Brand Stories Vs AI: Who Wins? with Melanie Whittaker

Episode Summary

You can find Melanie Whittaker at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melanie.whittaker.315
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-whittaker-836457224/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youareyourmarketing/
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@youareyourmarketing

Melanie Whittaker Podcast Interview

[00:00:00] Kris Ward: Here we go. Hey everyone. Welcome to another episode of Win The Hour, Win The Day, and I am your host Kris Ward. And today in the house you got Melanie Whittaker and she is a PR and marketing consultant. And we’re gonna talk about leading by example and telling your story and why this matters more now than ever. Welcome to the show, Melanie. 

[00:00:23] Melanie Whittaker: Oh, thank you for having me, Kris. 

[00:00:26] Kris Ward: Okay, Melanie, why does this matter more now than ever? Let’s just start with that. 

[00:00:32] Melanie Whittaker: Because the way that we as business owners need to do business has changed. Okay? So if you’re trying to market your business just the way you were recently, it’s not gonna work.

But then on the other side of the fence, consumers are buying differently. And the biggest thing that they look for is do they feel a connection to you as a business owner? And do they even actually like you and respect you? [00:01:00] 

[00:01:01] Kris Ward: I think that’s really interesting. As you say that I had a, a bunch of ideas rushing to my mind that I don’t really think I had given any thought to in that way before.

So in one hand, as a business owner, you’re like, oh, we got this AI tool and we get it. We learn really quickly that if you just put the same stuff out, like it looks exciting when it writes a document or does whatever really quickly, but then if it, it looks the same as everybody else’s, what’s the point of it?

And let me tell you, let’s make a long story longer. I really notice this when we, we find, hire and onboard virtual assistants, and I’m starting to see, like we find them for our entrepreneurs and we put them in our leadership program, and I’m really starting to see covered letters that are all starting to look the same.

So like I can’t get to know you if that looks the same. So, A… I hear what you’re saying there. And then B…, I would also say. Like even with celebrities or people that we wouldn’t normally have reached to or athletes or whatever it is we’re following, that would normally not [00:02:00] be in our sphere. We may be following them more closely because we get to know them because we see the behind the scenes, we see the real them.

So that supports everything you’re saying is we can’t be buried by the the AI. And the people who have the strongest brands, you know, a lot of like say athletes are gonna make more money, let’s say, off the field than they would on the field because of their brand. 

[00:02:24] Melanie Whittaker: It’s true. And the thing is, the more that people are in your orbit, they get to know how you sound.

[00:02:32] Kris Ward: Right.

[00:02:32] Melanie Whittaker: So, because a lot of people are doing copy and paste, not proofreading it, not looking at it and thinking, would I talk like that? 

[00:02:41] Kris Ward: Right.

[00:02:41] Melanie Whittaker: And not putting their own slant on it. People then. Straight off the bat know it’s AI. And the problem with that, if you are doing this every single day, is people don’t trust you. And if people don’t trust you, they don’t, well not gonna work with you. 

[00:02:59] Kris Ward: And I [00:03:00] think also more than trust what, it’s hard when it’s, so when I’m standing here as a me, I’m not thinking that anybody, you know, we all don’t sort of see ourselves or what we’re, we are or are worth or our individuality or whatever.

I’m like, okay. We all just, I personally just, okay, how can I improve my flaws? How can I do this better? How can I talk slower? How can I just, whatever. But when I see somebody online, like, you’re so memorable because you know you’re visually dynamic and you’re always wild with your hair and your choice of colors.

You’re so brave and that makes you stand out and it’s very unique. So I notice and admire you for your uniqueness. And you see that when you’re looking at other people, and then yet when you’re trying to do it yourself, you’re trying to throw your shoulders back and sound professional and blend in. So it’s counterproductive.

[00:03:51] Melanie Whittaker: It’s interesting because I have these conversations a lot with clients because you hear the phrase just be yourself. 

[00:03:59] Kris Ward: Yeah. 

[00:03:59] Melanie Whittaker: [00:04:00] And especially if people have come from a corporate arena, yes, it feels liberating to be yourself online, but it’s like, but how much of myself do I bring to the front? And people can feel quite clunky.

Yeah. And so when I have conversations with my clients, I say to them, you are, you are going to find your groove. And we look at people and it’s very easy to compare and think, well, it’s working for them, so maybe I should do that. And what you have to realize is we’re all walking our own path, and if you are not doing something and showing up and speaking in a way that feels good to you.

Number one, you’re gonna feel awkward and it will come across. People can see through that. And then when people, they just feel something’s off. Maybe you’re speaking on video or it’s your written content, and if they feel something is off, you’re losing them. 

[00:04:56] Kris Ward: Yeah, you bring up a couple of good points because one of your, [00:05:00] you know, things you talk about is tell your story and I just gasp at that ’cause I think, oh my gosh, not that I, I just think there is a place to tell your story and I’m just seen too many people online.

Like leveraging, like, okay, great, you’ve been in business and six years ago you were a raving alcoholic drug addict and you were homeless and now you’re not. And I’m not saying that I don’t admire that journey, but it just gets that kind of story. It feels like you have no story unless that is you have a dramatic story and then it gets over.

It gets overused and it’s just not the way I navigate my life. Like whatever has been my story, I’m always looking ahead. So it’s not even how I talk personally to people around me. So that makes me uncomfortable. But, and so to your point of you have to find your own path because I know where I’ve listened to, like interviews or somebody like you can tell in the interview, maybe they’re an athlete that’s going through a journey or something and they’re, you can hear when they don’t want to share their story. And it [00:06:00] doesn’t make for an interesting, it doesn’t make for, it’s not interesting to you. Right? Mm-hmm. Like I remember Lance Armstrong when it all came out, I dunno if you if this is on, still in everybody’s radar, but he was a world renowned tour de France bicyclist and one, and again, and again and again.

And they always thought that he was doing doping in steroids and stuff when it finally came out, and he was, and he finally admitted that even years later when it’s like, this is his comeback story, where other people, you would then have an interview with him and then you say, oh, here’s what I learned, and, and then you’d be, oh my gosh, you made a mistake.

And you know, he, there would be that connection with him, but he was still stiff and awkward about talking about it, so it made it uncomfortable. Like, I don’t wanna be part of that conversation. 

[00:06:43] Melanie Whittaker: Mm-hmm. Mm. It’s interesting because when I get on calls with clients, you know, it is a journey when you do public relations because I never tell clients where to draw the line. They’re gonna do that themselves. Okay. You [00:07:00] need a private line. You need your own personal life. And the more that they do this. The more confidence builds up and along this journey, we will have a chat and they’ll often say to me, Ooh, do you think I should mention X, Y, Z?

Right? I never answer it. And here’s how I go about it. The first question I ask is, what you’ve just told me is that your truth? Knee jerk reaction is absolutely, it’s a lived experience. I’ve done it. Then I say to them, when we get off the call, I want you to be on your own. I don’t want your partner with you, your friends with you, family, peers, whatever.

And here’s what I want you to ask yourself, if you are willing to divulge what you just told me publicly. Are you emotionally equipped for whatever happens, whether it’s received well [00:08:00] or if it isn’t received well Now, if you know you are not emotionally equipped, don’t do it. And here’s the thing. If they’re saying no at that moment in time and going, do you know what I gave it?

Thought, now’s not the right time. I always say to them. Don’t feel like that’s a no forever because six months from now, a year from now, you may feel more confident and you could talk about it then, but just throwing something in, in the hopes it’s gonna get your clients or maybe it’s clickbait or what, controversial or something like that, that’s not the way to go.

Whenever you are talking about your story, it has to be coming from the heart and it isn’t about you. You need to remember that yes to the story is you. But the reason you are telling this is to help people going through what they’re going through. 

[00:08:54] Kris Ward: Okay. Let me jump in here for a sec. ’cause I do think on a le another level, I think you’re pointing out something that [00:09:00] I do neglect, which is, so we find, hired and onboard virtual assistants for, for entrepreneurs and we put the VAs in the leadership program.

We help clients with their team, their time and the toolkits and all that stuff. Now there is. There is a part of my journey where, you know, back in the first few years I had business. I worked insane hours, and there was like craziness, right? Like I remember one time walking down a long haul, I had to go from one meeting to another and then go back, and I was so sleep deprived that.

Here is the insanity in which I was living in this long haul. I closed one eye as I was walking all the way down the hall, and then on the way back I closed the other eye. ’cause I thought in my deprived state that I was sort of resting one eye and then I’ll rest the other, like having a nap while I walk.

Right. That is. That is not so, but I don’t tell those stories. Like I, I do relate to, I’ll tell stories about different clients. I’ll tell stories about, listen, if you think once you get past this next thing, things will be different. And [00:10:00] here’s, you know, I, I do give a lot of internal dialogue that people say, oh my gosh, you’re in my head.

That’s what I’m saying. But now I’m realizing. I’m not telling enough of, I did a lot of in incredibly crazy things, being exhausted all the time where my clients are at. So I think I’m stepping over my story. Like there are smaller stories I could be telling, I guess. 

[00:10:22] Melanie Whittaker: Yeah, absolutely. Like the thing is, it’s interesting because, and I get it, you know, I predominantly work with women and especially if they’ve built up a really good following.

They can feel very cautious about saying things that might maybe put them in a bad light. You know, it might be, oh, but that wasn’t the best time of my life. If they knew that maybe I might lose people. And I’m like, whatever we say online, we have no control what people are gonna do, no control at all. So what you need to [00:11:00] do.

You know, when I’m running my business, I’m running it in a way that feels good to me. I’m not worrying about will I lose people today? I’m not worrying about will trolls come on this and, you know, say nasty things because I’m not doing it for them. 

[00:11:14] Kris Ward: Right. Okay. 

[00:11:15] Melanie Whittaker: It’s not a popularity contest. I’m not saying that, you know, I’m not human.

Sometimes I might read something if it’s not nice and feel, oh, you know, that’s stung, but. The way I show up to life and the way I get my clients to show up to life is if you are being true to you and you can put your head on your pillow at the end of every single day, knowing that you were true to you throughout the whole of that day.

That’s why we’re here. 

[00:11:41] Kris Ward: So let’s get a little bit into strategy. So I guess to me, I think where I stopped telling different antics of my, what I call my dark ears. So when my clients, when I’m working with my clients, I’ll say, yeah, I get it. I did that and I’ll give them stories. And I think where I pulled back online was simply because I thought it got too [00:12:00] confusing.

Like telling the story, it’s like, well, this is how it was when my business was new, but I’m not like that now and here’s what I do with clients. So I always felt like you need to understand, like, this didn’t just happen yesterday. And so I think I got in the timeline of the story, I thought it my, this what I brought as far as experience and all the clients I’ve worked with.

I think I thought it would get diluted if you, if I told that story, you might think that was six months ago. I think that’s where I start, what I pulled away from on. Does that make sense? Mm-hmm. 

[00:12:28] Melanie Whittaker: Yeah, it does. It does. But you’ve got to realize people are going to connect with you over the most obscure things.

[00:12:36] Kris Ward: Right. 

[00:12:37] Melanie Whittaker: You know? So like when I’m creating pitches for clients, they can tell me something and I’m like. Are you happy if I put this in and it could be something, nothing to do with what we’re working on? And they’ll be like, but why? Why do you want that in there? And I’m like, because someone somewhere will have gone through this.

Right? Or they’ll be going through it. And now, ’cause here’s the [00:13:00] thing, we already know that the online space is noisy. Everyone shouting. Everyone wants customers when you are true to you. And when you are just being yourself and you are not afraid to be yourself, right? Someone can connect with something that you’ve been through.

And it is very easy to look at people in the online space and just think that life was easy for them. 

[00:13:24] Kris Ward: Mm. 

[00:13:24] Melanie Whittaker: But when someone actually says, you know what? A little while ago, or a few years ago, I was going through blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But not coming at it from the victim mentality, but actually just admitting that you went through something.

People now look at you and go, wow, I never threw, I didn’t know they’d been through that. And now they see you as a real human being. And guess where this gets interesting. You are not having to do all the latest trends, all the dancing, all the gimmicks, a little bit of clickbait, hoping that was gonna boost up your algorithm because you’re just [00:14:00] being you.

And people resonate with that. And guess what happens when they resonate with that? Now they pay attention to your marketing. 

[00:14:09] Kris Ward: Yeah, that makes sense. And because I know like well, and wait till this is even a bigger part of the story that I get it. In the beginning I was not comfortable talking about the fact that this really kind of was born outta the fact that my husband passed away.

And I guess for me, I struggled with that because I didn’t want, I didn’t need people’s sympathy. And sometimes people treat you differently. And so I used to even say to people when it, when it became public that he passed away. I would say to people, listen, everybody’s got something. This is my something right now.

Like, don’t treat me special. Everybody’s got stuff that you just don’t know about. So I remember when I, my book came out, they pushed me so hard, they kept saying like, you can’t, you have to talk about it because. Yeah, otherwise you’re just gonna look like something that’s annoyingly organized and people can’t relate to that.

And it’s also not true. It’s not your story, like if that’s not your thing. And also being organized, I’ve been [00:15:00] organized and still struggled. Being organized just means you reorganize stuff, but you don’t change the structure, right? So when it’s appropriate. I do tell that story and how this came to be. I do not post a lot about it.

It’s not my, it’s not the mountain that I put my flag on every time, but there are stories along the way of the crazy things I did when I was working too hard and things like that. Because you, to your point, is. If people just see me as someone like, oh yeah, she’s just organized. It’s not a skill you can learn and it makes it seem like, my big pet peeve is when people think entrepreneurs that are working way too many hours for where they are at this point in their journey, they think, oh, if I had more discipline, oh, if I was more organized, I’d be in a better spot.

And that’s not the case. So I don’t want that misinformation out there because it, it’s counterproductive for starters. 

[00:15:50] Melanie Whittaker: Yeah, absolutely. I get that. 

[00:15:52] Kris Ward: Yeah. Okay. So when we’re starting to tell some of our stories, other than being true to yourself, [00:16:00] what are some, like I, I guess, what are some hits and misses?

What are some things that we can keep in mind? What do you see as far as people missing the boat on this? 

[00:16:11] Melanie Whittaker: Well, what I emphasize with, you know, I, I walk my talk, so it’s what I do, but I get my clients to do it as well. And that is pay attention to what your community are latching onto. So look at the posts that you put up that are popular, right?

What were people saying on there? Are you asking questions and involving them? Yeah. And so. This is where you get to become, you know, I love when I do my PR with my clients. ’cause here’s what always happens. They get to a point where their marketing becomes so crystal clear. Every single one of them says to me, do you know what Mel?

I’m not struggling anymore. [00:17:00] Like I’m bashing out content. Without even worrying about it. I’m not like, oh God, what do I talk about? Because with PR and they’re constantly writing articles, being on interviews, they’re just giving this information all the time, and so what they’re realizing is they’re paying attention to what people are really needing help with.

And we often think that they need help with A, B, C, when actually they need it with X, Y, Z. And so you need to pay attention to what people are re really needing help with. And when you know that, that’s when your marketing just becomes really crystal clear and you are not going around in circles and you’re not thinking, do I say this, do I It, it just comes naturally.

[00:17:48] Kris Ward: Okay, so what about the people that push back and say, all right, that makes sense, but I’m still struggling with my LinkedIn, or I don’t get as much engagement as I want or comments, and so what am I [00:18:00] evaluating? And that’s, that’s the concern. That’s the pushback I hear from people. Yeah. 

[00:18:04] Melanie Whittaker: Yeah. And I, I get it.

I know myself when I’m on LinkedIn, you know, everyone’s saying the same. The algorithm on LinkedIn is just rubbish. Here’s what I would highly recommend. You need, you know, look, we’re using the online space to grow our businesses, obviously, but you also need to be networking. So my attitude is this, and I get all my clients to do this.Are you the person that people are talking about when they need help with whatever it is you do, 

[00:18:35] Kris Ward: right? 

[00:18:35] Melanie Whittaker: And this could be referrals coming in. Are you doing collaborations? Are you going to networking, whether that’s virtual or in person, you need to be out there and prominent. I’m not saying be loud and boisterous, I’m not saying that.

But what I’m saying is, you know, I get it a lot where I will wake up in the morning and someone’s tagged me to a post that I would [00:19:00] never have seen. And it could be someone asking for marketing and PR help. Right. And they immediately, they don’t even message me because. You know, I’m busy and they’re just like, I, I’ve seen this post.

And Mel’s perfect for it, right? Yeah. And so that’s what I want happening for you. Every step, every day, every interaction. You need people saying, oh yeah, she’s good for that. And when you, you see, this is the thing with us. We worry that we were becoming spammy, especially when we’re putting out content.

But you have to realize, not everyone sees your posts. They don’t see every post, whatever app you’re on. So you need to be talking about your story. You know, you need to talk about your business. You need to talk about what you offer, and you need to get in a rhythm with it so that you’re talking about it all the time.

But we feel spammy. ’cause we’re like, oh, but I’ve spoken about it for the last three days. You should be speaking about it every day. But it’s not about please buy whatever the thing is, you [00:20:00] need to be talking about it in a way that isn’t B, bashing them over the head, asking for a sale. 

[00:20:06] Kris Ward: I think what you’re saying in a more simpler level that is so simple and yet so profound, and from time to time this has come up, it has bubbled up, but I think we could really literally talk about this every day and then get up tomorrow and have to talk about it again.

Or at least I do. And I think the message I’m hearing is PR marketing, all these things. At the end of the day, you know who you are offscreen who it has to be who you are onscreen who you are before five has to be who you are after five. Yeah. And so that we start thinking in a business mind or during business hours or the big heavy word of marketing.

Okay, I gotta do some marketing. I have to think about PR, I have to be using the socials. Like gotta get back on LinkedIn. And then I know for me when I first started doing videos, I would go into what I call presentation mode. Right? Shoulders back. Mm-hmm. Try to sound smart. Be professional, and it was a [00:21:00] version of me, but a watered down version of me.

It wasn’t. Mm-hmm. You know, me speaking quickly the way I normally do, it’s stumbling over my words, being flawed, laughing at things, you know? And people would say when they worked with me, like, oh my gosh, you’re really fun. Or you tell good analogies or whatever. And it was sort of like a fifth date thing.

Like, oh, now that you get to know me on all these things, but if I’m doing my PR correctly, my marketing correctly, you’re going to see that. That’s what’s good. Like that’s what you like when you work with me. Well, then I need to put that out there more. 

[00:21:31] Melanie Whittaker: I can give a really good example. I got a message from a client just last night, and we’ve only been working together a week.

Okay. And she said to me, Mel, in the week that I have worked with you, something’s shifted. She said, you have made me realize that I deserve to be in rooms. I deserve to step forward and say, Hey, this is me. This is what [00:22:00] I do, and own it. And she said a year ago, I would never have done it. And after a week of working with you and getting me my PR and having the conversations that we’re having.

She said, Mel, and she told me three things that she’d done off the bat in her local area. We’re not in the same country in her own local area. And she’s actually put herself forward for an award. And has got an award. Right. 

[00:22:25] Kris Ward: Yeah. 

[00:22:26] Melanie Whittaker: And then there was two other things, which I don’t want to say until they happen, but they’re looking very favorable.

Sure. And she said, Mel. This is within a week of working with you, you are shifting gears in my brain that is not making me play small anymore. And I was like, wow. This, but you see, here’s the thing. I’m not saying that as an ego boost, but what I, my response back to her was obviously I was so grateful she said that, but what I said to her is.

It some, well, most of the time to be fair, takes women quite a few months to get to that [00:23:00] point. She’s only been with me a week and she’s already like, let’s go. You know? And so I’m not saying about the speed in what you do things, we’re all at this in our own pace. So I’m not shaming anyone just ’cause you take longer to get there.

But when you do work with me, nothing is off limits. And without me realizing I am putting that on them as well. I’m not bashing them over the head with it, but I’m making them realize the only limit is yourself. You know? So it’s very easy when it comes to PR to go, do you really think I should go for that?

Oh, I dunno. I dunno. I help people to just go, well, if you don’t do it, someone else will. 

[00:23:41] Kris Ward: Right? 

[00:23:41] Melanie Whittaker: And so I’m. I’m very slowly, slowly catch the monkey, but the way I deliver it is in a way that makes them realize, do you know what? I can do anything. And this is what I love to do when I talk to my clients. 

[00:23:55] Kris Ward: And I think it’s what you’re saying is get outta your own way.

And that public, [00:24:00] I, again, I think they’re heavy words, marketing and public relations, right? Yeah. And really at the end of the day, it’s if you simplify at the best, it’s neat networking and or just like if you were standing there waiting for your kids to come off the soccer field, you’d be standing there talking to the person next be beside you, just chitchatting, and you can just chitchat your way through business.

And when you’re yourself and when you’re relaxed and you’re not overthinking it, that’s just good PR. 

[00:24:29] Melanie Whittaker: I mean, it just made me smile because she was upfront. One of the things which I don’t wanna mention, because we don’t know if it’s gonna happen, but it’s a big deal if it does. And she was like, I just was sat there in the house and I was just like.

Why don’t I go and see these people and see if I could be a part of it? And she was like, instead of just sitting there and dwelling on it, I got up of my ass and did it. 

[00:24:53] Kris Ward: Yeah. 

[00:24:53] Melanie Whittaker: And I was like, love it. Love it. 

[00:24:56] Kris Ward: A hundred percent. Okay, Mel, where can people [00:25:00] find more of your brilliance? 

[00:25:02] Melanie Whittaker: Yes. They can see me on my website, which is you are your marketing.com.

[00:25:09] Kris Ward: Okay. 

[00:25:09] Melanie Whittaker: They can find me on Facebook with my name Melanie Whittaker with the pink hair, and they can find me on LinkedIn the same. Melanie Whittaker with pink hair and Instagram is You are your marketing. Oh, I said LinkedIn, didn’t I? Yeah. And Threads. Threads is you are your marketing too. 

[00:25:28] Kris Ward: I was waiting for you to say, you said pink hair and then I was waiting for you to say on Instagram I have blue hair.

I thought we’d get this. 

[00:25:35] Melanie Whittaker: The rainbow. 

[00:25:37] Kris Ward: Okay. Alright, everyone, thank you so much again, Melanie, and we will see you in the next episode. 

[00:25:45] Melanie Whittaker: Thank you.