Meetup Groups and Pitching Your Irresistible Message

Patrick Powers struggled in the early years of his career and did not have many connections. Lucky for him, he had copywriting and networking skills that he used to start and grow professional meetup groups. Using Facebook's pay-per-click ads to invite more participants, Patrick's group grew and is one of the largest meetup groups globally and the largest in Europe.

In this episode, we will discover how to create funnels that convert and tips on engaging with clients. The Five Echelon Group's Founder/CMO Eric Dickmann has a compelling conversation with Patrick M. Powers about meetup groups, neuro-marketing strategies, and the impact of sales letters to your business.

Advantage of Being in Meetup Groups

Meetup Groups connect people with similar interests. These events bring its members together to connect, discuss, discover, and practice activities related to their shared interests and careers. The goal of meetup groups is to establish genuine bonds with like-minded business people who can expand your business to reach its full potential. Compared to traditional group gatherings, these groups are much easier to access and contact because people are more interactive and eager to hear from people with similar expertise.

Meetup groups are similar to BNI network groups and training groups, except that their system is interactive, fun, and attractive to groups of established and rising young entrepreneurs. Patrick and his meetup group prefer holding training and workshops with individuals below the age of 55 because the youth vibes better with their events' energy.

We live in an era where unlimited advertisements and promotions bombard us. It sometimes becomes almost impossible to distinguish, which is believable or not. Powers tells us that despite this, we should make efforts to stand out above the competition. Stay ahead of the game by getting the attention of viewers through relevant and up-to-date content. Not all viewers would be attracted to your product or service which is why sometimes you have to go the extra mile to create an alternative strategy to engage the market in your business.

Engaging Clients to Your Business

Emotions are significant drivers of consumer behavior. Most businesses focus their strategies on the facts rather than appealing to a customer's sentiments. Businesses need to understand that people tend to buy based on feelings and emotion. Yes, facts are important, but companies need to put a personal touch in their branding to elicit an emotional response.

The keys to Instagram's success are that user posts and stories evoke emotion and engagement. Featured content on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat has been so successful because it allows content creators to package up a story. Patrick adds that video is becoming extremely important to customers your brand may be left behind and trampled by competitors if companies don't get on board with the video marketing trend.

It's important to understand how you're projecting your voice in sales conversations. Experts say that being monotonous in explaining concepts is a poor way to get customers' full attention. You have to have an engaging voice and vary your tone to the audience's mood and the topic being discussed. As much as possible, use hand movements when emphasizing a point because most of the time, people won't give you their attention if you are standing still on the podium.

According to DreamGrow, photo and video content are essential for your marketing strategy because:

1. Videos boost conversions and sales
2. Videos show a great return of investment
3. Photos and videos build trust
4. Google loves videos
5. Photos and videos appeal to mobile users
6. Video marketing can explain everything that the customers need to know
7. Video engages even the laziest buyers
8. Photos and videos encourage social shares

Neuro-marketing in Your Business Strategy

Patrick Powers says that a big marketing idea is something that will help you stand out. There are times that the brain makes an irrational decision on the purchasing end. Powers elaborates that marketers should appreciate and understand the irrational side of customers for them to develop tactics to target that blind spot of customers. You've got to get an idea and create a compelling message around that thought for it to work. 

Neuro-marketing is combining marketing efforts and neuroscience concepts to unlock the reasoning behind consumer behavior. Businesses started using Neuro-marketing in the 1990s, and since the application of the strategy, many companies were able to grow and learn from this relevant technique. This field studies how consumers choose a particular product or another and how they respond to a specific marketing element such as advertising and packaging. Big companies use Neuro-marketing in their strategy because it eliminates much of the guesswork in creating successful and implementable marketing advertisements and campaigns. 

AutoPilot gives us five relevant ways we can apply Neuro-marketing to our business strategy:

1. Explore eye movement patterns- Analyze how customers look at your products and services to determine which stands out or not from their point of view. Use this gathered information to reinvent your physical and online store display. Focus on appealing to your customer's desires.
2. Make use of psychological mind tricks- Research and experience show that light-colored products sell higher when placed on the top shelf, while dark-colored products market better when positioned on the lower shelves. Posting a $9.99 price tag instead of $10.00 is proven to be more attractive to customers.
3. Adopt sensory marketing- Adopt sensory marketing strategies to improve the effectiveness of your market strategy. Pleasant smells and lighting usually redirect the customer's attention and experience to a whole new level.
4. Lower barriers to entry- People love sales and free trials! Experts claim that people would most likely buy your product if it is easier to engage in your website than taking long steps before accessing it.
5. Reveal a smiling personality- Marketers should add a touch of a smile to their product advertisements and service. Laughter and happiness release endorphins in the brain that promote togetherness and social inclusion.

Creating a Funnel That Converts

Nobody will buy from you if they don't know who you are and what you do. You build a reputation with your customers and try to prove your worth not by trying to sell something or pushing high cost products first. Instead, consider giving free samples of your goods or short trials of your services so that the customers may experience the value you offer.

Funnels are basically sales processes but allow you to offer additional products and services as part of the sales process. Businesses who don't have funnels as part of their sales strategy model miss potential opportunities to sell more right when the buyer is most likely to make additional purchases. Think of a funnel as a series, instead of just trying to sell to them once; you are trying to construct a chain of products that fit together logically.

Companies should start considering funnels instead of just building a website that focuses on single product sales. Patrick emphasizes that customers want us to prove that our businesses know their place in the market. That is why we should be willing to start with something for free or small and then gradually build it up as the trust grows in that relationship. Business people should understand the lifecycle of their sales. This includes appreciating and recognizing what stage that prospect or customer is in and delivering the right message at the right stage of that particular sale cycle.

Businesses fail in messaging because they don't know the real value of the goods or services they sell. They tend to be unconfident and hesitant with the values and overlook the power of uniqueness. The truth is that many messages are generic and not compelling. Businesses need to be bold with their marketing efforts and not duplicate competitors' messages. Duplication will only make your brand less attractive.

You want customers to think of the qualities that set you apart from the rest of your competitors. You are at a disadvantage if you are a new business who replicates advertising strategies from the older companies; obviously, clients would prefer the more established brands than your own. Patrick pushes new business owners to be bold but specific with their market approach. 

Being unique is important. Not only does it help increase conversions, but so can help with customer response. It's important to put a touch of your business' personality on your website handles and in your marketing strategy. Emulating more prominent companies' approaches, thinking that this would make you look bigger and better, is not advisable. You need to also have an excellent eye for detail because sometimes it's  the smallest things that can determine if a marketing campaign  succeeds or fails. 

Impact of Sales Letters on Businesses

Sales letters are an essential element of your marketing approach. The classic format of a sales letter requires having the name of your product or service as the headline but this can be a mistake since they are not yet recognized by the prospect. Patrick Powers identifies trust as the aspect commonly overlooked by many people because it brings no monetary value. Small businesses must understand that many big businesses were able to build the reputation they have right now because they won the familiarity of the market. People see those large brand names and advertisements everywhere- on paper, media, television, billboards.

Powers points out that you've got to give promises. People only take action if they understand the value of the business they are working with. For instance, if you are a business coach selling your service, a promise you can give is- "Guarantee you double your lead flow. In two weeks. Or your money back." People may not be necessarily familiar with your name or company brand, but they might be willing to make a sale because you're making a promise back to them. From the very start, you've got to hook people up with something that is of high value and importance to them.

Live Stream Replay

FAQ

• Meetup Groups can help you grow your business because you meet people who share similar interests and goals like you.
• Keep ahead of the game by getting the attention of viewers through relevant and up-to-date content.
• Emotions are significant drivers of consumer behavior.
• Building a community can become a powerful tool to share your knowledge and gain the support of peers.
• Being confident in front of the camera takes time. It is a learning process that you have to enjoy and grow with.

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