Building Trust

It's easy for a company to be so busy providing their service they forget their uniqueness and the real contribution they’re making and that’s where visual storytelling and brand journalism comes in. 

Over the past week I've noted a couple of interesting articles promoting the power of visual storytelling and brand journalism, perhaps serendipity because I've just been on the road with Mobile Vet Nurse, Chrissy Macpherson, videoing her work.

The idea behind Chrissy’s business is simple. If you’ve ever tried to put a cat in a cage or a muzzle on a dog for a visit to the vet clinic then you know how stressful it can be. Hence the Mobile Vet Nurse who visits her four legged clients in the comfort of their own homes - "less stress for you and your pet."

Now while Chrissy has a large client base and a significant social media following up until now she has avoided using video storytelling because she doesn’t like to be the centre of attention, preferring to put her pet clients front and centre.

My position with Chrissy is that by sharing her story on video she is putting her clients first. The lens may be focused on her as a business owner for a short time, but the story is actually about "what you offer to others and is determined by their response to you, not how you view of yourself." Sound contradictory? Well thirty years plus as a TV reporter has taught me to see the wonder in what is often dismissed as the everyday and ordinary particularly within businesses. 

This is one of those articles I mentioned receiving:

Mariam Naficy, CEO of Minted.com & Yelp Board Member:

Consumers are increasingly inundated with products and marketing pitches in their inboxes and on social platforms. I think that consumers will be searching for ways to sift through all of these products. A few predictions as to what may come of this:

1. Consumers will seek increased meaning associated with their products, so possibly they would want a high degree of uniqueness and personalization in their products, as well as understanding the story behind their products (who made the product, who designed it, where was it made, etc.)

2. Great images will become essential to differentiating products and brands in a world where the winning social platforms are visual

3. Storytellers may be invited into bigger marketplaces and brands to help sift through all the products and shape stories that differentiate products — storytellers may become sellers.

I’m not sure about storytellers becoming sellers but we're definitely people who can see the hidden potential for stories and can build meaningful connections based on authenticity. Often just sharing your business story is all it takes to provide proof of performance. Chrissy the Mobile Vet Nurse is one such example.

Chrissy sees hundreds of pets every month for health checks and grooming. On the day I tagged along we dealt with some real characters! There was the little dog Marley small but with boundless enthusiasm. Poppy the cat who ran away when the door was accidentally left open, the somewhat stroppy feline Marcus, Amber the racing Chihuahua, and three beautiful Birman cats who all looked alike and whose name’s escape me for that very reason.

You can tell when someone is good with animals they’re able to create that unseen bond of trust that animals respond to and Chrissy has that special touch. You’d probably expect that from someone who makes a living getting up close and personal with pets but what really stands out about Chrissy is her genuine connection not only with pets, but their owners as well. Amidst a cloud of fur she’s down on the floor grooming at cat while nattering away with the owner, asking about their lives and how things were going and what they’d been up to. 

Many of Chrissy’s clients are older and I suspect don’t have that many visitors. Their pets are true companion animals and are dearly loved, that makes Chrissy an important part of their lives. She has created meaningful relationships, based on trust, proof of performance and genuine engagement and for me that's what good brand journalism is all about to.