How to Use Meetup for Marketing
Before discussing how to use Meetup for marketing, let’s first introduce the social media site itself. If you’ve never heard of Meetup, its a great site that brings a personal touch to the world of social networking by allowing members to search for groups that share similar interests in their very own city and meet up. Meetup is the digital way to create social meetings for people of similar interests to get together and meet in person. Unlike Facebook, which allows you to connect online, Meetup.com provides you a way to promote a group that meets in person.
For example, I recently moved back to the US from South Korea, but I don’t want to lose the language skills I required overseas, so I found a Meetup group called Austin Korean Language and Culture Group. They meet every so often at a delicious Korean restaurant in town for language exchange, perfect! The question is how can we use Meetup for marketing without infringing on the purpose of these meet ups? Its time to get creative!
Use Meetup for Marketing | 3 Tips
I want to offer three techniques that I found on a WordPress blog called Write Ideas Marketing on how to use Meetup for marketing, but I want to stick with our Korean theme for consistency, take a look at these tips and examples and mold them to fit your own small business’s marketing needs.
- Promote Your Product – Two key things to remember when you use Meetup for marketing is that you want to stick with the theme of the Meetup and don’t be to pushy. Let’s say I went to the Austin Korean Language and Culture group with some hand-made Korean style crafts and food and gave out a free craft and food item to everyone at the Meetup. They’re likely to show these items to their friends, family, and personal network, and since they were free you don’t seem like a salesman or someone with an aside. Its free exposure!
- Focus Groups – Here’s another great idea to implement when you use Meetup for marketing, use Meetup to test your new innovations or products. Okay so after meeting with my new friends at the Korean Meetup, I could then start a new Meetup, invite existing members of the Austin Korean Language and Culture group as well as anyone else and create a focus group for my new language software I’ve created and let the Meetup members try out a trial version. I could then get great constructive criticism about my new software free of charge!
- Networking – Chances are you will be joining Meetups based around your particular industry, therefore you can easily use Meetups to grow your network and make new connections to strengthen your small business.
Use Meetup for Marketing | Bottom Line
As you can see from the tips provided above, you’ll have to take a different marketing approach in order to use Meetup for marketing. By joining Meetups you will potentially meet many new potential customers with like-minded interests, but you’ll have to offer something in exchange for product promotion. The key is to find an indirect means to getting your message out there, in other words be a civilian and give and take.
For example, if you are interested real estate investing, you can type in the phrase ‘real estate investing’ and your zip code, and find all of the local meetups within a 20 mile radius of your location. This technology will give you the opportunity to connect with people of like-minded interests.