Although it isn't as widely used as Facebook, Meetup has a lot of advantages and can be extremely useful in getting your business noticed by local consumers.
The primary advantage Meetup has over Facebook is Meetup's purpose is to convert online communities into face-to-face networking.
This is a crucial step for local businesses who do not ship products or perform services online. Using Meetup to target your customer base can drive traffic directly to your store front or designated place. Meetup will increase awareness and alert your local community about your products and services.
There are three main ways to use Meetup to help your business grow:
1. The Soft Sell:
Sign up for Meetup (it's free) and start joining groups that will put you in contact with those who would be interested in your product or service. Be sure to add your website information/product information into your profile. When Meetup members notice you, they will see your profile information and will contact you if they are interested. As a member of a Meetup group, you will also be able to suggest to the Organizer when you have ideas for Meetup events. This is an excellent way to get your place of business noticed, as you may offer to host an event at your location. You can also offer Meetup members a special offer, sale or discount, which is often appreciated and rewarded!
2. Sponsorship
It's important to do some target research before you sponsor to determine what types of Meetup groups your customers would join. For example, if you own a children's boutique, you would want to locate moms and parenting groups. A quick search of Meetup's site will determine how many Moms Groups there are within a specified radius of your area. Meetup also will tell you how many members each group has. Obviously, you're going to want to sponsor the ones that either are specialized to your niche, or have the largest number of members. Sponsoring a Meetup group means you'll offer to do things for the group - such as pay their monthly Meetup fees, or offer a free area for event hosting, catering, etc. The Organizer in turn will usually post your ad on their site to let all their members know about your Sponsorship.
3. Form Your Own Group
For under $20 per month, you can start your own Meetup group. That allows you to pick your own subject matter and be in control of how and when Meetup events are scheduled. Becoming an Organizer of a Meetup group also allows direct contact with all of the members who join your group. Becoming a Meetup Organizer is an excellent way to network with a highly targeted group of people in your community.
When you have time, poke around on their site and see what Meetup can do for your business. I'll be posting more on Meetup's services later in the week.
No comments:
Post a Comment