Seattleite features beach babe hair by Lisa Power Salon

Seattleite online magazine wrote a great article on how to create perfect "beach babe" hair, with instructions direct from the pros at Lisa Power Salon. To read the full article and begin rocking this look, click here... Just in time for summer!

Leveraging Publicity

Note: This article will appear in the May/June issue of Viewpoint magazine.

Marketing is a paid form of communication, and typically translates into advertising. Publicity is non-paid communication, and is presented by a neutral third party. Generating and managing publicity for your businesses is both an art and a science. When it works, it’s incredibly effective because the end result is that you’re not telling customers how incredible your services are; the media is doing it for you.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Lisa Power Salon for the past three years. My role is to generate as much publicity for the team and salon as possible. Not everything they do is “newsworthy,” but much of it is. They participate in continuing education, develop trend previews, hire new team members- many of the things other salons also do. Lisa Power Salon has been so successful with their publicity efforts because I tell their story consistently, packaged in a manner that the media can use.

And it’s worked. In the past three years, Lisa and her team have landed in Allure Magazine three different times, been featured in American Salon magazine, won the “Best of the Decade” award from Seattle Magazine, clinched the “Best of Western Washington” award for Best Hair Color, and been highlighted in a number of trade and consumer publications. While seeing her name in lights is exciting and rewarding, it doesn’t pay the bills. It has, however, cultivated an entirely new clientele, which has transitioned into a new and steady customer base.

Strategically, this media coverage is neutral. Lisa Power and her team are not outwardly announcing that they provide the Best Hair Color in Western Washington. We develop very focused publicity efforts and leave the announcing to Evening Magazine. And because the message is delivered by the media, it is perceived by customers as true and legitimate. With this, marketing efforts follow to promote the awards and designations to current and potential clients in an effort to grow her business.  And it works.

The foundation of this strategy is a commitment to tell the story. Attending trainings, developing trend previews, and hiring team members are critically important to the success of any business in this industry. But telling the world about those efforts can help grow your business, and position your salon or spa as the expert in the industry within your geographic area.

Superbowl Sunday!

Today is Superbowl Sunday, the purest remaining form of mass marketing we have. There has been a lot of hype this year about the heavy price tag for commercial airtime. Averaging $3.5M for 30 seconds of time during the game is expensive. However, when you consider the 111M viewers who tuned in for the 2011 match, it's actually rather cost effective.

In marketing, there is a formula we use to determine cost effectiveness; it's called Cost Per Thousand, or CPM. In a nutshell, it considers both the cost for the airtime, ad space, etc as well as the eyeballs anticipated to land on the ad. This formula tells us how much it costs to reach 1000 sets of eyeballs, and allows us to decide what is cost effective, and what is not.

The 2012 Superbowl brings a CPM, or cost per 1000 eyeballs of $27. That means that for every 1000 viewers, advertisers will pay $27 to reach them (this does not include production). By comparison, a "hit" television program during a regular weekday evening brings a CPM of $35, and the Oscars bring a CPM of $37. This formula is invaluable because it allows us to see that if you can afford it, and it makes sense for your company, Superbowl advertising is fairly cost effective by comparison.

I'm ready to tune into the big game this year for the commercials. The football is really a marginally-added bonus. There's some controversy surrounding this year's advertising, and I will enjoy my front-row seat.

If you do one thing for your business in 2012...

I handle the public relations and marketing efforts for a number of clients, and have one recommendation for businesses in 2012:

It is my suggestion that each business update staff head shots in 2012 and here's why: When something newsworthy happens within your organization and you have the good fortune to land some media attention, publications, websites, etc will request current head shots- without fail. In my experience, most of the time when I begin to work with a new business they either don't have head shots on file, or if they do, they aren't current. And, when members of the media want photos, they want them NOW- darn deadlines!

Head shots are not expensive or time consuming, but they are an important detail. It is my recommendation that each business keep a file with current head shots of all team members, remembering to schedule new hires with the photographer, and some general shots of the business. Doing this, I have found, will greatly enhance publicity efforts.

Brag time!

One of my favorite clients is Lisa Power Salon. Lisa has built an impressive business on Queen Anne that has perfected the art and science of color that blends beautifully with the creative cuts.

But don't take my word for it: Lisa and crew have landed in Allure Magazine an unprecedented 3 times in the past 2 years- including nabbing the coveted "Home of the Best Hair Color" award. They've been featured in Seattle Magazine, won the "Best of Western Washington" honors for the salon, and the list goes on and on. They do the hard work, and I have the privilege of telling their story.

Lisa was just interviewed by GlamourWire. I encourage you to read the article- it's inspiring and her energy is contagious!