George B. Thomas
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Anyone can publish anything they want on the internet:
“If you buy George’s Guide to Becoming a Superhero, you’ll learn to levitate, gain super-strength, and master the art of invisibility!”
Would you buy it? Probably not, no matter how cool I am. 😎 Because those claims aren’t necessarily believable, right?
I haven’t shown off my super-strength skills in a while though, so who could blame you? My point here is that anyone can say anything on the internet. And that has made us humans pretty skeptical when it comes to marketing and sales messaging.
This begs the question…
How do you build trust with your content strategy?
You prove your trustworthiness — but how the heck do you do that? To get the answer to this question, I spoke with Melanie Deziel, the author of Prove It: Exactly How Modern Marketers Earn Trust, on a recent episode of Marketing Smarts. We’ve got some great information to share with you.
Skepticism is up, trust is down, and consumers don’t believe anything you say, according to Melanie:
“I think there's a lot of marketers that are still operating under this old school mentality that our audience will just believe anything we say because we said it.
That breaks my heart because all of the data shows that the vast majority – 80-90% don't believe anything they hear because there's just so much trickery out there.”
So how do we address the skepticism? We provide proof.
Don't make claims you can't back up with facts
Showing up with baseless claims may have worked 20 years ago. Today, however, is an entirely different ballgame. Consumers have gotten smarter and way more aware of slimy marketing tactics that exaggerate the benefits of their products and services.
Now, we have to show that we’re telling the truth. 👀 You have to validate your claims.
Bold claims without substantiation will fall flat. You can do it through data, testimonials, case studies, expert endorsements (not just the latest TikTok influencer showing up on video with your product - you need someone who knows what they’re talking about), or any other form of media that will provide evidence that what you say is true.
Take (gentle) inspiration from late-night infomercials
Picture it with me.
It’s 9:15 am on a Saturday. You’re sitting in your living room with a TV tray and a bowl of your favorite cereal. You’re watching your favorite Saturday morning cartoons. You reach that extra-long commercial break in the middle of the episode and you start to get up to get a glass of Tang when BAM! It comes on.
Marvin’s Magic Drawing Board 🪄
It’s fast. It’s easy. Kids love it! As these perfect rainbow-lined drawings are created in real-time right on the screen. It looks so easy. Anyone can do it!
BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE!
You also get Marvin’s Magic Pens! And they change colors 🤯 They show it right on the screen! Now that’s magic.
In sixty seconds, you’ve taken me from lazily sitting on my couch eating cereal to bouncing up and down asking my parents to please please please call and get one! It’s mess-free and only $19.95 plus $5.95 shipping and handling! 🙏 What a steal.
Why is that such an easy sale?
Well, partially because every kid with a television wanted one of these things and the peer pressure was real. But more than that, they proved that these toys were fun, easy, and worked.
All in sixty seconds.
Now sure – they might have been quite as cool as the infomercials made them seem, but they were pretty cool.
These late-night infomercials always show you.
They use side-by-side split screens to show you how they beat their competitor. They show “real people” (said with a healthy dose of modern-day skepticism) being amazed by the product. They have statistics.
“If you are asking people to go out on a limb, to spend their money, to engage with you long term, you need to show that you are worth it and not just say it. Because anyone can say it, and I guarantee you that they are,” Melanie said during the podcast. 🫳🎤
It has never been more difficult to win the trust of your consumers
Consumers have more questions, concerns, and doubts than ever before, and are increasingly prioritizing how much they can trust your business more than any other variable when they're making purchasing decisions. So, it’s our job as marketers to come to the table prepared.
We’ve got to ask ourselves what we can create to provide the proof our audience is looking for. Are they asking if your product is as good as your competitors? Talk about it. But more than that – show them that you are. Show them that your paper towels absorb three times the water that theirs does. Show them that your widget saves them 20% more time.
As Melanie put it:
“Corroborate with other people's opinions, demonstrate by showing the truth behind your claims, and then educate to make sure that they understand what they need to trust you.”
Melanie goes deeper into the ways marketers can prove it in this episode. Give it a listen to learn about corroboration, demonstration, and education. Each way to provide that proof serves its own purpose. I want to know what ideas this episode sparks for you. 💡 I know it sparked a lot for me.
