Unless your salon is in a very remote area your customers and all prospective customers have a good amount of options when it comes to choice. Â So what is it that will make them choose yours?
This is by no means an easy task and it is most certainly not one that will have an instantaneous effect, but if you are serious about growing your business it’s definitely something to think about!
When it comes to differentiating yourself from your competition (who are professionals too, have great skills and carry amazing product lines) publicly getting across your unique selling point and establishing a certain credibility is invaluable.
1. Interact with local bloggers.
Do your research, find out if there are any  bloggers who are local to you and strike up a conversation. It doesn’t have to be anything too official, simply say hi on Twitter or Facebook.
If you would like to go a bit further and have something interesting happening at your salon, are offering a new and interesting treatment or just got in a groundbreaking new product, you can invite them over to tell them all about it and let them sample. The one thing to remember is, that even though you are extending an invitation to bloggers, it doesn’t mean guaranteed coverage! Do not send emails that say you will give someone a free treatment in exchange for an article on their website. This is not how this works!
2. Do not forget traditional press!
It is worth contacting editors in your local media, such as newspapers or radio stations. Make yourself available for comment on all things beauty /Â hair and position yourself as a specialist in the area. Â Offer writing a feature or answer some questions on air. Appearing in traditional media will give you credibility and will raise your businesses profile!
3. Throw a party!
A launch party or anniversary party  is always a nice occasion to celebrate and also a good opportunity to showcase your salon to the press. Contact a mix of local traditional press and bloggers and showcase your salon and achievements. Make sure you have some kind of an anchor though – the launch of the salon, an achievement (maybe you have recently won an award?) or the salon’s anniversary – anything that is newsworthy.
Is it absolutely essential for you to do all this? No. However if you want to differentiate yourself from other salons and build a public profile for yourself and your brand all of the above can get you started on the journey.
Writing press releases isn’t hard but there is a certain format to it. If you are sending anything out to journalists, make sure it is easy for them to read and contains all necessary information. You can download a free Press Release Example and Tips here.
Alex Quinn is part of the marketing team at Phorest Salon Software & a blogger for Pink Elephant Blog. Email Alex for some marketing advice on marketing@phorest.com. Let’s Grow!
