What I learned about Marketing from Traditional Wetshaving

About 2 years ago I tossed my Mach 3 Turbo razor, NIVEA shave gel, and picked up a vintage 1963 Gillette tech, badger hair shaving brush, and some Tabac soap. Why, you might ask, did I trade the latest in shaving technology for a razor that is older than I am… False promises.

Many businesses feel the same way about Marketing that I did about shaving. It was for me a painful daily chore that left me irritated for the rest of the day. I was constantly being promised better results if I just spent more money and spend more I did with no discernible increase in performance. Day after day I was longing for something better but I figured I had already explored my options and what I was doing was as good as it would get.

Then I had a friend explain to me that I had another option.

He opened my eyes to a world where the tools were simple and straight forward and my success or failure was dependent on my skill and technique. Gone were the promises of ease of use and time savings but what I got in exchange was the possibility of unlimited performance increases based on my skill and the time I put into carefully preparing and carefully executing. The single blade, simple razor, brush and soap would perform as well as I my ability to use them. No longer were the tools the barriers, they were now enablers of my success.

One morning with a face full of sage scented lather it dawned on me. In the world of interactive marketing there are lots of tools. Some promise automation, time savings, and ease of use. Others are more simple and require more time, skill, and technique. I have learned in shaving, marketing, and life you get out what you put in. When I don’t have time to shave, now I grow a beard instead of turning back to the tools that promise so much and deliver so little. If you don’t have time for a certain marketing tactic there is always an alternative and sometimes that means not doing it. Doing something faster and easier and/or cheaper does not always make it worth doing if the results leave you looking less than your best.