Start a b2b networking group

Start Your Own B2B Networking Group in 5 Easy Steps

Start a b2b networking group

Ask and Answer: Start a B2B Networking Group by Answering 5 Key Questions

Get Help Marketing a Networking Group A networking group can be an invaluable resource or even a source of new business. Here’s what you need to know to start a networking group of your own.

Whether you’re looking for a neighborhood meetup or you envision growing your group to a size which can only be described as “vast,” you’ll need to answer these five questions before starting a networking group if you want to get it right.

1. Why?

Think of this as the eternal why. Why does the group deserve to exist; is it really needed? Your answer to this question should resemble a business mission and vision statement. What is the ultimate good the group will bring to the world, and how will it get the job done? Likewise, your answer should define the group’s UVP (unique value proposition) in demonstrating that there isn’t another option out there that can accomplish the group’s purpose.

2. Who?

This is the same question every startup business owner needs to answer. Who should be in the group based on its “why?” Just as a business has ideal buyer types and segments of its target markets that are its most likely buyers, your networking group should have a list of potential members based on personas. You can then use this criterion to solicit members as well as limiting membership in order to preclude competing agendas.

3. How?

Based on your networking group desired makeup and its purpose, how will the group be administered?  Who will be in charge? What will meetings be like? How will its business get done?  The answer to how the group will be run is more than figuring out when meetings will occur; much more.

You don’t need to have a stringent list of meeting rules; however, without any structure at all, your meetings could easily be chaotic and out of alignment with the reason your networking group was started to begin with. You may need to determine whether there is a membership fee; and if so, who handles the money and how proceeds are to be allocated.

4. When?

What time of day is going to be most conducive to high attendance? If you set your networking group’s meeting time to one that is most convenient for you without taking your ideal member’s schedules into account, attendance will suffer.

How often does your networking group need to meet in order for its members to gain value and for the group’s vision to be attained? If meetings occur only sporadically or not often enough to make progress members might find it a waste of time. Conversely, if meetings are held too frequently

5. Where?

This could be one of the most challenging aspects of running your own networking group: where will the group meet? If your group is made up of local members, one or more of them may volunteer to host meetings or you may be able to find a conference room available in your local library or other municipal facilities.

Some additional questions hide in this last question of where; for instance, depending on your networking group’s meeting place, will you need to provide chairs, tables, audio-visual or other equipment or furnishings? Will food or beverages be offered? Who will be responsible for setting the space up and taking it down afterward, tidying up, taking care of food and drink, etc.?

Join a Networking Group in Your Community

You might not be ready to take on the time-commitment of your own group. The good news is there are probably networking groups already established in your own community. Not only can membership help you achieve your business goals and give you access to peers, mentors and community resources, it can be a good training ground to learn about group structure and organization so that you’ll be better prepared if and when the time comes to start your own group.

Get Help Managing and Marketing Your Networking Group

Another way to quickly launch and grow your own networking group is to enlist the help of freelance marketing consultants or a marketing agency that can help you define your group’s “why,” and find and attract members. While it’s not a business, many of the foundational pieces of starting your own networking group are similar to that of starting a business, so working with a marketing consultant could help you jump-start your efforts. A marketing consultant can help:

  • Write a compelling mission and vision statement for your networking group
  • Identify potential target audiences (group members) and build member personas
  • Write a marketing plan for your networking group and/or help execute its marketing strategies
  • Publish an e-newsletter following group meetings
  • Use email marketing to solicit and communicate with members
  • Do social media for the group
  • Create and maintain a website for the networking group
  • Naming, branding and logo creation

And so on. Likewise, if your group will be charging membership fees, you might want to work with a local CPA or another finance professional to ensure proper handling of money, bookkeeping, distribution of funds, applicable taxes, business fees, etc.

Get a free, no-risk quote for marketing services for your group, association or other organization:

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