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.

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.

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.

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!

Voted "best hair color" in Seattle in the October 2011 edition, the crew at Lisa Power Salon have been carving out a name for themselves as the most talent and innovative colorists in the Puget Sound area.

It is a pleasure working with this talented bunch, and I can't wait to see where this journey takes them!

Melissa contacted me and asked if I would coach her through an interview that would be used by the judges to select the winner. For Melissa, the pressure was on.

After working through a strategy for the video interview and narrowing down some talking points, I'm pleased to say that Melissa's mantle now holds that award. It's well deserved, and the Borsa Bella story is quite impressive. Here are Melissa's words after working with me and taking home the trophy:

"Jennifer helped me create a strategy, direction, and talking points for a recent interview that would be used to determine the winner of a regional award. I really appreciated Jennifer's ideas, wording, insight, and coaching. It helped me gather my ideas, and gave me the added confidence I needed."

My task was to speak to the group on the benefits of leveraging publicity, complete with examples from within their industry. I've worked in the salon/spa industry for years, so finding examples was easy enough; and it was an opportunity to showcase some of the stellar efforts of my clients.

But it triggered an interesting conversation. As one salon owner stated: "Advertising doesn't work." As an advertising major in my undergraduate program, few things get my blood to boil faster. But, her words did hold some truth. The industry is changing. Consumers are savvy. Credibility is thin. What's a business to do?

I've had significant success working with clients to leverage publicity efforts that then transition to marketing efforts. Here's an example of how this works: someone in your business receives advanced training. You tell me, and I generate a media release and launch it in the direction of appropriate media outlets. With a little follow up and the use of some long-trusted techniques, various media outlets produce stories on the advanced training received by your trusted employee. You leverage this in your business, typically with great success because it's no longer your promotion- it's the promotion of XXX newspaper or 123 blog. It goes up on your website, out in your newsletter, and is posted within your business. And so it begins. Your customers see the media talking about you, their trust in your abilities increases, and, if I've done my job, the next time that media outlet needs some information on your industry, they call you.

And the best part? It's free. Because it's publicity, it's non-paid. Advertising is generated by business and paid for by business. The seeds of publicity are generated by business, but by the time it hits the eyeballs/ears of your clients, it's generated by the media.

Viola. Instant credibility!