How I Grew My Meetup Group From 0 to 1000 Using a Simple Trick
You are thinking of starting a meetup group, or you have already started one.
But now you are thinking about how you can actually grow your group so that it gets some traction.
Well, by the end of this article, you will learn about how you can grow your meetup group without spending a dime on marketing and just using a simple trick.
But before we talk about it. Let’s first understand how a simple small business or startup grows.
Let’s say, for example, you open a restaurant.
Do you think that restaurant will work if you open in a residential area where literally no one walks around?
Or if you open on a high street with 1000 footsteps?
I know you must be thinking, is this guy crazy? Obviously, it will work better to open the restaurant on a busy street.
But what I wanted to convey here is, you are tapping on the traffic that the high street already has. So basically you are using it in your interest.
You are paying a high price for the restaurant venue to buy or rent on the high street, but in turn, it is bringing you more customers.
This is the same concept we have to use when we start a meetup group.
You need to tap into an already crowded traffic space to get more attention and traction.
And this trick is called “Tapping into other traffic”
So now, let's see how I did it.
Step 1# Create your meetup group
The first thing I did is to open a meetup group. You can do it on meetup website ($300/year), or you can choose other portals like:
- Odd Circles ($12/year)
- Bylde ($49/year)
- Peanut etc. (free only for ladies)
Once you have an online identity, you can start populating it with as much information as you can.
Remember, the more information and media you add to your group landing page. More people will join in.
Step 2# Join Facebook groups in your niche
Then you go to Facebook and then search for similar groups like yours in your demography.
For example skiing:
Remember to use an old Facebook profile or else the admin of the groups will reject your application to join the groups.
Then you start joining these groups.
Remember, you should never post anything on this group until you get accepted in more than 6 groups.
I will tell you later why I want you to join 6 group minimum.
Step 3# Create a 30-day content plan
Create a spreadsheet with a 30-day plan on it.
Each day needs a different activity and a task to be assigned. You can either say; create an informative infographic or a post with emotional value.
Remember, in this plan, you should never introduce your meetup group or even talk about it with other group members on Facebook.
You need to purely just focus on the value you are adding to this group.
This way you are 100% sure that you are not spamming any Facebook groups and become friends with the group admin on Facebook.
Sometimes these Facebook group admins ask you for money for posting or approving your posts on their group. But you can just ignore those groups completely.
And this is the way, I want you to at least join 6 groups so that you have some room to play with.
Step 4# Start Posting your Content
After your plan is ready, you need to jump on your Facebook account and start posting your content on these groups.
Remember, you need to post content with some gaps. For example, if you post a piece of content on the first group early in the morning. You do the same with a second group in a few hours.
This way, the Facebook algorithm will not ban your posts.
This step will take a while because essentially what you are doing is you are creating your credibility in those Facebook groups.
And connecting with other members of that group.
You can always comment on other posts on the group and interact with people.
This helps create a positive image in the group, too.
Step 5# Start Connecting with People in your Facebook Groups as friends.
After you connect with people in those Facebook groups now you are ready to connect with people on a personal level.
So take this opportunity and start connecting with them.
Do not expect that everyone will accept your friend request. But at least if you already have a reputation or are connected with this member inside the group. You have a high chance that your request will be accepted.
Step 6# Invite your Facebook contacts to your meetup group.
Now, this is the step where you will be ripping the fruit. Yes, once you gain credibility and connect with members in other groups. You will then start communicating with them about your new meetup group and ask them to join it.
Obviously, some people will join and some will not. But the whole point is to keep the vibe of your meetup group running and keep posting about the event.
You can host events inside your meetup group and take pictures. And in retrospect share it on different Facebook groups.
This way, people will get interested more because they will see other members attending your events, and it will encourage them to do the same.
I have used this trick multiple times, and it always works. Let me know in comments if it worked for you and share your meetup group link too :)
