Meetup.com: It’s All In Who You Know

Meetup.com is the perfect confluence of online social networking and in-person social networking. Social networking websites are great, but they really can’t compete with the power of meeting and connecting with someone in person. Actual social networking solidifies relationships and often seals real business deals. That is why conferences come so highly recommended on this site. But if you don’t have a couple of grand lying around to attend a conference right now (or even if you do), there is plenty you can accomplish locally with Meetup.com.

Here are six steps to using Meetup.com to your professional advantage.

1. Set up your profile.

Setting up your profile allows you to list your location, post a picture, write an introduction, and add friends. There is also an area that lets you declare what types of future Meetup groups you would be interested in joining, as well as an area that shows which Meetups you currently belong to. All of this is pretty basic. Remember that your profile should be rather professional. Choose your picture with an eye to the fact that potential customers, clients, and business partners will be seeing it. And make sure your introduction is one that will resonate with people from all the different Meetups you may join.

2. Choose some groups to join.

Deciding which Meetup groups to join will depend in large part on what kind of business you are running or are interested in running, but there are plenty of Meetups that are geared towards business development or entrepreneurs in general. You can search for groups using keywords and using the locator. Don’t be afraid to consider Meetups that are as far as 100 miles away. It is still cheaper than attending a conference!

Once you have a list of Meetups that seem promising, make sure to do your research. Each Meetup group has a description of what the group is about, as well as a list of its members and a list of past Meetups. You may want to consider factors such as the size of the group, how well its Meetups have been attended in the past, where it meets, and what the general thrust of the Meetup is. For example, some Internet Marketing Meetups may be simple networking events, and others may be run more like a class. The Meetup group description should give you a basic idea of how the Meetup is run, and this will allow you to steer clear of the ones in which you have no interest.

3. Do some preliminary networking.

Find people whose profiles you like in the groups you just joined and send them a greeting. This will more than likely send them to your profile page and thus give you an added reason to approach them at your first Meetup. Also pay attention to which people are members of which groups. Chances are you will notice the same faces cropping up again and again; make sure to send greetings to these people who are the most involved. A greeting can be something as simple as, “I like X about your profile! I look forward to meeting you on Saturday.”

4. Attend the Meetups you joined.

This, of course, is the most important step. Needless to say, you need to actually go to your Meetups. If you are used to spending the majority of your days alone with your computer, this might be a little scary. But go on, get out there! It’s good for you, and it’s good for your business. Make sure to bring a plentiful supply of business cards. And make a point to approach the people you sent greetings to in the preliminary networking step. Make a personal connection with them, and see if they plan on attending the next Meetup, or the next Meetup of another group that you noticed they were also a member of. They will be impressed that you remembered their name and their other interests.

5. Follow up on the conversations you had.

Make sure to send follow-up emails or messages to the people that you connected with at your various Meetups. This will help establish you in their minds, and it is just a nice touch. Mention something you talked about, see if they’re going to the next Meetup, or tell them something that occurred to you after you talked. The point is to deepen the relationship and to make it easier and more natural to talk to them the next time you meet them.

6. Consider starting your own Meetup.

Depending on the kinds of groups that are active in your area, you may want to start your own Meetup. Maybe there is not a group on the topic that is nearest to your heart and business, or maybe you don’t like the focus of the groups that do exist. Create your group, and try to get your group’s home page up and running within 72 hours after creating it. This is the point at which Meetup.com sends a notification to everyone in your area who is on a waiting list for that kind of group. You want to do everything you can to show them that your group is going to be worth attending.

You might be surprised at the wealth of opportunities that flow out of getting involved in some local Meetup groups and getting to know the right people. Follow these six simple steps for using Meetup and watch your contact list and your bottom line grow!