In this month's column, I'd like to address the importance of public relations, and why having a PR strategy, as it's more commonly referred to, is crucial to the overall success of your hairdressing business. The value of PR in the hairdressing community first took off in the '60s, '70s and '80s, when mane men like Vidal Sassoon, Trevor Sorbie, Nicky Clarke and women such as Geri Cusenza of Sebastian used the promotional tool to grab the media's attention, get ink in major trade and consumer publications and keep their name and businesses in the spotlight. Today, PR is considered to be one of the essential building blocks to running a strong, lucrative salon business.
 Beverly C |
Nowhere is that more evident than at Essensuals, where many elements of our business are directly driven by the PR department—all with the goal of enhancing business and keeping our talented hairdressing team and products in the public eye.
Take, for example, a recent week here that saw the launch of a brand-new Essensuals salon in Portishead, Bristol, and also encompassed the South West regional competition of our "Face of Essensuals" competition. A great idea for any salon,this initiative was dreamed up by the PR department to generate press interest and build a resource of models for all of our local salon events, photo shoots and assistant competitions. On Tuesday, the PR department orchestrated a "client evening" to introduce interested clients to the benefits of botox and injectable beauty treatments.
 Stephen Glendinning styles a model for Firetrap's latest collection. |
On Wednesday, the PR staff and I produced the hair component for Firetrap's latest collection in London. I headed the team, along with my International Artistic Director Stephen Glendinning. On Thursday, thanks to a PR lead, it was time to style the hair for a huge London theatre production of Dirty Dancing. On Friday, I appeared on ITV's This Morning, which involved a live, outside broadcast on the banks of the Thames River in London. My job was to create hot beach looks, and I couldn't have done it without the help of the PR department, who researched the products, briefed me, ensured that the photos that were taken were uploaded to our Web site and followed up the TV appearance with press releases.
 Beverly C and her team gather on the banks of the Thames River for a live television broadcast |
The point I'm trying to illustrate here is that these are the types of things that you should be doing in your business. And they'll all be easier to accomplish if you have a PR pro by your side who can step up, take responsibility and ensure the positive buzz about your business never goes away.