Meetup for Business Networking

How to use Meetup for Business Networking

Your business has a niche – that specific corner of the market that holds your ideal customer. Whether it’s students or 60 year old bridge players, they are the people that help your business thrive. While other people may visit your business, your niche is made up of the people that have made your business what it is today.

When you, as a business owner, figure out your exact niche, it becomes important to market directly to them – something that can be difficult for many groups of people. You can rely on targeted Facebook ads, Google AdWords or even simple word-of-mouth, but there’s a better option – actually going out and meeting them.

Meet your Customers Directly Through Meetup.com

Meetup.com is the world’s largest network of local groups. It’s a website where like-minded people can meet in their own community and do things together as a group. There are groups that cover all sorts of niches – Google Analytics fans, marathon runners, beer connoisseurs, WordPress users and astronomy enthusiasts.

Now, while it’s a great tool for meeting like-minded people and making new friends, there is so much more to Meetup.com. There is the ability to meet the people that can help your business grow and expand. You can hang out with and talk to your perfect customer base directly by using Meetup.com.

There are two ways to use meetup.com – as an organizer and as an attendee. Organizers have more control over where the meetups happen and how they conduct business, but attendees have a lot of sway, as well. Sometimes it’s best to start out as an attendee, until you’ve met some of the regulars and understand it a little more.

It should be noted that Meetup.com isn’t going to work in every industry. The website isn’t a catch all for every type of business, so it’s entirely possible that your type of work isn’t going to have a high following on there. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t search though, so follow the steps below to see if there’s a group you could join:

1. Go to Meetup.com
2. Make sure you have setup your profile completely, professionally and don’t make it a business sounding profile (keep it personal and dont come with a hidden agenda).
3. Search industry-relevant keywords in your city and region.
4. Browse through the options and ask to join a group that relates to your business
5. Then go! Meet people who are interested in your industry and want to know more. It’s a great way to chat with the kind of folks that will be rockstars for your business.
6. Be sure to add your self to Elite6’s Meetup Group and New Zealand’s Information Network’s Meetup Group

See you at the next meetup!