Using Meetup as a Platform for Professional Networking

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Every day, Meetup draws millions of people to its events. They gather to write, dance, swap leads, go on hikes, bicycle dates, and hang around.

Following the advice in this article, any business owner may easily connect with dozens, if not hundreds, of locals every week. To ensure the long-term success of their business, entrepreneurs might benefit from fostering a sense of community and creating solid personal relationships.

Step 1: Determine the Type of Gathering You Wish to Organize

Meetup is a database of communities united by a desire to pursue common goals and interests. To determine the best format for your Meetup, consider your ideal clientele and the events that might interest them in joining you.

For instance, if you own an organic restaurant, you could host events where locals get together to talk about healthy eating at home and where to find the best organic wines. You may host a meetup with a certified physical therapist teaching your gym members how to exercise correctly. It’s a good idea for law firms to teach small business owners how to handle debtors who don’t pay up.

The goal of your meetup shouldn’t be to produce sales immediately but rather to make people like you and your business in your local community. If you know your customers well enough, it should be simple to determine what sort of event they would like the most.

With Meetup, you may reach out to as many as three different customer niches each month for only one flat charge.

Initiate a Meetup

Visit Meetup, and then select Sign Up to establish an account. After signing in, you can initiate a get-together by clicking the appropriate button. You will be asked to specify the location of the Meetup. Put in the address where you work’s zip code. Then, you’ll be asked to select the groups you’d like to make by entering relevant keywords.

Dating and social gatherings are the most popular types of Meetup clubs. Entertainment, health-related, and leisure pursuits also have widespread participation.

While you cannot advertise your meetup as a “class” or “seminar” on Meetup, you can call it a “workshop.”

Pick 15 descriptors that best go along with your gathering. Meetup will notify hundreds of people in your area who have indicated an interest in your chosen topics, so this is an essential step.

You will be asked to give your new community a name and provide some background information after you commit to meeting in person regularly. This summary will be used to recruit new members to the organization.

The simplest way to characterize the group is as a friendly, helpful, and supportive neighborhood that regularly talks about the issues you’ve decided on. Specify the typical meeting day(s) and duration (in hours) to give people an idea of what to expect from your gatherings. Be sure to specify in the summary whether or not communities will feature notable speakers.

Step 2: Disable Extraneous Features in Your Meetup Setup

Once a Meetup has been created, you can modify which group features are enabled by default and which are not by selecting Group Tools and then Group Settings.

Making it so that only you may create new meetings is an excellent way to maintain order in your group. You might also discover that disabling member-to-member message boards and mailing lists prevent spammers from sending unsolicited messages to your subscribers.

Step 3: Schedule at least two group meetings.

Set a first meeting time and place at least two weeks from now. Name the event, set a day and time, and detail what you plan to do. A title like “Let’s Learn About and Discuss Healthy Bread” or “Let’s Learn About and Discuss How to Exercise Safely” can attract the most people.

More members will join if you have more than two events planned for when they initially sign up. If you decide to charge for your meetup, you can expect fewer people to show up, but they may be more committed to the goals you outline for the group.

If you host events during the week in addition to the weekends, you’ll see a surge in membership. Not everyone can attend a meeting right after work, and others choose to spend the weekend with loved ones rather than work. Offering many time slots for gatherings increases the likelihood that as many people as feasible can attend.

Step 4: Make the Team Known

As soon as you start scheduling meetings and publicizing the group, Meetup will send invitations to those who have indicated an interest in your chosen themes. This could be anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand locals who frequent your neighborhood.

In the future, anyone who searches for the terms you selected to describe your Meetup group will be directed to your group. New people may join your group every week.

Conduct an Effective Meeting, Step 5

Put the folks you’re helping in the spotlight during your first gathering. Guests appreciate hosts providing a friendly greeting, comfortable seating, and refreshments (if applicable).

People who initially visit your workplace as guests will likely convert to paying clients after a few weeks of getting to know you and your business.

As a result

Every thriving company broadens its sphere of influence as it expands its operations into neighboring neighborhoods. Meetup is a website that facilitates local social interaction and provides low-cost, recurring opportunities for people to get together regularly.

HollywoodProsApp, developed by Nancy Fulton and available for iOS and Android, connects professionals in the media and entertainment industries with those just starting. Visit

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