As a consultant dedicated to helping small and medium businesses thrive, I often recommend buying LinkedIn group members to jumpstart networking and establish credibility.
However, not all sites for purchasing members are created equal. The wrong choice could waste your investment or even damage your brand‘s reputation.
In this comprehensive guide tailored to fellow entrepreneurs, I‘ll compare the top 5 sites for buying quality LinkedIn group members in 2024.
A Quick Primer: Why Buy LinkedIn Group Members?
Before diving into the sites, it‘s helpful to understand why and how buying members can benefit your small business on LinkedIn:
- Quickly expand your network – Purchasing members allows you to grow groups faster than organic efforts alone. The average LinkedIn user has 155 connections, while most groups have 100-500 members.
- Increase engagement – More members can drive more group discussions, content sharing, and relationship-building interactions. Active groups see 30% higher member engagement according to LinkedIn.
- Establish credibility – Popular, active groups signal you and your brand are influential industry insiders worth connecting with.
- Gain insights – A larger, targeted member base provides valuable firsthand perspectives on your business niche.
- Enrich membership – The right members engage better long-term versus passive profiles. Focus on quality over quantity.
Now let‘s explore the top sites to buy LinkedIn group members and how they compare.
1. UseViral – Best for High Retention
UseViral is my top recommendation for buying real, high-retention LinkedIn group members. Here‘s why:
- Member quality – UseViral focuses on delivering active, genuine members with complete profiles and engaging content. Fake or bot accounts are prohibited.
- Targeting capabilities – While not as robust as some competitors, UseViral still allows targeting members by country, industry, job role, gender, and interests.
- Speedy delivery – Expect your new members within 4-7 business days on average. UseViral prides itself on reliability.
- Retention monitoring – UseViral provides analytics on your new members‘ retention and group activity over time. This allows maximizing the value of your investment.
- Reasonable pricing – While not the cheapest option, UseViral‘s prices reflect the quality. Packages start around $97 for 100 members up to $1957 for 5000 members.
For established brands and larger groups, I believe UseViral‘s blend of member quality, reliable delivery, and retention monitoring provides the best value.
2. Media Mister – Best for Targeting and Customization
If niche targeting and order customization are top priorities, Media Mister is a great fit. Key advantages include:
- Ultra-targeted members – Media Mister allows highly specialized targeting by industry, job title, company, gender, location, skills, languages, and more. This level of specificity can be invaluable.
- Flexible order size – Orders can be customized down to the individual member, with no minimums or maximums. Buy exactly what you need.
- Expert targeting advice – Media Mister‘s support team will help you identify the best targeting criteria for your goals and audience.
- Slower delivery – Due to the custom targeting, expect delivery in 10-15 days on average. However, the specificity likely makes the wait worthwhile.
- Higher prices – Given the tailored focus, pricing is steeper than general member providers, starting around $250 for 100 members. But for niche value, it can be worth it.
For a specialized industry or exclusive group, Media Mister is my top pick. The customization ensures your members match your precise needs despite the higher cost.
3. SidesMedia – Best for Customer Service
SidesMedia shines when it comes to helpful customer service, making the buying process smooth. Consider SidesMedia if you value:
- Responsive support – Their support team offers guidance before purchase and resolves issues quickly via live chat, phone, or email.
- Simple ordering – SidesMedia‘s intuitive online dashboard simplifies selecting and purchasing your target members.
- Member authenticity – The company focuses on delivering genuine, active member profiles without fakes or bots.
- Faster delivery – You can expect to receive your new members within 4-8 days in most cases.
- Limited targeting – Compared to other providers, SidesMedia has relatively limited targeting and customization options.
- Steep pricing – Their service quality comes at a cost – expect rates starting around $250 for 100 members.
For welcoming customer service and an easy order process, SidesMedia is a reliable pick. Just note the higher pricing and less precise targeting.
4. Buy Real Media – Best for Organic Growth
If you prioritize organic, long-term group growth, Buy Real Media is a leading choice. Key features include:
- Organic member acquisition – Buy Real Media focuses on attracting real members intrinsically interested in your industry and group. This promotes engagement and retention.
- Gradual onboarding – New members are onboarded over a set timeframe versus bulk delivery. This ensures proper integration.
- Member monitoring – Buy Real Media provides member analytics to optimize integration and identify high-value members worth connecting with.
- Hands-on account management – Dedicated account reps provide regular progress updates, growth strategy advice, and campaign optimization.
- High prices – Organic acquisition and intensive account management come at a premium. Entry plans start around $1500 for 100 members.
For established professionals and brands playing the long game, Buy Real Media‘s organic approach merits the higher investment.
5. GetAFollower – Best on a Budget
If you‘re looking for a basic starting point on a budget, GetAFollower is a reasonable option with a few caveats:
- Lower minimum order – You can start with as few as 50 members, whereas most providers require 100+ minimum.
- Wide member pool – GetAFollower pulls new members from broad populations rather than targeted sources.
- Faster delivery – Shipments take 3-7 days on average, which is speedier than some competitors.
- Limited quality control – Vetting and verification of new members seems less rigorous compared to other options.
- Entry-level pricing – Basic packages cost in the range of $50-$100 for 50-100 members, making the service accessible.
For startups and entrepreneurs wanting a quick, affordable way to test buying LinkedIn members, GetAFollower is a valid starting point despite some limitations.
Beyond the high-level overviews above, I recommend comparing sites across these key factors:
Targeting capabilities – Assess how narrowly you can target members by industry, role, location, company size, job level, etc. Specificity is powerful.
Delivery speed – Faster delivery means achieving your goals and ROI sooner. However, very rapid delivery can signal low quality.
Member quality – Evaluate vetting processes, profile depth, follower counts, and activity. High quality improves engagement and retention.
Account management – Ongoing support for monitoring new members and optimizing integration helps maximize value.
Retention – Check if the site tracks how long new members remain active. Retention demonstrates authenticity and fit.
Pricing – Balance cost savings with quality. Cheapest options often cut corners that hurt long-term value.
Once you‘ve selected a site for purchasing high-quality LinkedIn group members, a few best practices will help you integrate them effectively:
- Personally welcome new members – When notified of a join, take a moment to welcome them and share values, expectations, and group highlights.
- Share regular discussions and content – Fresh discussions and posts encourage ongoing participation. Videos, images, and polls can help spur engagement.
- Assign members roles – Appoint members as moderators, influencers, or mentors to get them involved while identifying leaders.
- Segment key members – Use analytics to identify members providing particular value and segment them for special outreach.
- Remove inactive members – Prune members who remain passive for an extended period to maintain group health.
- Solicit member feedback – Check-in with members to identify gaps, opportunities, and successes to improve their experience.
While buying LinkedIn group members can accelerate networking and credibility, it‘s not a numbers game. Pay more attention to member quality, targeted relevance, and engagement over quantity.
After comparing the top platforms on key factors like targeting, delivery, quality, and management, UseViral stands out as my top choice for most small businesses ready to invest in their LinkedIn presence.
Feel free to reach out if you need any guidance navigating LinkedIn or want to discuss group member strategy in more detail! I‘m always happy to help fellow entrepreneurs succeed.
