A key element to creating a successful inbound marketing campaign is to figure out what your niche market is and then cater to that market directly. This can be challenging for most businesses because they’re always plenty of competition targeting the same niche as you.

So grabbing the attention of your target audience and connecting to them requires that you take advantage of whatever avenues you can.

I’m talking about going beyond just connecting on an social media platform – a 100% approach on Inbound Marketing (read more on Inbound Marketing).

Consider going out and actually meeting your target market in person!

This is where Meetup.com comes in. It’s all about connections. There are about 27 million members using Meetup to create genuine and local connections with like-minded individuals in over 180 countries around the world. The best part is that meetups take place locally as well.

3 Things that Makes Meetup a great tool

1) It speaks directly to your target niche

Meetup groups are formed and then centered around customized activities and events to suite the actual intended group.

As a business owner looking to increase your company’s presence in your hometown and surrounding area, Meetup gives you the opportunity to create a group and have complete control over what your group is about and what kind of people you want to attract.

2) It gives you the opportunity to interact personally

Meeting with individuals in person through planned events or “meetups”, allows your target audience to see who you really and it gives them a taste of what your business is all about based on their impression of you, not just what they see digitally.

Face to face meetups foster engaging discussions and potential clients can see first hand what your abilities are and how you can accommodate to their needs, the inbound way!

3) It builds a bank of solid connections and leads

Creating or joining a group can help build a solid email list where by you can continue ongoing communication after you meet.  Use Inbound techniques to share your thoughts and send out notifications to any new event that you have planned.

As your group grows, your bank of solid leads does as well.

In case you’re not sold yet, here’s a few powerful statistics:

According to research done at the Harvard Business Review, 95% of people reported that face-to-face meetings are key in successfully building and maintaining long-term relationships.

89% agreed that face to face meetings are essential to “sealing the deal.”

These statistics alone are a great reason to give Meetup a try in your area.

We at Bwired, here in Kitchener-Waterloo, have done a few of our own group meetups On Inbound Digital Marketing and we’d love to share our experience with you. Connect with us.

About Bwired Technologies

Celebrating its 10th year, Bwired Technologies empowers digital leaders by creating competitive advantage through the design and development of robust web, mobile, and digital solutions. The company’s Rhyno Cloud™ also integrates high-speed hosting, cybersecurity, maintenance and support into one fully-managed solution. Visit Bwired.ca

Dan Duran

At the dynamic cross-section of Digital Technology, you’ll find Dan. An experienced technology strategist with a strong understanding of business and agile software management. Dan founded Bwired in 2009. He holds an iMBA degree from the University of Illinois, a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a Software Product Management Specialization from the University of Alberta.