How do I market a new business with free events, Facebook groups and conferences?

I posted free AI office hours in a few small, low-engagement Facebook groups for captive insurance agents. Minimal reach. It got 29 RSVPs.

Why did that work?

Industry-specific framing. "AI office hours for insurance agents" beats "AI office hours" because the right people know it's for them. If small, quiet groups gave me 29, one large insurance agent group could plausibly give 100 to 200 with the same effort. That's my estimate, not a result yet.

The next step is finding insiders in other verticals to co-host, so each industry gets its own version.

Do free local meetups help?

Yes, for name recognition. I host AI meetups. The first had five people, super smart AI folks. The next had 13 or 14, and half weren't AI people at all.

"People constantly seeing your name, your events. It's free, but no effort."

How do you trade free work for introductions?

I told the director of a local organization I'd train 20 of her people on AI for free in exchange for introductions to other business owners. Free office hours and in-person events had already generated inbound.

Does a free offer in a newsletter work?

It did for me. One mention of a free AI 101 training in my local newsletter got about 100 sign-ups. People are so wanting this stuff. I'll admit I hadn't delivered it yet when I talked about it, because I had too much going on. Don't do that part.

How do you do a conference booth on no budget?

I once had a free vendor booth at a state press association conference and no display materials three days out. A friend's tactic saved me:

1. Buy a cheap TV on the way there, $80 to $150.
2. Run an auto-rotating Google Slides or PowerPoint deck covering your products, so you're not turning a laptop around all day.
3. Build the deck with AI.
4. Raffle the TV at the end instead of shipping it home. My friend saw a software vendor do exactly that.

What ties these together?

Free and specific. Pick one group (insurance agents, local business owners, small-town newspaper publishers), give them something useful, and show up where they already gather.