This is Keith writing. I point that out to properly put the next line in context. I wore makeup for most of my professional career.
Most TV reporters wear makeup. But because of my fair skin, I particularly needed to wear makeup. After reporting all day, my face was sometimes a mixture of pale and red exhaustion. Don’t forget about the five o’clock shadow.
Despite feeling extra handsome, I did not particularly enjoy wearing makeup. It is awkward applying makeup before shooting a standup in the middle of a farmer’s crop in front of a farmer who looks at you as if you are a traitor to masculinity. Removing makeup in tandem with your wife after work is also strange. When we first started dating, we once went to a makeup store together.
I needed much practice before learning the ability to apply makeup without appearing to be a clown. But I learned an important lesson along the way: One of the most important aspects of wearing makeup is to apply it in such a fashion that people cannot tell you’re wearing it. You are taking advantage of it without making it so obvious.
I recently remembered this after showing one of our videos to a group of business owners. The video tells the story of a small business owner. After my presentation, someone in the audience later told me he forgot he was watching what is essentially an advertisement. He got caught up in the story of the business owner in the video. He stopped thinking about the fact this is a marketing tool for promotional purposes. The video tells a story instead of blatantly selling a service. But the results can be the same if not better.
With video, be a person not a sales person. People will more likely appreciate what you offer similar to how they appreciate a pretty woman or handsome man they don’t realize is wearing makeup. For the record, I never wore blush.