Misfit Entrepreneur June 2023 - 357: Prove it! How to Build Trust and Your Brand the Right with Melanie Deziel

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Dave Lukas Chats with Melanie Deziel

357: Prove it! How to Build Trust and Your Brand the Right Way with Melanie Deziel

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Melanie Deziel. Melanie is the founder of Storyfuel. She is a keynote speaker, author, and award-winning branded content creator, Melanie has spent her career developing the skills to think differently and discover new ways to engage audiences through content.

She was the first-ever editor of branded content at The New York Times, a founding member of HuffPost’s brand storytelling team, and Director of Creative Strategy for Time Inc's 35 US magazines.

She’s the author of multiple bestsellers including her latest, Prove it: Exactly How Modern Markets earn trust. Building trust is one of the most critical aspects to building a great business and brand in today’s world and Melanie has proven time and time again to be the go-to learn how to do so.

www.StoryFuel.co

www.CreatorKitchen.com

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Show Notes

Melanie started out in journalism thinking she would be a reporter. When she graduated, she found newsrooms downsizing. She realized that if she wanted to work in this area, she needed to do it on the business side. She found a role at Huffington post as a content strategist working with advertisers. It was a “happy accident” and kicked off her career. She joined a built a team at the New York times next and then went on to Time Magazine. She realized to have a bigger impact was to go out on her own. 10 years later, the leap has paid off.

What does it mean to build and have trust?

There are different kinds of trust. In a business context, what does your audience need to know and believe about you to do business with you?
Trust is lost when there is a mismatch between reality and the way a business is presented.
It is about manage the expectations of what your audience believes and knows about the business.

You wrote “Prove It” talking about how to prove trust in a business. Can you give some examples of examples of brands that have done this well?

Brands that are living their values and proving it are ones that provide proof of what they do that back up what they say.
Brands that do a really good job of this are ones that are very well connected to their purpose.
Patagonia is a good example – a very mission driven company that every day puts out content proving they are living their mission.
They have created incredible loyalty with their customers.

How can companies build better trust with their customers?

Step one is to acknowledge that audiences are more skeptical than ever.
Companies cannot take for granted what a company says they will believe.
Customers want to see evidence that the message given by companies is real.
The second piece is to think of proof not as a single act, but like a seasoning that businesses need to sprinkle through all of their advertising mediums.

What are some of the biggest mistakes marketers and business make when trying to prove it?

They think it can be a “one and done.” It has to be an ongoing practice.
The other thing is that companies get intimidated by the process and don’t do anything. Don’t get overwhelmed, but act and play the long game.

Best practices for different platforms?

2 things you want to focus on for any platform.
Corroborate claims and use social proof.
Documentation. Show the proof and let people choose for themselves.

What are the elements needed to create a complete marketing machine?

First is the mindset shift to understand the importance of proof.
Use that mindset to guide you and measure against.
Ask “Are we saying it or are we proving it?”
Things will look different for each campaign or even department, but the north star is the same.
Make sure there is buy in from the top and that it is a priority at the level of leadership.

What else should we know about building trust?

Negative feedback is an opportunity to provide proof in the future.
When someone has a bad experience with a brand, it is because there is a mismatch between their expectations and reality.
If this happens, that may mean there is a promise being made that shouldn’t be made by the business.
There is also an opportunity to see where you can make improvements to better prove and build trust.

At the 26 min mark, Melanie talks about new tools and AI’s impact in marketing.

What are some of the best lessons you’ve learned to succeed on your journey?

Make lists. It sounds basic, but you need to get your ideas out of your head, so you don’t forget about opportunities and great ideas.
Follow up on opportunities and don’t let them slip through the cracks.
Know your value and your worth. Don’t fall prey to imposter syndrome.
You can do so much more than you know.

Best Quote

When someone has a bad experience with a brand, it is because there is a mismatch between their expectations and reality.

Continue learning. Admit you don’t now what you don’t know and seek knowledge.

Be kind. It can go a long way to make a difference for you and those around you.

Believe in yourself. You can do more than you know.

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