Are you making the best use of Facebook and LinkedIn to publicize your Meetup events?

More and more business events are held through Meetup groups these days. By promoting them on these social media sites, you increase the chances of more people knowing about and attending them.

 

Review Your Meetup Group Photo and Profile

Before you start taking my advice, check your Meetup profile. Often, people start out using Meetup for social purposes, so their Meetup photo is more informal.

If you are aligning your Meetup group’s events with your business use of social media, your photo should be professional. Replace your casual photo with the professional head shot you use for business.

Also, be sure your profile info for the Meetup group/event you’re promoting is professional. Unlike your photo, you can change your profile details for each Meetup group you belong to. So, for the more business-oriented ones, you can have a more business-oriented bio.

 

Use Facebook to Promote Meetup Group Events

  • Promote the event by posting about it on your personal page and on your business page (if you have one).
  • Tag people involved in planning and coordinating the event. Use the @ sign right before the first name of people you want to tag. Then keep typing the rest of their name until their name and photo appear. Click on the box that has this info.
  • Include the URL to the Meetup group’s event in the text of your post.
  • If you have photos of past events, consider including one of two of them.
  • Or use a photo of the presenter for the specific event you’re promoting, if the event has a presenter. Tag the presenter.
  • Consider boosting posts about these events on your business page. But keep in mind that boosted posts can’t have too much text in them. Facebook wants its ads, including boosted posts, to be primarily visual in nature.
  • In addition, you could create a Facebook event through your personal or business page. Include the URL to the Meetup in the section about where to get tickets for the event.

 

Use LinkedIn to Promote Meetup Group Events

  • Use the same approach described above when you create a post on your LinkedIn home page.
  • Visuals are very important on LinkedIn, so be sure to include photos as described above.
  • Similarly, be sure to mention key people involved, even if you are not connected with them on LinkedIn. Use the same approach as described above regarding tagging someone on Facebook.
  • FYI, there is no longer an event feature on LinkedIn.

 

Finally, once the event is over, be sure to use both Facebook and LinkedIn to share photos and posts. It’s another terrific way to remind folks that the group exists, while illustrating how great its events are.

 

How About You?

What has been your experience with promoting Meetup group events on Facebook and/or LinkedIn?

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 45 and up, to become more effective using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter. She works with business owners, nonprofit organizations, retired people, consultants, and many others. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.