{"id":1848,"date":"2020-04-15T19:07:18","date_gmt":"2020-04-15T23:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/?p=1848"},"modified":"2021-06-23T18:14:52","modified_gmt":"2021-06-23T22:14:52","slug":"engage-members-where-they-are-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/engage-members-where-they-are-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Engage Members Where They Are: Online"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Organizing a Meetup group isn\u2019t always an \u201cif you build it, they will come\u201d situation. My group, Bull City Beer Runners<\/a> in Durham, NC, has been around for over seven years and has more than 1,300 members and lots of Durhamites still don\u2019t know that we exist! Similar running clubs pop up on the same nights we have runs\u2014it\u2019s going to happen. You simply can\u2019t make sure that everyone knows who you are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you can try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing I love about Meetup is that you don\u2019t have to promote your group within Meetup\u2019s membership\u2014Meetup suggests your group to people in your area with an account. You just have to make sure you consistently have events planned (complete with good descriptions) and respond to questions in a timely manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create engagement where members gather<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most people will be joining your group to meet others. Sure, they\u2019re interested in the activity your group has to offer, but the point is that they want other people to enjoy the activity with them; otherwise, they\u2019d just do it solo. So when people make connections, encourage them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beer Runners who hit it off at an event will take the initiative and exchange phone numbers, but you can help move things along at a larger level by setting up a private Facebook group and a Facebook Messenger thread for folks to connect further by sharing local news and other related tidbits, creating invitations for unsanctioned (or non-Meetup) events, making plans in between events, and just chatting about their days. This has been incredibly valuable while we have a stay-at-home order. Members are posting pictures of their pets and extravagant lunch creations, sharing recommendations for shows to watch, and\u2014most importantly\u2014checking in on one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also have a Facebook page (which is public) that establishes us as a group in the community and provides information about who we are. The call to action button says \u201cSign Up\u201d and redirects to our Meetup page.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Represent your Meetup group\u2019s brand <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We also try to maintain a fun and informative Instagram presence. Our regular runs are included in our profile, and we post pictures of the group having a great time as often as possible (photos of the dogs that join us always perform well). It\u2019s also a great way to inform people of changes to a run, like that it\u2019s canceled because of inclement weather, or, I don\u2019t know, a pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On both Instagram and Facebook, we tag the bars we go to and engage with local businesses, brands, and other groups (like other run clubs) as much as we can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also have a presence on Strava, which is a fitness-focused app and website that runners use to track their miles and find new routes. You can comment on your friends\u2019 activity and photos, see how you compare in mileage and speed, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The point is that your current and future members are already on Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms related to their\u2014and your\u2014interests. So join them there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Keeping connected while social distancing <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that we\u2019re all practicing social distancing, these tools to foster connection and communication are more important than ever. We\u2019ve been having fun getting creative. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n