Beauty Salon Marketing

Public Relations (PR) is one element of a salon marketing plan that many salon owners neglect. It’s understandable, PR is great when it works, but is much less predictable than other ways of marketing your salon. You never know in advance whether a press release will be published by your local newspaper, for example.

But if you’re thinking about ways to get free publicity for your salon, or have tried in the past but not been successful, Bytestart has a useful article - 21 Killer Ideas to Get Free Publicity -

“Being featured regularly in the newspapers and magazines your target audience reads is invaluable.

Editorial coverage gives you a huge amount of credibility. It’s an independent trusted person talking about your business - the total opposite of an advert, where you’re delivering your message.

Getting publicity isn’t difficult if you know what you’re doing. All you need to do is decide what you want to achieve (more brand awareness; website visits; maybe more sales leads), think up some story ideas, and then submit them to the media as press releases. And keep submitting idea after idea… publicity is a long-term game.”

Here are some of their suggestions that could be most useful for salon marketing, with a few suggestions we’ve added, to give you some ideas to get your salon featured in the local newspapers and magazines -

Be the first, the newest, the oldest, the biggest, the smallest - Have you just bought a new piece of salon equipment that no-one else in your area can offer? Are you offering a new service, especially one that’s in the news or that the celebrities are using?

Mark the passage of time - Have you been in business for a year, or 5 years? Is there an anniversary approaching that would warrant holding a celebration party, inviting your best clients, and getting a photograher to take pictures? Perhaps you’ve just served your 500th customer… or your 5,000th?

Announce a new member of your team - New member of staff? Get a photo taken with you shaking hands in front of your shop-front. Newspapers and magazines are more likely to publish your news if there is a photo, especially if there is some “human interest” in the picture.

Win an award - Has your salon, or one of your staff, won an award or a competition? The organisers may send out press releases, but send your own to the local media as well.

React to a current story - This can be a great way to build a relationship with local journalists. If they know that you will often have something interesting to say about current news stories, you’ve just made their job easier and they will contact you for comments on other stories. If you offer a weightloss service you could comment on stories about the “obesity epidemic”. Perhaps you have advice on safe tanning, to prevent skin cancer? Or safer alternatives to cosmetic surgery?

Re-launch your website - Write a press release when you get your salon website redesigned, or when you add a new service like online appointment booking, or gift certificates.

Offer free information - Do your local newspapers or magazines have a Woman’s section, or Style and Fashion pages? Find out who the editor is for that section and get in touch if you could write useful articles or tips for them. Perhaps send them an example to get started - something seasonal or news-related, like “5 ways to get a safer tan” or “10 tips for the perfect Christmas Party look”

Survey your customers - Ask your customers what they think about current issues related to your business. The Credit Crunch is obviously very newsworthy at the moment, perhaps you could survey your customers to find out whether they plan to spend less on hair and beauty, or whether they will be spending more to cheer themselves up as they cut back in other areas?

Get involved with a charity - Think about something more creative than just donating money. For example, people often get their heads shaved to raise money for charity. Could a hair salon run an event where their customers (or their husbands) get their heads shaved, and the salon makes an additional donation for each customer? Or perhaps you could attempt to set a record for most heads shaved in 5 minutes!

Solve a problem - What problems are newsworthy at the moment, and what could you offer to solve the problem? Perhaps you have a new promotion to help your customers save money, or plan their beauty budget better as the credit crunch bites?

Once you have your PR idea, it’s also worth reading another article at Bytestart - How to Write an Eye-Catching Press Release - before you submit it to your local newspapers, magazines or radio station.

PR and publicity may not be as predictable and measurable as other ways to market your salon. But if you enjoy coming up with creative ideas, or writing articles and tips, it can be a great tool to add to your salon marketing plan. The cost is often low and, when it works, the returns can be high.