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How can a hair salon bulld its business

Written by: Katherine Rothman

Article Overview: If you build it, they will come. That was once the case, but in this economy it has truly become necessary to, “promote or perish.”

How can a hair salon bulld its business

If you build it, they will come. That was once the case, but in this economy it has truly become necessary to, “promote or perish.”

According to Integra Information, revenue growth in the beauty industry has been up since 1995, with an overall average increase of 6.3%. Revenue growth was projected to grow 4.3% in 2000. According to the American Salon Green Book, day spas are the most rapidly growing element in the beauty industry. While most salons focus on hair care, many salons are adding skin care, nail care and other types of services. Up to 8% of the 225,000 professional beauty salons in the U.S. have evolved into day spas in recent years, a trend that was expected to expand to 10% by 2001.

The key question is: how to capture the lion’s share of your market in an increasingly competitive climate?

One very effective way of doing so is through the use of public relations. Public relations means using the press and media in the form of editorial stories related to your salon, its treatments, operators, and aesthetic appeal as opposed to an advertisement. Public relations translates as unbiased because it gives consumers information they need and want to know as opposed to an ad which is basically a salon singing its praises.

The idea of public relations is to put a creative spin on a salon to differentiate it from the plethora of competition. Skilled PR professionals do this by linking your salon with something that is seasonal, controversial, related to a holiday, a trend, or has a celebrity tie-in.

It is important to remember that public relations is a cumulative process. Some media exposure is what we refer to as a home run where there is a direct correlation between media exposure and new clients calling to book appointments. Other exposure may simply position a salon as reputable but does not generate new business instantly. The latter is also extremely constructive because it generates overall name recognition.

You would be amazed at how much credence women give to mentions of salons and stylists in the media. For some clients it even carries status to say that the salon they frequent appeared in Allure or Vogue Magazine. In addition, these media placements are good for existing client population as it assures them that they made the right choice. It is also important to use media coverage in the continued marketing of your business. You can do so by putting media coverage on your web-site, framing media placements conspicuously around the salon, and using language in your advertising such as “as seen in Elle Magazine.”

For those of you who do decide to employ a publicist, let the publicist do their job. They are the media experts. It can be counterproductive when a client dictates stories to a publicist that are impossible to promote. For example, I have had clients say to me, “we do the best blonde highlights and we want that to be our niche” What they are failing to realize in telling me this is that there is not a ‘blonde highlights’ story in every issue of every magazine. It is essential that a salon owner or stylist be willing to promote all aspects of his or her facility.

The bottom line is that clients often do not remember the specific nature of a salon’s comments or quotes, they simply remember the name was quoted in a positive forum. I always say to my clients today’s hair cut client could be next month’s highlights client. The important thing is to get the client into your front door and keep them in your salon. Once you have them there, remember the following quote from Sam Walton: “There is only one boss, the customer and he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money elsewhere.”

Tips you need to know

Salons should be ready with both black and white as well as color photos of the facility in case they are requested by the media, which they often are. Focus on things that are cutting edge such as new types of treatments, techniques and products offered in your salon.

No one becomes famous over night. Some of the salons and hairdressers whom you see all over the media have implemented PR for many years. It is not just about having one article in a magazine or one TV appearance. This exposure must occur with consistency over a period of time for the full effect to become apparent.

Always keep your ethics and morals and never compromise them for a media appearance. A quality publicist would never put his or her client in a situation that would compromise them. Keep focused on your own success. I have seen many salon owners become absorbed and sometimes obsessed with their rivals around the corner. Do the best you can with your own clients and in ethically promoting your business and the rest will fall into place.

Once a salon has decided to use public relations, it can often be difficult to find an appropriate firm. The task is made even harder because many are reluctant to admit to their peers or friends they have engaged a publicist. One can call the Public Relations Society of America for listings of public relations firms registered with them, or the Internet is also an option for researching firms.

Many salons do get “burned” by public relations firms. This usually occurs because the business has engaged an individual or corporation who has little or no expertise in beauty PR, which is an entirely different niche than fashion, entertainment, restaurant, or corporate public relations. Just as one would not visit a chiropractor for laser resurfacing, it is unwise to engage a firm that has not worked within the beauty field. In addition, while one firm may do a stupendous job representing a restaurant, the same media contacts are not used to represent a salon.

When interviewing prospective public relations firms they should ask to see press releases written for other beauty industry clients, examples of media placements, as well as colleagues to call as references. As with advertising, there are no guarantees that media exposure will translate into additional clients. A public relations firm should be able to give a prospective client some idea of what they can expect in terms of media outlets to be pursued, continuity of exposure, number of weekly hours devoted to the client, as well as various strategies for a campaign.

There should also be an inherent agreement that a client can decline any media opportunity he or she is uncomfortable with pursuing. One must be mindful of that fact that public relations is a cumulative process. One television appearance or magazine article cannot judge its merits. Lastly, public relations is not a magical process. Those who make this foray must be willing to be pro-active participants and respond to media queries in a timely manner. Public relations, when implemented ethically and effectively, can truly help a practice gain an edge in competitive markets. It can often make the difference between remaining a ‘‘best-kept secret’’ or having a your stations at capacity.

Tips for Successful promotion

Work the celebrity angle— One way to yield media interest is to get a celebrity to sing your salon’s praises. If you are fortunate enough to have famous clients, ask permission to use their name in conjunction with your salon. Pass these names along to your publicist. Don’t be afraid to invite celebrities in for cuts, services with your compliments; celebrities love freebies as much as anyone else.

Charity Events- Private schools, religious organizations, women’s groups. Most of them hold fund raisers that usually include silent auctions or raffles with donated items. Contact these groups and offer a day at your salon. In charity circles, word of mouth travels quickly. This is one cost effective way of increasing your name recognition.

A Free Ride for Journalists- Beauty editors expect free treatments. It is wise to have your PR person invite them to experience your salon. Be gracious and attentive to them and it will pay off. Provide media with a welcome basket of your salon’s products. Find out in advance if the editor has any allergies or preferences. Always advise your staff in advance when media is coming as you never get a second chance to make a first impression. If an editor’s experience is less than positive, this can mean a scathing review or complete lack of coverage.

Network- Invite plastic surgeons, dermatologists, hotel concierge fitness trainers and others in related professions to your salon and implement ideas for cross promotion.

Keeping it Timely- Everyone needs a hook. You might want to consider salon bachelorette parties for July or conditioning hair treatments for dry summer hair. Keep the salon menu fresh so that your clients feel you are keeping up with the latest trends. The media loves to be able to tie-in treatments that relate to a holiday or season. It is important to bear in mind that magazines such as Vogue, Allure, Elle and others have a lead time. This means now they are working on stories for their issues three months down the road. At this juncture, submitting press releases with a get your hair ready for summer angle will be fruitless. Instead, you would want to focus press releases on rejuvenating post summer hair.

Press Kits- They do not have to cost a fortune, you simply want to present them in an attractive and professional manner including a salon menu, color photos, spokesperson bios, press releases, and photos and descriptions of your products. Editors are not impressed by copies of your ad campaigns. Advertising and editorial are like church and state. Just because you advertise in a magazine does not influence your ability to capture editorial coverage.

Where to focus your promotion– Know your audience. In general media should be targeting the following areas: the women’s beauty and fashion publications, trade pubs, daily newspapers, business publications, fitness, travel, lifestyle, and bridal publications. A seasoned PR person will understand the editorial bent of each publication and know how to gear a press release that is well targeted.

Keeping in touch with your clients- Cultivate a mailing or email list of every person who has frequented your salon. This way you can keep them abreast of promotions or news. If you have been given accolades by the media or won an award, let your existing clientele know. I also recommend guest lecturers such as image consultants, plastic surgeons, cosmetic dentists, nutritionists. This is a good means of drawing people into the salon and giving them a value added benefit.

Cultivating business— If American Express has an office down the street or IBM is close by, call their marketing person and see if they would be interested in receiving salon cards from you. These should include some sort of special perk like a free product, half off their first haircut or some sort of preferential treatment. This will be an attractive offer to corporations, as it is a cost effective way for them to provide their employees with an attractive benefit.

Some closing words: Do not employ a PR firm if money is tight. You must be able to engage in PR when you feel comfortable with your revenue. PR people are not miracle workers. We cannot take a cash poor business and increase your bottom line overnight. You must be aware it can take several months to see a return on investment. Even if you are confident of your financial situation, do not embark on PR until your salon is functioning like the proverbial well-oiled machine. This is the only way you will be able to take full advantage of the positive effects that PR yields. Is there a downside to public relations? Yes, you just might become addicted to your newfound fame.

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Article Tags: aesthetic appeal, american salon, beauty industry, book appointments, climate, credence, day spas, direct correlation, element, hair care, lion, media exposure, nail care, new business, plethora, pr professionals, praises, professional beauty salons, public relations, skin care



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