers!)
Search for solid leads in the
group's list of members and
connect with them. I do this
all the time. If you look on
the right side of the screen
when viewing a group to
which you belong, you'll see
the option to view the list
of members. Expand the list
and start skimming. Look
for people who have titles
and positions that fit your
ideal client profile. This will
help you figure out who your
ideal connections will be
from the start.
You can connect with
these people right away by
mentioning you're in the
same group. Or you can
set a Google alert about
them or their company or
organization so you can
share something timely with
them when you're ready
to connect. For example:
" Hi [new connection's
name], I saw that you
received an award last
week for [achievement].
Congratulations! I see we
are in the same [name of
group] Group. Would love
to connect with you. " Once
you're connected, you'll see
more about this person in
your news feed and they'll
see more of your activity and
content as well. Win-win!
Follow up. It's easy to
join client-facing groups,
connect with promising
group members, and call it a
day. But the real connection,
the real networking,
happens when you follow up
with people.
After you connect with
someone, send a quick
message of thanks for
connecting and ask them
to share a little about what
they do or who they serve.
Mention that you would like
to keep this information in
mind in case you can ever
make a referral or connection
for them. Don't ask for
anything in return. Simply
leave it at that. People will
appreciate your openness to
offer value without asking
them to return the favor.
And they'll frequently end
up returning the favor as a
matter of courtesy.
When you see your new
connections sharing content
on LinkedIn, or if you get
a notification about them
like a work anniversary,
promotion, etc., take a
moment to comment or
congratulate them. Check
in with your connections
regularly and, over time,
your growing network will
repay you tenfold.
The Right Way
to Connect
By making LinkedIn Groups
part of your marketing
strategy, you can grow your
network with more of the
right people. It's wonderful
to be connected to colleagues
and friends, but if you really
want to connect with your
ideal clients, LinkedIn
Groups are an easy and
efficient way to do that.
Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo, CT serves
as president of ATA. She is the owner of Accessible
Translation Solutions and a Spanish>English
and ATA-certified Portuguese>English translator.
She served as chair of ATA's Governance and
Communications Committee (2019-2021), Membership Committee
(2018-2020), and Public Relations Committee (2014-2018),
and as administrator of ATA's Medical Division (2011-2015).
She is also a consultant for the University of Louisville Graduate
Certificate in Translation. You can read more of her articles on
her blog at www.madalenazampaulo.com/blog-home.
madalena@accessibletranslations.com
American Translators Association 19
http://www.madalenazampaulo.com/blog-home http://www.ata-chronicle.online
The ATA Chronicle - November/December 2021

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