Myth Number One: You need big news to generate buzz.
You don’t need big news to generate buzz and you don’t need to wait until something earth-shattering is occurring in your business to generate news releases. You do need to start looking at your business through fresh eyes in order to realize that there are human interest, charitable ventures, employee and customer success stories all around you. You do need to tie events in to your marketing calendar and write them up before hand to attract attention and guests, and afterwards to tell the media, your customers, your employees, and the general public how great the event or promotion was, and inspire some envy among those who missed out.
 
Debunked: You don't need big news to generate big buzz. Myth Number Two: PR is just for the press, or media professionals.
PR is the common abbreviation for Public Relations (not 'press release.') While press releases may be a part of your overall PR strategy, PR is not limited to releases you write for the press. Webster’s defines Public Relations as: the business of inducing the public to have understanding for and goodwill toward a person, firm, or institution ; also : the degree of understanding and goodwill achieved. You don’t need an intermediary, like a reporter or editor, to tell you what is newsworthy about your business and control the flow of information from you to the public or from you to any audience you want to reach, internal or external. In fact, with the proliferation of the internet as a means of communication for all media, your ability to get your marketing and PR messages directly to the audience you want to reach is easier and more cost-effective than ever before. In addition, you are probably overlooking many internal places you could “publish.” Do you generate regular advertising pieces for print or e-mail marketing to your clients? Include PR stories. Do you advertise in your local paper or your local high school’s publications? With your local PTA or civic organizations? Do you have unused space on shelving, stations, at your cash register? Clear acrylic frames, available at any office supply store, make a great and professional looking display you can use just about anywhere in your place of business. Use color and imagery to draw the eye. You will find that PR stories, testimonials, human interest anecdotes and other non-advertising marketing will create more buzz than your advertising, and create that “good will” that PR is intended to generate, increasing customer loyalty and referrals.
 
Myth Number Three: You Are Writing for Print Publications.
Even your local print newspapers are online, and most print online versions of their papers or archive their articles. In addition, you need to begin thinking about writing about your business first for web and e-mail applications in order to maximize the number of “hits” or readers that you attract. Again, this is a time for you to step back with fresh eyes or consult with a PR professional so that you begin to expand the number of outlets to whom you submit regular articles. We all love to see ourselves in print, but would you get more real return from buzz within your local civic organization or a trade publication?
 
Debunked: News isn't just for breakfast anymore - stop thinking PR is written for the morning edition! Myth Number Four: Your Article Needs to be Short, Concise, and to the Point!
Again, back to the web. The truth is that when it comes to website and e-mail publications, and that includes stories published online in media outlets, it is content and content rich in keywords that attracts hits and readers. You can learn more about keywords and internet marketing from many sources, from books available in your local library or on amazon.com to marketing professionals – and if you ask around a bit, my guess is that you’ll find some internet-savvy individuals within your own clientele who will be happy to give you tips on what to include for electronic-media-ready articles.
 
Myth Number Five: Your Article Should be Purely Objective, Free of Self-Promotion.
Hunh? We’ve already touched on the definition of PR being (in part) to generate good will for you with the public. You can’t toot your own horn without, well, tooting it! When writing about your last event, your goal should be to tell the public what happened, why your guests loved it, how it benefitted your clientele or (if you included a charity) others – in short – why they were crazy if they missed it. The natural next step is to tell them about the next event or any follow up or related promotions they can still get in on (if they hurry!) When writing up your new staff you should mention your current staff and their specialties (and how special a client has to be to get an appointment!) Make one of the goals of your articles to be to create demand for your services, your products, and interest in attending your next event.
 
Myth Number Six: Your PR Articles have to be About Your Business.
If all of your articles were about your services and products, we wouldn’t call them PR, we’d call them marketing and advertising. While there are a few people out there in the general public who live for the coupon section of the Sunday paper, most of us take our time getting there. We want to read about the local sports teams (good or bad). We take a few minutes to look through the northwest living, real estate, local news, events, and entertainment sections. We stop on headlines that catch our attention, and what gets the attention of people in your neighborhood – your prospective and current clients – are stories that touch their lives, that touch their hearts, that stimulate their minds and prompt them to action and emotion. That doesn’t usually happen in pure marketing or advertising. Step back with fresh eyes (and ears) and take a listen this week. Listen to your employees as they talk about their kids, their kids schools, or their own accomplishments. Listen to your clients as they talk about their lives, people they know who need help, people they know who help others. Make it a point to ask for those stories in your salon, become a hub of information. My guess is that you will quickly have a short – or long – list of anecdotes and contacts that will breathe life into your PR efforts.
 
Debunked: Forget objectivity! Write about what inspires and moves you to move and inspire others. Bonus! Myth Number Seven: Stories Write Themselves. The stories we hear that touch, move and inspire us do write themselves, and sometimes indelibly so, on our hearts and minds. But the magic in your PR is in passing the story forward, consistently. Don’t treat PR as an afterthought – something to think about doing when everything else from your bookkeeping to services behind the chair to merchandising to inventory to marketing is all “caught up.” Don’t leave your PR for someday when you have time. Set aside a specific time each month or each week as a gift to yourself in order to write one or more public relations piece. Don’t write? Chances are someone on your staff or within your family or even within your clientele love to write and would leap at the chance to assist you formally or informally in your PR efforts. They are also great individuals to bounce your article ideas off of to test impact and to help in editing and polishing your stories – not to mention that their investment in the process also means they will be actively helping to expand your formal and informal – BUZZ! – outlets.

Elizabeth Brown, Be InPulse Branding, Marketing & Design
mail to designit at beinpulse dot com

Have you ever seen a beautiful piece of stationery? Chances are you saw a watermark. On paper, a watermark is a sign of quality. The manufacturer's pride of workmanship. It's also used to designate originality, uniqueness, and ownership, like a copyright. Ultimately, intentionally placing a watermark on any surface is a sign of your presence - of your "having been there."

The bottom line is, coasters are for cowards. You want to leave a watermark. You want to leave a sign that you were present, that you made a difference, that you took risks. Don't tread lightly in your relationships personally or professionally in order to avoid causing a stir or creating a ripple. Create a tidal wave! Don't be afraid "spill over the edges" with creativity, drive, innovation, passion, and energies leading to change and continuous improvement.

Whether this brings to mind organizations you've worked in, charities, civic organizations, your clients or customers, or your personal relationships, you want to leave your mark. You want to leave that person, organization, entity -- leave that relationship indelibly, permanently, positively impacted by your having been there.

And don't rush to put a coaster under a co-worker. Encourage the spill, stir the pot, feed the fires -- tip things off balance enough to create the turbulence needed to encourage purposeful, meaningful, positive change. It is not necessary to know every step between point A and point C in order to begin down the road. Oftentimes the best solutions come through trial and error. Creating a climate of change and risk may bring out that brilliant co-worker who has been afraid to volunteer what will become "the next big thing."

Let others leave their watermark on you. Dare enough to be open to relationships and change. Dare enough to look in the mirror held up to you by trusted co-workers and friends. Dare enough to know what to change, and hold on to those things about you that never should.

"I think your heart grows back bigger." (John Cusack in the movie "Must Love Dogs.")

Elizabeth Brown | Creative Director and Constant Risk Taker, Be InPulse Branding, Marketing and Design | beinpulse.com

Prospecting. Cold calling. Making the pitch. Closing the sale. Words that strike fear in sales people – let alone stylists and business owners. You have a great salon, you have engaging, talented staff, and you carry high-performing, superior products. But if you have empty chairs, holes in the books, and products aren’t moving on the shelves, it’s time to use the tools that are right at your fingertips to grow your business, generate repeat business, and increase retail sales. Direct mail, along with e-mail and website marketing, events, and promotions, should be part of the strategy.
 
The key to any successful campaign, to the use of direct mail as a tool in the salon, is consistency. Make a personal commitment to yourself, and to your staff, that you are willing to develop a marketing plan and whether simple or complex, you will fulfill that plan in the coming twelve months. Now is the perfect time to establish a 3, 6, or 12 month rolling marketing plan to generate business and sales during the holidays and into 2009. Here are some options for using Direct Mail as part of your overall plan:
 
What happens when your dentist sends you a reminder? You book an apppointment! Reminders

What happens when your dentist sends you a reminder to make your six-month checkup? Or that of your husband or kids? You call and make the appointment! Your long-time clients may not need a reminder card, but your new clients do.
 
For those clients new to your books in the last six months, send a reminder at four weeks for women and three weeks or less for men by way of a simple, small postcard or notecard. Make it easy for them to contact you by including the phone number they should call to book the appointment; suggest the times that you know remain slow on your books as a good time to book with you, or offer them an incentive if they book a color or texture service along with their shampoo and cut. Let the reminder card pave the way for you by suggesting add-on services and retail products that you know would be good for them, based on the notes you made in their file at their last visit. Follow up at their appointment by using the product you suggested on their hair and reminding them of the benefits of that product, and make sure a retail size is available at hand at their point of purchase.
 
Take the initiative, an investment you make in your own career is never wasted. If you are a stylist and your salon or spa does not provide print materials such as postcards or notecards, there is no reason that you should not take the initiative to ensure your own success and build your own clientele using direct mail reminders. There are many resources for purchasing your own supplies, and many printers who would be happy to help you develop personalized stationery. You might also consider working with other stylists in your salon to purchase personalized materials for each stylist that also give you increased buying power buy purchasing in larger lots cooperatively.
 
Investments that you make in yourself are never wasted; going the extra mile may be the difference in your career and will always set you apart from those who wait for clients to come to them.
 
We Miss You!
 
When a regular client drops off the radar for no reason, there is a reason. Sending a personal notecard saying that you miss them is an opportunity to reach out to them to find out whether there is a way for you to regain their business. If your client is going through a difficult time, receiving a note saying that they are missed, personally – not just their dollars – is an effective way to stay on their radar for a future date. If they have changed salons or stylists, it may present an opportunity for you to learn why, and to correct a problem you may have been unaware you had.
 
Getting a new client takes 3-10x more money and effort than retaining a current client. It is a well-published fact that finding a new client can take anywhere from 3 and usually closer to 10x the effort and cost that retaining an existing client does. If a reminder went unheeded, or a client has not surfaced for more than eight weeks, it is time to touch base.
 
Thank Yous
 
A close relation to the Reminder, the Thank You note is never out of style and never inappropriate. For those hesitant to use the more assertive ‘Reminder,’ the Thank You note may serve the same purpose with a softer touch. If you are worried that thanking every customer will be an overwhelming task, then break it down into smaller groups.
 
Start and end each working day with gratitude. Start your day in the right frame of mind. If your regular daily routine means sleeping until the last minute, throwing your hair back, doing your makeup in the rearview mirror, swigging a venti mocha in 60 seconds and tackling your first client, use this moment to change the way you start your day. Give yourself enough time to care for your own skin, hair, and inner self the way you want your clients to. Arrive at the salon (or your favorite coffee locale) with an extra 20 minutes figured in and take a few moments to write and sign a small notecard thanking each client from the day before for choosing you. Make a suggestion for their next service date, an add-on service you are “dying to try” on them, or a product that could improve their hair, skin, or makeup.
 
Or, end your day in a spirit of gratitude by taking that 20 minutes in your favorite third space to write and sign your thank yous to the clients of that day. Take a few minutes to remember what they shared with you while in the chair, trusting you to make them feel and look better, and send out some positive wishes on their behalf into the universe.
 
Turn a negative experience into a positive one. It is easy to write a thank you note to your best clients. To those who brought sunshine or laughter into the salon and took retail products away with them. But thank you notes are not for cowards; consider whether you can turn a negative experience into a positive one by writing a thank you note to the client who left you feeling deflated because they did notlike your work or used their appointment as an excuse to vent all their negative emotions… on you. It might be the hardest thank you that you ever wrote, an apology for the dissatisfaction they felt along with a thank you for what they brought to your attention, and a hope that they will give you an opportunity to change their experience. It might not bring a financial positive return, but it does give you the high road, an opportunity to improve, and an opportunity to salvage clients for long term repeat business. Often times a negative experience will not mean the loss of a client, but how you handle the negative feedback will.
 
Do you know what your return on .61 cents can be? Money is no object, thank you notes can be purchased in dozens or twenties at your local dollar or discount store. When you consider the cost of investment, 5 minutes of your time, as little as 5, 10, or 20 cents for supplies, and a 41 cent stamp; what is the return on investment when the client books the repeat visit? When they add on services you suggested or come to their next appointment in a frame of mind ready to purchase the products you recommended?
 
Promotions
 
As a marketing professional, I have no trouble with the shameless plug. Telling you how I can help your business to grow, to know and develop a strong brand, or develop an effective marketing plan is something I do not only because it is my product, but because it is my passion. Because I know that certain things work, to a certain degree, every time. It is time for you to stop apologizing for telling clients how they can look and feel better. You have spent years learning your trade, trying products, gaining knowledge, and developing technical skills. You have years of experience applying your knowledge and skills on a variety of clients, further honing your instincts so that you are uniquely qualified to make unparalleled suggestions to your clients in order to improve their hair health and appearance, to tailor their hair and makeup to their face and body type, to give them a certain “look” that reflects their personal style, and recommend products to improve their skin and hair health and appearance.
 
So tell them!
 
Mirror your promotional calendar with manufacturer's promotions, your distributor sales consultant is a great resource for planning! Mirror in-salon promotions to follow manufacturer’s promotions. If this month you buy in Pearatin Serum 4.25 oz for Breast Cancer Awareness, your timing is perfect to send a postcard or notecard to clientele telling them why the Serum is ideal for their hair at the end of summer and how it will nurture and protect their hair and color throughout the dry indoor heat of the coming fall and winter months. If you received a discount that you want to pass on to your clients, use the direct mail piece to tell them about the product, how it benefits them, and that your commitment extends to passing on savings directly to them.
 
Now is the time that you should be planning special holiday client gifts and promotions. Consider bringing in a point of purchase promotion that you might not carry at other times during the year; use this time as a way to gauge client interest in new product lines and services. It is a cost effective way to test the market at low risk, as well as giving something new to your clients to try during the time of year they are thinking about gifts for themselves and others.
 
Your distributor sales consultant has a full toolbox for you when it comes to helping you map out an effective promotional schedule. They can provide you with product and promotional scripting to help communicate to your clients and help you select the special point of purchase options to spur your holiday sales as well as provide your staff with the product knowledge they need to support your retail efforts in the salon.
 
Add on services are not just good for you, they are good for your clients. Add on color services are not just good for you, they are good for your clients. Highlights, texture, and overall color will make your clients look and feel more attractive, bright, youthful, sophisticated, edgy – whatever their personal style demands. Use direct mail to tell those clients who need these services that you are so committed to their good that you are making it more affordable for them to do so. When it comes to products, most manufacturer’s promotions follow a schedule designed to have retail sales follow backbar experiences. Use direct mail to tell your clients what they can expect at their next visit, give them the experience at their appointment, tell them about the product again, and make sure the retail size is available for them at the point of purchase. You will be giving them 4 sales pitches without ever having to make one.
 
If you have especially creative staff and a good product base that includes high performing hair care products, skin care products and cosmetics, develop a quarterly, seasonal direct mail piece for your clients that tells them what is “hot” for the coming season. Make product suggestions for combining skin care and cosmetics, products that promote hair shine and scalp health, and of course cosmetics combinations to achieve the seasonal looks. Consider offering incentives for multi-product purchases, for instance, if a client buys the seasonal palette, they receive a discount, free color service add-on, or similar, meaningful incentive.
 
Simple psychology: reward behavior you want more of. Referrals
 
Ask any ten businesses what their best source of new business is and I would bet you ten of ten claim, “word of mouth.” If you believe that your current clientele is your best source of new clients, use Direct Mail to suggest and incentivize them to refer their friends, family, and co-workers to your salon. Send your clients (or a group of your clients) a postcard each quarter that they can pass forward to a friend or family member. Design a reward both for your existing client as well as your new referral. If possible, have them book appointments together so that they can share transportation or use the event as an excuse for a girls’, guys’ – or couple’s night out. Keep it simple. Take ten dollars off the bill for each when purchased together, or follow up by sending the new client and the referring client a gift card to be used at their next visit. When it comes to retail, lather, rinse, and repeat; if they book together and buy together, consider a retail discount or free add-on sample size product.
 
All of the Direct Mail ideas and tips in the world cannot help you if you are not doing one simple thing: collecting customer contact information. Each client visit is an opportunity for you to collect, verify, and even add to your client files. At a minimum, your client file should include a mailing and e-mail address and phone number.
 
Coming Soon:
Part II: Using Direct Mail for Your Salon or Spa Newsletter
Part III: Using Direct Mail to Promote Your Next Event, and
Part IV: Using Direct Mail in Context of an Overall Business Marketing Plan
 
Subscribe to have the remaining articles e-mailed to you directly, along with a complete version following publication of Part IV complete with sample scripts for thank yous, reminders, we miss yous, and promotions as well as additional ideas, suggestions, and resources.

Elizabeth Brown | Creative Director, Owner, Be InPulse Branding, Marketing and Design
www.beinpulse.com
designit at beinpulse.com

Constraints. Job descriptions. Rules. Regulations. Duties. Responsibilities. Parameters. Hours. Boundaries.

No wonder you can't get anything done. You're so worried about staying in bounds and making your staff toe the line, you forgot to dream, you forgot the days when you felt that there were no limits to how high you could fly, and what you could do for others.

What would happen if you stopped staffing to the boundaries and started staffing to the potential? What if limits meant going as far as you could possibly go instead of lines you don't dare cross? What if you made it your goal to push to and beyond the boundaries instead of avoiding them?

How many times have you passed on a great candidate for your business because you felt they would get bored in the position you were trying to fill? Or were overqualified? Did you worry they would grow too fast and leave?

What's the worst, really, that could happen if you staff your company and stopped staffing positions?

Don't automatically pass on that overqualified, high-flying candidate. You want them? Tell them the truth. Ask what they would be willing and able to bring to the table and for how long. Hire them during their job search as a consultant or interim employee if that's what it takes to take advantage of their skills, then give them the title, authority, and freedom to make a real contribution to your organization that will change your company and impact your employees for the better. Have you been dreading implementing a needed change? A temporary, interim employee might be the solution to implementing an unpopular but necessary change without leaving anyone 'holding the bag' in the long term. Your interim hire won't lose either - they'll get a gem on their resume, an incredible boost to ego, and if things go well, they might transform your company in such a way that they find a way to stay and continue making dynamic, radical, positive changes.

You'll be surprised at the level of responsibility and dedication returned to you when you take an opportunity to let something radically unconstrained occur to transform your business. You'll be surprised at the renewal of passion that will occur for you and your staff with the dawn of new horizons and the removal of obsolete, artificial restraints. Staff your company, not your positions. Create a a trustful atmosphere where limits and boundaries are meant to be broken and innovation is rewarded. Unbuckle, up!

Elizabeth Brown | Creative Director and Constant Risk Taker, Be InPulse Branding, Marketing and Design | beinpulse.com