If you’re looking for a unique, innovative and low-cost lead gen strategy check out this story. Live events can go far but one agency is using Meetup to find new prospects and turn them into leads while building the know-like-trust factor. Best part is, it’s totally FREE.

In this episode, we’ll cover:

• • What is Meetup and how does it work?
  • 6 Steps to creating your own Meetups for lead gen.
  • Using Meetup to capture the attention of big brands.

Our guest today is Ali Salman, co-founder of Rapid Boost, a lead gen agency in western Canada. He’s here to share a unique lead generation strategy that generated over $165K in just a few months and continues to keep their pipeline full with new prospects.

What is Meetup and Why Use It?

Meetup is a social network that facilitates in-person group meetings in various locations worldwide. It’s primarily used to connect people with common interests so they can idea-share, network and help one another. Meetup groups get together in their specific geographic location for social gatherings as well as educational and workshop-style events.

Meetup members join for free and find groups that align with their personal areas of interest, spanning everything from politics to pets to careers. By entering their postal code the Meetup system suggests events and groups and helps find place/time to meet.

There are a bunch of benefits to using Meetup but the biggest one is that you’re it’s an innovative way to build your list. As members join your group(s) you’re essentially creating a list of warm prospects who have an interest in or need for the services you provide.

[clickToTweet tweet=”With Meetup, you can build relationships with people who are already interested in your topic.” quote=”With Meetup, you can build relationships with people who are already interested in your topic.”]

6 Steps to Using Meetup for Lead Gen

1- Create a regional group. First, determine what type of group you want to create (this is an example of why niching is so important!). You’ll also have to decide on the purpose your group – is it a mastermind, workshop, etc.?

2- Name your group. Start by researching what groups already exist in your city. The group name should be creative but also specific to your target audience. Think about what type of group they’ll search for and what types of events they’ll attend.

3- Join groups and attend events. Ali suggests getting a feel for what’s out there by attending some local events. Get your toes wet first before jumping in! Look at groups and events both in and outside of your niche.

4- Plan and schedule your first event. Consider the topic(s) that will be of most interest to the attendees. Ali says he gets 30-40 people to attend his events, of those 4-5 have serious potential. The key is to provide value at the event. Try different styles to see what works for your group – presentations, workshops, partners/guest speakers, casual mingling, or a mix of any/all styles.

5- Promote your events. Use social media channels to promote your events in advance. You can also promote your event for free using Eventbrite and creating a Facebook event. Post photos from the event during/after for added emphasis and to gain interest in future events.

6- Be patient while your group gains momentum. Ali says it takes patience and lots of practice. But, it does take awhile to build momentum and he cautions us to stay patient and focused. Like anything else, consistency is crucial to success. The whole point is that you’re putting yourself out there and it takes time to get it right.

7- Work smarter, not harder. You can do the same presentation in multiple cities. This will help your lead gen efforts grow exponentially.

Don’t Start by Pitching!

Ali says he’s hosted dozens of Meetup events and learns a little more each time. The #1 most important lesson is not to sell right off the bat. The people who are in attendance are not there for your agency’s infomercial. Ali suggests preparing a couple of different presentations that provide value to your target audience by helping them with a common problem. Whether they’re interested right away or not, you are building a relationship.

Instead of pitching – what you can do is follow up after the Meetup by pulling the group member list. You can send an email with more information – like a cheat sheet or other takeaways from the event. Or, you can introduce a Foot in the Door offer to this select target.

You Can Target Big Brands Using Meetup

Ali says often times younger Marketing Coordinators or similar will join Meetup groups and attend events looking for the next big thing to show their boss. They want to learn new strategies and innovative ways to solve their problems. That’s where you come in and save the day! Remember, big brands aren’t just a logo – they’re people too. Be specific in who you’re targeting, and be authentic and genuine at the event. Provide enormous value without selling or pitching. Then you will stand out against the “me too” agencies and land bigger brands.

Ready to Discover the Best Agency Strategies Working Today?

Most agency owners struggle to scale. We’ve developed an amazing mastermind to guide you through the journey of implementing the right systems so you can scale your agency — instead of feeling overwhelmed by it.

We do this by bringing together successful agency leaders to share strategies, offer advice, and reveal what’s working (and what’s not working) in their agency. The truth is, whatever you want to accomplish in life, nothing will help you go further, faster than getting the right adviser in the context of motivated peers. If you want to GROW fast and smart, Digital Agency Elite mastermind will help.

Keep Improving

Creating a strategy for lead gen for your agency can bring in more clients, particularly big brand clients and bring your digital agency to a whole new level but this can be a recipe for disaster if you don’t work on the other challenges you have within your business. Don’t worry, I can help you get through all of it.

I can give you advice on recognising new client opportunities to different ways of building authority to improve your agency.

If you are having issues with growing your agency, I’ve the different phases of growth within your agency and how performance based pricing can be the best pricing strategy for your business as well as the three questions you need to ask yourself to sell more!

Learn all about my career and different experiences as well as lots of tips, tricks and insights by checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics.

Check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.