Networking Ideas?

[bjay99]

I am looking for new networking ideas. I have used meetup.com quite a bit to meet new people and network last year. I am looking for some new and creative places where I can go to network this year. Would love to hear of any non-traditional places that you have found to be effective for networking.

Thanks in advance!

[Freelancier]

So you have "networking" as one of your marketing tactics. What's your marketing strategy? Without that, how would we know what's the right place for you to network?

[David Hunter]

How about a BNI group or joining your local chamber of commerce?

[dlevine]

You should try a referral group in your area. I joined a referral group called (BBRN (http://bbrn.ca)) last year, and it worked wonders for my business. I'm not a big networker and being a part of a referral group makes it easy to network with others.

[gtatellipsis]

Not sure what your business is and how big it is, so it's difficult to answer. I'd suggest checking out various local meetups and forums in your business domain. Like someone else has mentioned - Chamber of Commerce is good one to be at. Also there are a ton of organizations and fairly affordable conferences that are not on meetup.com.

[Timmons]

With NO IDEA and no reply to questions asked here, it seems your "PLAN" is going to stay unhinged, because you wont tell no one what it is that you do! :)

[GregB]

I joined Toastmaster's and have met a lot of people there. You can go to various Toastmaster clubs, so you can target the areas you're interested in. At the same time, you can learn some great public speaking skills. I've found it's helped me in many ways. In fact I feel much more comfortable at networking events and also in dealing with clients and potential clients. So you get the networking aspect, plus you get to develop your own skills. I highly recommend it.

[m50]

You can also try to make business connections with help of social media. Become member of a groups that are interesting for your business.

[Kyle Johnston]

It depends on what exactly your business is. I would recommend social media on top of meetup. Facebook and linkedin are good for networking in a business sense. It worked well for me and can work well for a variety of different businesses. If you have a business that can benefit from guest blogging, then this is another great way to network and generate leads. I hope this helps, good luck!