DOTC: Meetup 101

I've mentioned Meetup before, when talking about Leads Referral Marketing Groups, but I'd like to discuss it a little more in-depth.  Meetup is a social network, like Facebook, but aimed helping people of similar interests find each other and meet in real life.

I have no clever caption for this image.
CURSES, FOILED!

First thing you should know: to join as a user, Meetup is completely free.  However, if you want to start your own group, you must pay organizer dues.  Some meetups will thus charge a fee to cover these dues, or may impose other fees upon attendance, so make sure you understand all of that before you show up!

By the way, I use Meetup for my personal hobbies and interests as well - and I do not mix the two on one profile, much as I have a business Twitter account and a personal Twitter account.

Next, once you join, do not neglect to make your profile professional, including a good picture.  I consider my Meetup profile no different than my LinkedIn profile, so I gave a lot of thought to my bio.  It's a distilled version of my generic "elevator speech" or "30 second pitch".

Depending on how you want to target groups, the next thing you will do is choose a few interests.  For leads referral groups, try "referral marketing" "referrals" "business networking" and similar topics.  If you are industry specific or highly targeted, try including keywords associated to those industries.

You can choose to add Facebook to your account, but I only did that with my personal account, not my business account.

Okay, once your profile is all set up, then start searching for groups, using some of the keywords I suggested above.  Once you find one you like, you probably will have to join it to see meeting details.  Most groups ask a few questions before you are allowed to join, and be sure to fill them out completely and well - think of this as marketing like any other, like you are pitching to a brand-new potential customer you just met.

You may be approved instantly, or it may take a bit for the meeting organizer to approve you.  Either way, eventually, they should add you to the group.

I advise starting with one or two groups at most, then expanding from there, as your  marketing plan, time and budget allows.  Be sure to RSVP to a Meetup's meeting (with Yes/No/Maybe and any guests you're bringing with you, if applicable).  That will help the group out a lot, as most people on Meetup attend meetups where lots of others are going vs. ones that seem like few are going.

Meetup can add group meetings to your calendar if you wish (I find that feature extremely valuable!).  Learn how here.

So get out there and start meeting up on Meetup - it's a great way to get in front of lots of people who may need your product or service, and meet people you can refer to your clientele!

Got a great tip about Meetup? Let me know!

Bombs Gone Wrong (Part 2)

Let's keep talking about "bomb" marketing tactics - and avoiding blowing your own house up in the process!  (Start at Part 1)

Shortcut Shenanigans

Nope, this won't hurt a bit.

I shared this story via Twitter once before, but I'd like to talk about it a little more here, so go read it (I'll wait):

A Confession: I Bought 50,000 Twitter Followers

This "bomb"  literally bombed, didn't it? Not only did it compromise her integrity (as this is cheating, kids, no matter what anybody says), it didn't even work!

You will be tempted to engage in shady bomb tactics - such as passing out flyers on the sly at an expo where only exhibitors are supposed to do marketing, such as buying likes or followers on social media, and other tactics that are shortcuts and opportunities only suckers won't pursue.

Some people will imply that you have to do such things to be successful or get ahead.  I call shenanigans!

My advice?  There are no shortcuts and don't compromise your integrity, ever.

Good Bomb, Bad Target

Bomb tactics need to be well targeted in order to be most effective.

Here's a story from my casino days to illustrate this problem.

INCOMING!!!

In order to have a big day, Casino X wanted to do a prize giveaway on a very competitive night of the week. Usually such giveaways were given to customers with certain behaviors - the ideal would be generation of an "incremental" trip (that is, for a person to come into the casino when they typically wouldn't have) so usually, they would target people who aren't as frequent or were high value so the incremental nature of their visit was offset in top line revenue.

However, they wanted to have a HUGE day, so they went very deep into their database and included their very most frequent, high-redeeming customers (for this market, some of them were at the casino every single day).

Result?  More than twice the anticipated redemptions (they ran out of prizes and had to issue rain checks), very long lines full of very angry customers, gummed up operations for hours, and a lot of customer care needed post-event.  Plus, the people who actually came were the very ones who didn't need an offer to come in the first place.

Great bomb, wrong target.  Completely missed the mark!

If you're going for a high-impact marketing bomb, just make sure you:

1. Plan and execute follow-up
2. Collect and record results
3. Keep your tactic above-board
4. Choose the right audience for your tactic

Do you have any horror stories of bombs going off in your face?  Let's talk about it!

Leads to Nowhere

I'm a pretty active networker.

I try very hard to practice the principle of taking care of people I network with (assuming they will take care of me).  Part of that is that I try very hard to find good leads for the people I network with.

Note:  GOOD leads.

Sometimes that means that there is a person I network with that hasn't gotten a lead from me yet.  It's not that I'm not trying, I just haven't found a "hot" lead I think is worth his or her time.

Take my friend Eric Spawn.  Eric owns The Spawn Group, which does home remodeling and roofing.  I've known Eric for about a year and a half, and I like him a lot.

In the time I've known him, I've given Eric one lead.

One.

That lead didn't even lead to a job.  But I recommended Eric to someone I care a lot about, and I recommend him to you, too.  Remember, I take recommendations very seriously.

I am constantly looking for ways to get Eric a referral.  But I won't give him "leads" that aren't going to help him.  I like and respect him too much to waste his time.  I want to be sure that Eric has a good chance to turn a lead into business.

I'm pretty sure there's a good lead in here somewhere.

Sometimes, especially if you are in a leads referral group and are trying to "lock in" membership that requires leads to become a member, you grasp at straws, trying to think of ANY name to provide as a lead.

While usually this is well intentioned, what happens is that the person given the lead tries to develop it, and it turns out, the referral isn't really ready or willing to engage in business.  So it's basically a dead end.

So before you provide a lead, consider whether there is a reasonable chance that it will develop, or is it just a shot in the dark guess that it might work out.  If the latter - hold off, investigate it a little more yourself, and if you have a good feeling that it will turn into business, facilitate the introduction yourself.

Your referral partners will appreciate it - and do the same for you.

What do you think?  I'd love to hear from you!

Do You Even Rec, Bro?

Recently, a couple of very nice people sent me a mass message on LinkedIn asking me to provide a professional rating on some site they want to use.   It's basically for a site hosting an 'online business card' with ratings and such.

I'm not going to do that.

Of the two, one is a person I have some direct interaction with (i.e., I see them a couple of times a month or so at small business functions), and the other, not so much.

I have never done business with either of these people, and I don't know either well on a personal level.

No.  No I will not.

So to recommend or rate them (positively or negatively) would be disingenuous.

Or to put it more bluntly - it'd be a lie.

You see, when you recommend somebody, you are putting your own reputation on the line.

This is the same basic reason why, in leads referral groups, it can take some time to start seeing leads come your way (qualified leads, anyway). When a group member recommends you to a friend or customer, your performance reflects upon them, too.

And before you do that, you have to make sure that the person you're recommending is up to snuff and worthy of risking your own reputation.

This also applies to recommendations on web sites or in social media (especially LinkedIn).  I won't recommend anybody I don't know well, or I haven't worked with directly.

I want my recommendation to mean something.

So, do you even rec, bro?  If so - make sure it counts.

DOTC: Bouncing Back

In marketing, we tend to focus on leads acquisition - that is, bringing in new customers.

While that is absolutely a function of marketing, another major task of marketing that often goes neglected is growing revenue from our existing customer base (a third is activation of lasped customers, but we'll save that for another time).

And there, my friend, you can find a bunch of cheap marketing tactics that will work well to grow your business.

Let's take a classic loyalty program tactic - the bounceback program.

These can take a many forms -  I'll focus on a couple that don't require special technology or equipment and can be done for very little cost.

Jeremy is having a little difficulty
 with the punch card concept.

THE PUNCH CARD

This is old-school, and cheap.  Make up business-card sized punch cards - have your customer get a punch every purchase (or after spending (x) number of dollars).  After so many purchases, they get a reward.

Pros:  easy to execute and promote, inexpensive, low-technology

Cons:  people forget they have them, almost impossible to track results

Variant: What if you did this as a referral program?  Existing customer gets so many punches for referrals, getting a really good reward after the card is filled?

BOUNCEBACK COUPONS

These kinds of coupons are usually given after a purchase is concluded, in order to incite a return visit (a "bounceback").  Make sure your coupon has a relatively short redemption window - first, because you want them to return quickly, and second, because they will forget they have the coupon after too long a period.

Pros:  easy to execute, inexpensive, low-technology, easy to track results if coded properly
Cons: people forget they have them, doesn't work well for businesses that have a long repurchase window

Variant: If you have a long repurchase window, make this coupon a "refer a friend" coupon.  When the friend's coupon is redeemed, the person who gave out the coupon gets a reward

Do you have any favorite cheap ways to "bounceback" a customer?  Let me know in the comments!

Doing Things On The Cheap (DOTC): Leads (Referral) Marketing (aka "networking")

Leads (or referral) marketing activities can be one of the best, most effective tools in your arsenal as a small business.

These groups work by bringing together people in a variety of industries for the express purpose of creating relationships so you can confidently refer people to each other.

It is very common for these kinds of groups to be industry exclusive - once a member from a specific industry "locks in" membership (and how to do that varies from group to group) no other person in that industry is allowed to participate in the group.

It's a great way to meet other business people who are there for the purpose of meeting you and learning more about you.  They’re also great if you need to practice speaking in public (as you will usually do at least a 30 second “pitch” about you and your business).

So wait, which color of wine goes with my business card, again?

There usually are several groups in your area – some completely free, some cheap, some pricey.  I’m going to focus on finding the first two rather than the latter (if you are interested in the latter, check out groups like BNI or NetWorkz.  Also, many local Chambers of Commerce have these sorts of groups going for their members - if you are a Chamber member, use this service!) 

Go to Meetup and set up an account for yourself (do it as your business, not you, personally).  Make sure you use a good - and accurate - picture of yourself and fill out your profile completely.

Search for meetups within your target geography (typically not too far from your house or center of business) using the following interest keywords:

Referrals, small business owners, network marketing, business referral exchange, referral marketing, small business marketing, marketing strategy, business entrepreneurs.

You should also add any special terms related to your ideal customer base (as some groups may be industry specific).  Over time, additional terms will be suggested to you by Meetup in order to find more groups.

Several meetups should appear, unless you live in a very small place.  If none do anywhere near you, and you're the organized and outgoing type, you could try starting one yourself (I'll write about that another time).

Join a few on Meetup, go to the meeting, do one-on-one meetings with the people you meet there, develop relationships, and above all, learn as much as you can about the group members and do your very best to refer leads to them as much as you can.

They will pay you in kind, at least, a good group will (I talk about "bad" groups in "Five Reasons Your Leads Referral Group Sucks" Part One and Part Two).

Be aware it can take a while to get traction in a group, so don't expect a ton of leads on your first visit.  This marketing tactic requires patience and time to develop trust, and you must do your best to contribute to the group by bringing in new members as much as possible.

Many, if most, of the groups you find on Meetup either are free (they are at a restaurant and the expectation is that you buy something to eat - you can keep your cash expense down by ordering just ice water or a soda or something) or have a very small fee of some sort.  So, essentially, the major investment here is your time, especially as you also need to have stand-alone one-on-one meetings outside of group meetings to get to know the members better.

Of course, you will need to evaluate the investment in time and money versus the return (generally measured in leads) like any other tactic.  Be objective, but also don't discount the "vibe" of the group in your decision making process.

You may need more than one group, but don't do too many, as the "pool" of people you can refer business to will be too large to be meaningful.  The key here is building relationships and being known as someone who actively seeks leads for the rest of the group.

So sign up for Meetup and get going - let me know how it's working for you!

Five Reasons Your Leads Referral Group Sucks (Part 2)

We talked about the first two reasons in Part 1.  Here’s three more - do any of them sound familiar?

3) It’s a Clique

Membership might be easy, and the locked in industries specific and wide open to lots of people, but this kind of group is typically quite small.

New people are not warmly welcomed, they don’t go out of their way to talk to new participants, conversation is entirely self-referential (thus, outsiders don’t know what they are talking about) and any violation of group rules/mores are harshly dealt with (either verbally or with body language - see how many eyes are rolled).

Not a single person approaches you to schedule a one-on-one after the meeting.

This is not a leads referral group.  This is a private social club using the leads referral group technique to write off having breakfast/lunch together legitimately as a business expense.

I've seen it personally once but I've heard of it many times. The only good news I have for you with groups like this is that it’s hard to find one without being invited, especially if Meetup is the main way you find new groups – they’re not typically on Meetup as they want to keep their little group... little.

4) The Leaders Act Like Bosses

Let's talk about your participation
in our charity 5K run ONE MORE TIME.

For me, one of the best things about leaving corporate life and doing my own thing is that I don’t have someone that I report to on a daily basis that’s allowed to yell at me (or rather, sternly talk to I guess – I haven’t worked for many yellers) for any reason.

It’s one of the perks of going on your own, right?  No boss.

But some leads referral groups have a culture where the leadership – either one person, or a committee – feels like it has the right (or goodness gracious me, the duty) to order the membership around.  It seems to be more common in groups that have a pretty steep membership fee, but it’s not just them.

They’ll shame members into activities or hold them to group goals/standards as if they were setting down a business plan in a corporation, and all of their jobs were on the line – and if the goals aren't met, there is hell to pay in a stern talking to, sometimes in a public meeting.

Yes, it’s fine for groups to have goals, standards and rules. But to act like the world will end if it is not met, and we’ll all be fired (especially for goals that are not related to generating leads for members directly) is just crazy.

This is not a leads referral group – this is an old-fashioned J-O-B.

5) No New Blood

This is more about apathy than anything, and it’s really the way to spot a dying group.

There aren’t any new guests to the group in weeks – you’re the only new person they've seen in a while.  And they will tell you this.  And they will latch on to you like a starving man on a half-eaten bison burger from FnG Eats.

This group may be quite friendly and nice, but honestly, if you’re the first new person they've seen in weeks, it’s not a viable group - these guys are not out making new contacts, finding new customers, and trying to grow business.  They are coasting and hoping you, the newbie, will do that work for them.

If you have some free time, and this group works for you for other reasons (such as location/time/target customer), it's okay if you want to get in there and start trying to grow it. I wish you luck.  But make sure you really strongly consider the time/effort investment in a dying or dead group before you go down that path - you will be growing that group all by yourself for a while.

So, those are the five reasons your leads referral group sucks.  Are you wasting your precious time/money on groups like this?  Is your favorite group starting to show any of these signs?

Did I miss anything?  Let me know!

Five Reasons Your Leads Referral Group Sucks (Part 1)

I do a lot of leads referral marketing, and I've been to more groups than I can count (and I get invited to new ones all the time – they are, at least in my area, thick on the ground and a key tactic for small businesses in my area).

But sometimes, I run across a group and I’m like, “Wow, this group is just… wow.”

And I do not mean this in a good way.

Here's five things I've seen or heard of in groups that seem to be missing the point - you get two in this post, and three in part two (ooh, a cliffhanger!)

1) It’s too hard to become a member

I understand that you want to only associate with people that are as invested in the purpose of the group as you are.  After all, you don’t want any “free riders” and you want to protect your time and money investment in the group.

But my goodness, the hurdles some groups are asking people to jump over – before they are able to participate long enough to understand if all that effort is even worth it – are ridiculous.

I've heard of groups that require five or more one-on-ones with members (or even just a select group of members – like a “membership committee”), bringing five or more guests not in already “locked in” industries, make five or more referrals (or even worse - sales or bookings), and then the membership (or that committee) votes you in or rejects you, and then you have to also pay a yearly fee.  And you have to do this within a specific time frame or you start all over.

Yikes!  Are you trying to create a leads referral group, or are you creating a country club?  If it’s that hard to get in, aren't you limiting your group to a very small, select group?  How will you get fresh blood – and referral sources – if you make it so hard to join?

2) Industries “Locked In” are too broad

Okay, so, let’s say a group has a graphic artist in the group, and he’s a “locked in” member (no other people can join in his industry).  His name is Sebastian. His main focus is designing logos, print pieces, and signage for businesses, but Sebastian also has a little experience in designing web pages and making online videos.

You're such a jerk, Sebastian.

Rowanne shows up to the group, and Rowanne, while also a graphic designer, is completely focused on building web pages and making online videos.

While yes, Rowanne’s business overlaps Sebastian’s, if the group allows both, they can both specialize and both can work together (and refer to each other).

But in many groups, Sebastian would not “allow” Rowanne into the group, in order to protect his leads (because he might want that web/video business).

This is horrifically short sighted, people, and a sign of a membership that is so afraid that the product/service they offer is so poor it can’t survive without a highly protected leads market.

To me, it smacks of low self-esteem and lack of confidence in yourself and your product.  Groups made up of people like this tend to be full of drama, gossip, and a waste of time.

I'll list the three other reasons in Part 2.  What do you think so far?  Have you encountered groups like this?