CASE STUDY: Member of the Year, Claire Taylor, explains why she believes the value of membership is ‘tremendous’ and how the Barnsley group have become her proactive marketing team.
Deciding where to spend your marketing pounds can be tricky, so it’s great when you feel a membership is ‘incredible value for money’.
Client Profile
Raspberry Flamingo are an award winning copywriting and content creation agency who specialise in SEO copy, award entries, lead magnets and email marketing campaigns. Founder, Claire Taylor is a seasoned networker who fell in love with The Growth Community format during the pandemic. But it wasn’t until the Barnsley group opened in April 2022 that she put down some roots and got properly involved, later taking on the role of Group Leader. Since then, she’s gone on be voted Community Member of the Year 2023.
Success Summary
Claire tried the Growth Community out online during the pandemic but waited until the right group for her was launched and joined immediately.
She believes that our six weekly Member Only meetings are what sets us apart from other networks.
She loved how welcomed she felt at the outset and how evident it was that members and guests were Working Together.
Claire was shocked to be voted Member of the Year 2023 by the community, but says you get out what you put in.
She has received a Member of the Month nomination EVERY month since the initiative began in summer 2022. Often multiple nominations!
Claire has seen an increase in business turnover since joining the community and had the opportunity to collaborate with members both at Barnsley and across other groups.
She believes that membership is incredible value for money.
Why Claire Joined The Growth Community
Claire loves the structure of Growth Community meetings. From her first meeting she was impressed by how welcome she felt and was bowled over by how many people invited her for 121 meetings (and actually did them!)
“It was evident from the outset that people really do work together at The Growth Community and that relationships were being created.”
Member Only Meetings set us apart
Every third fortnight, Growth Community meetings are for members only. These sessions ensure members get to know each other beyond the 60 second pitch, share their business goals and can brief their team on what support they need in the coming weeks. It’s also where they can talk about anything they are struggling with in their business or get feedback on new ideas. It creates a gentle accountability to the group without having to get too formal with scoreboards and spreadsheets.
“Without the Member Only meetings, The Growth Community would just be another network. They add so much value to the membership and are worth the fee on their own. It turns a networking group into a proactive marketing team. We really get to know each other properly and learn exactly what we need to be doing to help each other move forward.”
Why you should book on a meeting
“Come along and experience a meeting, It’s fun. It’s relaxed. Everybody will welcome you with open arms and want to know what they can do to help you. I recommend you come with an open mind. As with all networking, it’s not necessarily who is in the room, it’s who they know. And what I would say is that members of The Growth Community have an awful lot of contacts!”
Claire’s advice for getting the most out of your visit
“Don’t just come to one meeting and go. It’s about building relationships. Don’t just think ‘I’ve got nothing from it so I’m not coming again’. Go back. Have 121s outside the meeting. Get to know people because they will 100% want to help you if you take a bit of time to get to know them too.”
The great thing about GC meetings is that you can visit up to SIX times a year without any membership obligations. So, there’s no excuse not to come back for a revisit!
Why she feels membership is incredible value for money
“Membership is remarkably well priced, considering you’re getting two meetings of your group every month (including the 6 weekly Member Only meeting). On top of that you get a community-wide online meeting, the Facebook group, the WhatsApp group and the opportunity to attend other community meetings. The value for money is tremendous!”
On being Member of the Year 2023
Every year our entire community nominate a Member of the Year. Claire Taylor received the most votes at our annual awards event in January for standing out across the community.
“It was such a shock to hear my name read out for this award! It was completely unexpected! But it gave me a real buzz!”
Claire puts her success in The Growth Community down to being memorable and consistent:
“I am genuinely interested in learning about people and seeing where I can add value. I make sure that I am visible by engaging in the Member Facebook Group, turning up to our online community networking (when I can), visiting other groups and getting to know other members – or just connecting with people through the directory. I am happy to help when people need my support with little tasks. It really helps to forge relationships. Other times I will make introductions, share ideas or just sometimes be a shoulder when people need it. I think it’s just about showing up and being interested. It probably also helps when you have pink hair! That tends to make you noticeable!”
Useful Resources
Claire is always happy to share her knowledge and help other businesses (or even advise how you can can get incredible value from a GC Membership!) You can connect with her on LinkedIn or visit her website.
The Growth Community has more resources for developing networking strategy such as: Improving 121s, building trust or helping you to decide if networking groups are right for you. Visit our library for more resources.
Or if you want to see what Claire has been talking about pop along to one of our friendly meetings and start your networking journey with The Growth Community.
