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By Alexander Irving —
  Some writings resonate
We’ve heard every reason and excuse in the book for salon professionals not becoming successful with their own PR.
“I can’t afford monthly PR agency fees“, or, “I can’t afford multi-month commitments right now“. Those two have always been among the biggies. Well we’ve solved that one for you. Check out PR a la Carte. Let’s not hear that particular excuse anymore. OK?
On that topic, here’s a post we received a copy of this morning from Seth Godin’s Blog . If you don’t subscribe to his blog, we suggest you do. Here it is, short and sweet.
Every successful case is a special case
It’s easy to dismiss strategies or plans or people who succeed by pointing out how they have something special, something irreproducible, some sort of advantage that makes their success special.
Special as in, “not available to me.”
They went to Harvard, they’re public, they’re not public, they have a great fundraising team, they have a powerful partner, they didn’t go to Harvard, they already have a reputation, they have no reputation to risk…
This is silly, as all success is special. That’s what makes it success. We don’t consider breathing a success, since, fortunately, we all can breathe.
The trick is learning about what the special cases have in common, in understanding how maybe, just maybe, you have some of the very same attributes that others have used in a new way.
Comments?
By Alexander Irving —
 Photo courtesy of Tolis Flioukas Pay Day Yesterday!
Like the “Starfish story” … we know we have done something important.
We all work hard. You, in the salon behind the chair, and we, in our BeautyPRpro and Esche & Alexander PR roles. We do what we do … over and over.
We bring our experience and talent to the table every day for our friends and clients. We share our information, experience, and observations to help make the world (and life) a little better for ourselves and others.
But despite all your (and our) best work, we know people are often fearful. They stay where they are because they are afraid. You can only hope a few are really paying attention, being affected and improved by your efforts and inspired to get past that fear of change.
You get your pay off in your chair. We get ours in the form of comments on the blog (See comments in yesterday’s post) and when we see the results achieved by individuals and companies who have used our information and guidance. That feels good?
A Cacophony of Great Voices
Look around the professional beauty industry and you’ll see and hear a multitude of voices that have carried similar messages over the years. Our friends Vivienne Mackinder, Tony Beckerman, Ian Gavet, Dwight Miller, Martin Parsons, [too many to list here … boy, are the others going to be upset  ] the list goes on and on … all with the same message:
- Learn how
- Be the best at it you can be (at this moment in time)
- Get out and do it (despite your fears)
- Love (and respect) yourself
- Share your time, treasure and knowledge with others.
We’re proud to serve and love seeing these kinds of responses to our message. Thanks Becci  See … it does happen.
What Are You Afraid Of?
By Alexander Irving —
 Just talk … It’s upsetting.
… and it always makes us sad.
The wishers … the dreamers …. the pretenders … the talkers …. so very few actual starters.
So many stylists talk a good game. They talk about about stepping out from the crowd. They talk about what they are going to do for themselves tomorrow. They talk about entering the ‘big pool’ … NAHA or the Contessas, or some other great PR opportunity.
I don’t mean I’m upset because they miss out on being as famous as Nick Arrojo, Beth Minardi or Vivienne Mackinder … Very few do. I mean because they end up never realizing some of their greatest dreams and creativity. They never even take the risk.
Why so Upset Alex?
Because Sharon and I have seen it so many times over the years … so many talented salon professionals dropping the ball on themselves. Not following through. Not taking a risk.
We got a call from a salon pro in Canada last week. She wanted to know how much BeautyPRpro charges for a press release. Sharon and I were both at a meeting. She left a voicemail. The Contessas are coming up you know.
We called back quickly. 3 hour time difference to Toronto. Made it in the same day before her salon closing. We can work with that. We called her back at work and on her cell.
We returned the call several times the next morning early because we know what crazy hours stylists have and how little time they actually have between clients. It’s tough out there so we always go the extra mile. We’ve done that for years.
She never called again. I hope she wasn’t just wishing … dreaming … talking … and that she found someone great to write her news and that she got it out and got what she needed. I hope I see her in the Contessas. I hope, I really hope.
Make You Angry?
Gee, I hope so. Mad enough to do something different for you? I hope so.
If you found this article useful, get a free subscription to BeautyPRpro. You’ll also get a FREE copy of “Life-Changing PR for Salon & Spa Owners. We’ll keep you posted on new articles and PR info.
Please click the ‘Share’ icon below and share this on Facebook, Twitter, SalonGalaxy, hairbrained.me, or other fav … or best of all … email it directly to a friend.
By Sharon Esche —
 Drum Roll Please
We’re announcing the winners Were you in our “Make Your Clients Raving Facebook Fans” classes at the ABCH ‘Energizing Summit’ on June 12th? If so, you got the secret password to enter our June 19th drawing for a complimentary Day of ‘Ultimate Imaging’ for you and your business. That’s a full and fabulous $7,500-value day you’ll share with national PR consultants Sharon and Alex (Esche & Alexander PR / BeautyPRpro) PLUS doing a hair fashion shoot with industry-renowned photographer Gary Lyons.
As promised there is a winner from each class. And the two winners are …
- AM class – Judi Troutman – Raleigh, North Carolina
- PM Class – Rosey Ibarra – Downey, California
If you two would call us at 760-414-3370, we can get started. Yippee-Kazoo!!
Congratulations!
If you found this article useful, get a free subscription to BeautyPRpro. You’ll receive a FREE copy of our ebook, “Life-Changing PR for Salon & Spa Owners” and receive each article/post minutes after it hits the blog.
Feel free to click on the ‘Share This’ icon below to send this post to a friend or mark it at your favorite social bookmarking site.
By Alexander Irving —
 Just because you write doesn’t mean you’re read …
How do you look through your incoming email pile after you’ve been away from your desk?
you know how it looks … suddenly a zillion ‘From:’, ‘To:’, ‘Subject:’, and ‘Received:’ fields stream int and the top window darkens with unread emails..
You sigh, and scan for clients, and “most urgent” .. (people or subject) – 95% + don’t fit this category. Few deletions have happened.
OK … Urgent emails are dealt with
here’s the critical part. Reader’s final review —- “Gotta check it out” … or …“It’s dumb,
I always get a perverse kick out of knocking down the number of emails I do that by scanning the ‘From:’,and ‘Subject:’, fields again.
Dumb , boring, or predictable = Delete
Interesting, appealing, engaging … Gotta check it out? = Save
So the next 30 seconds sound like this:
Delete … delete … delete …. don’t delete … don’t delete … delete … delete … don’t delete
… delete … delete … don’t delete … delete
Sound familiar? Am I wrong?
You spend a great deal of time and effort planning a promotion or offering etc. But, unless you made the final email review cut, they never saw your offer. I know … you have great in-salon signage?
It’s the subject line
Just like newsstand magazines, it’s the headline that grabs ‘em long enough to get them started. Better have a good first paragraph. Here is a link to a PDF of headline suggestions for your consideration … tried and true and offered by Chris Garrett (http://www.chrisg.com) and Authority Blogger. http://www.authorityblogger.com.
Download the PDF.
Enjoy.
By Alexander Irving —
 “The World is Filled with Talented, Poor Dreamers”
We don’t remember who gets attribution for that quote, but our BeautyPRpro header copy above reflects how we feel about that headline.
Several thousand years ago a Roman philosopher said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”. More recently, a guy named Samuel Goldwyn, a Hollywood producer/movie mogul said, “The harder I work, the luckier I get”.
Well, odds are you’re not going to be ‘hit by lightening’ and hired for that new reality TV series on Bravo, so you better start planning how you are going to get noticed and get ahead in your career.
Every stylist/colorist on industry stages and in the magazines editorially has garnered real PR success (forget the ‘flash in the pans’) by beginning with passion, fear, anxiety, and hope. They plunked themselves down, talked to people who knew the industry and how stuff happens, planned out their early steps, and added their personal sweat, blood, tears and talent. Simple, no?
 What Did They Do … ?
- Wrote a personal bio and media information material
- Developed a fashion point of view
- Created a news release plan to get known by local and industry editors
- Did charitable activity for the year
- Developed fashion photography for their clients and the media
- Grew their editorial relationships
- Attended industry events to be seen at, involved in, and photographed at.
- Decided on newsworthy local sponsorships
- Argh …. That a huge list! … Yeah, and that’s not even the half of it … but …
Just Do ‘One’ Thing
If you try to think about it all alone, it feels overwhelming. That’s why so few actually step out and move on down the road to real PR success.
It is actually simple. Just do the first thing. Once you start (and succeed) at the first thing you do, the next gets easier and feels more doable.
It Really Is That Simple?
Yep! Want help? No cost to say hi and share your dreams. Ask those salon professionals who’ve done it how they did it. They’ll talk to you. Just call ‘em.
Are You Inspired? Share Your Thoughts with a Comment.
By Alexander Irving —
 Takes Only 30 Seconds
This is an unusual post for BeautyPRpro. We think you’ll understand why we deviate from our usual offerings when you read just a little more. The action we ask is simple.
Click this link and put a few extra bucks in your pocket. Well, not instantly, but eventually it means we will all will make a few sheckles more.
The link above is to send a message to your elected representatives to support the “Small Business Tax Equalization and Compliance Act” that has been introduced in the Senate.
This act provides the beauty industry businesses a dollar for dollar tax credit on FICA (social security and Medicare) taxes paid on employee tips.
Write a Letter? Nope, done for you.
The letter process is automated and took us all of 30 seconds.
The restaurant industry already has this, we don’t.
Here’s the link again
http://bit.ly/kqN6JK
Any questions?
Visit probeauty.org/advocacy
When you comment on this post, don’t forget to check the “Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail ” box. You can follow the conversation without returning to the blog.
If you found this article useful, get a free subscription to BeautyPRpro. You’ll receive a FREE copy of our ebook, “Life-Changing PR for Salon & Spa Owners” and receive each article post minutes after it hits the blog.
Feel free to click on the ‘Share This’ icon below to send this post to a friend or mark it at your favorite social bookmarking site.
By Alexander Irving —
Your ‘Appearance’ is a Basic Salon PR Ingredient
 Salon Bogar in Londonderry, New Hampshire, http://www.salonbogar.com and http://www.facebook.com/salonbogar is a ‘brilliant’ example of how a salon owner with commitment and determination can:
- Re-image their salon without going broke.
- Make the internet and social media work harder.
- Motivate their staff.
- Expand and grow their connections with their clients.
- Get closer to their local press.
- Diversify product offerings to match their clientele’s wishes.
It all happened gradually and manageably over the past couple of years, in a tough economy, and (if you’ve visited their website already), the results speak for themselves. Larger than life? Spectacular looking? You be the judge.
Seems like Only Yesterday
Two to three years ago, Amy and Alfredo Lamparelli looked ahead at the future, their staff, their Aveda Concept Salon and tried to imagine it … better yet.
They had been an excellent, profitable, and client-retentive Aveda Concept salon for over 20 years. They did great work. Their clients loved them. But, the winds of change (technology and the economy) were afoot and were blowing through every aspect of their salon.
Website, client attraction and retention programs, promotion, advertising, PR and newsworthiness, staff training & motivation, cost-cutting, retail sales, physical plant improvements … only Amy and Alfredo know all the areas they spent time, money and effort on every day.
We Helped … Just a Little
The morphing of the look and image of Salon Bogar into the new decade, new economy, new industry image, was an amazing journey for their salon … and a satisfying one for Sharon and I. So much more than a website make-over, photo shoot, local imaging, industry activism … their journey perfectly illustrates the process salons (and individual stylists) in smaller communities need to think about as they look ahead and decide if they want to be on the map in 10 years … or not.
We are looking forward to sharing what we know about Salon Bogar’s story over the past couple of years. Amy has agreed to write posts in a series over the months ahead and contribute as the true subject matter experts they are. So, stick around. Subscribe to the blog. Don’t miss a post. It’s FREE of course. We know you’ll learn a lot about what you need to do for yourself.
When you comment on this post, don’t forget to check the “Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail ” box. You can follow the conversation without returning to the blog.
If you found this article useful, get a free subscription to BeautyPRpro. You’ll receive a FREE copy of our ebook, “Life-Changing PR for Salon & Spa Owners” and receive each article post minutes after it hits the blog.
Feel free to click on the ‘Share This’ icon below to send this post to a friend or mark it at your favorite social bookmarking site.
By Alexander Irving —
 Our answer is a resounding …
Why not? It’s easy to set up, and although most mobile check-in services are primarily populated by younger, web-savvy techies (only 1- 4% of the on-line adult population according has used the leading on-line check-in service), location-based marketing is still the hot ‘comer’ and early adopters will profit from the small effort it takes to set it up. Also, many of your clients/customers may well include these younger mobile-heads.
Also, don’t forget Google gets fed the ‘Local Business’ listings from Facebook.
First, You Decide
Important … You’ve already (hopefully) read our recent Facebook post on making sure your personal profile is protected from ‘friends’ randomly tagging you using Facebook ‘Places’.
On to getting your business ‘on the map’ and tied into your Facebook page.
How to set up your ‘Place’ on Facebook
You can only access ‘Places’ from a mobile interface. We suggest you use Facebook Touch access on your desktop for this part, it’s more convenient than the Facebook mobile interface on your phone (I hate little keyboards).
- Select ‘Places’.
- Search for your business name – Unless someone else has put their version of your business name there, you won’t find it.
- If it doesn’t exist, add it. – Type in the name you want your business to have. Another reason to do this now is to ensure your business name gets listed as you wish it to be, not as someone else adding your business name decided it for you (although you can make changes when you claim your business.)
- Put your business description info in at this point. – I still haven’t figured out how to go back and add or edit the description field so now is the time to do this. (If anyone reading does, please post your comment)
- Lastly, claim Your ‘Place’ on Facebook. – Log into Facebook on your computer. Search for the name of your business you entered in ‘Places’. Click on the Places selection. At the bottom of the screen, click on the question, “Is this your business?”.
- This part may surprise you. Apparently, if FB doesn’t find your listed phone number you have to send them an official doc for your business. The choices ar:
- Articles of Certificate of Incorporation (for a corporation)
- Certificate of Formation (for a partnership)
- Local Business License (issued by your city, county, or state)
- Better Business Bureau (BBB) Accreditation
For starters, Gowalla, Foursquare, Booyah (MyTown, Nightclub City), and Yelp will integrate with ‘Places’.
For more help on the topic, Facebook has its own help on Facebook, or you can download a PDF from them here.
Share Your Comments and Questions here.
By Alexander Irving —
 Social Media is Excellent PR
We recently shared some knowledge with our class at the American Board of Certified Haircolorists (ABCH) Educational ‘Summit’. For us it was a snapshot of 40 education-hungry colorists and what they knew about using social media to help them promote their business. Only a few understood it much at all.
Of course everyone was on Facebook, but few people knew beyond the photos/videos tabs, the wall, and how to send messages. Only one person had a plan and strategy for being there and was using it to attract more clients to their salon.
Back to Beauty School – Social Media Beauty School.
You know you can’t create a ‘look’ for your client without knowing the ‘techniques’ of how to get hair to do what you want it to do, right? You have to know how to use a comb, scissors, razor, brush, dryer, iron, and chemicals before you can even begin to craft a look. Each ‘look’ uses slightly different techniques and some tools more than others.
It’s no different for social media. You have to understand the tools and what they can do for you before you can use them collectively to cultivate your own ‘look’ using your PR (and your marketing in general).
Bottom line: Go back to school. Use the same mindset you used when you knew you wanted to get started in the beauty industry. Break out the books and mannequin heads (just kidding about the mannequin heads), and start reading, learning about your tools, and practicing basic skills.
Make the Investment
You aren’t going to learn about, or get good at social media strategy or technique in a couple of sittings, or with someone’s ‘get-rich-in-friends-quick’ book. Think about it. It took you over a thousand hours to learn just the basics of cosmetology in beauty school, didn’t it?
What makes you think you don’t need to approach social media with just a little bit of the same dedication you put into learning your beauty skills? OK, not 1,000 hours, but still … take it seriously. Start with the basics … read, and practice.
Resources
There are zillions of resources for information and technical expertise in each of the social media disciplines out there. There’s certainly no shortage of internet marketing and social media gurus (most have become experts in the last year or so) vying for your dollar.
Who do you trust? Where do you find them? It takes a time and searching to find the good guys.
Save your money. Read for free, you’ll learn whose stuff you really want to buy along the way. Most everything you need to know is already out there and costs nothing. You just need to find it and that’s what the download link is all about.
Here it is … and Yes, It’s Free
We’ve saved you a lot of time and searching by assembling a starter list of ‘trusted’ resources for Facebook, Twitter, LInkedIn, and Blogging knowledge. These are tried and true experts who are really experts. These are the people we learned from. They’ve been at it the longest and have risen to the top of the heap. We prepared it for our class at ABCH and it’s filled with great people and information to get you moving ahead.
Some First Ideas for you to Consider
- Subscribe to BeautyPRpro and join our fan page on Facebook. (Had to get a plug in for our blog ).
- Make the commitment to spend one hour a day reading and practicing.
- Start with Facebook. Read up on how the individual pieces and parts of Facebook work. You’ll find much of that information in the writings of the experts in the download PDF below.
- Settings (account, privacy, application) and their impact on all the other parts of Facebook.
- News feeds (top news, most recent),
- Friend filters
- Events
- Messaging
- Groups
- Profiles (personal and Fan pages)
- Browse and read the articles and posts in the download PDF about how other companies and people are using Facebook, LinkedIn, blogging, and Twitter to grow their fans and build their businesses.
- Subscribe to some of the blogs of the experts you will be reading and follow in their footsteps. They’ve been there and freely share how it all works.
- Questions? I sure hope so. Drop by BeautyPRpro on Facebook and our blog. Ask the new found experts whose articles you’ll be reading from the download list by leaving comments/questions on their blogs and websites. All of us that blog love to hear from you and know that what we are giving away is being appreciated and doing what it is supposed to do.
Do you have a strategy you’d care to share?
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