‘The Art of Brand Building’ Part 3 By Phil Smith

In the third of a series of masterclasses, one of the biggest names in British hairdressing, business mastermind Phil Smith talks us through some of the lessons he’s learnt in years of running a global salon portfolio and launching his own successful haircare ranges.

All publicity is good publicity, they say. But when you’re running a salon or launching a product range, you want to make sure it’s talked about in all the right ways by all the right people. Many business owners can put marketing low on their list of priorities, but I’d say the key to building up my brand throughout my career has been all about good PR.

The trouble is that PR can be quite misunderstood. It’s not just about getting your hair pictures published or your name in a magazine. To me, PR should drive awareness to your business and make sure you’re on the radar of all the right people. Whether that’s on a local level making sure you’re thought of as THE best salon in town – or on a bigger scale establishing you as one of the leading hairdressing talents in the country, PR is a pathway to getting your name and your salon seen and heard. Here’s the PR lessons I’ve learnt along the way:

Great reviews are gold

One important thing to remember about PR is that is that it starts with you. Building a positive reputation for your salon is about what you say, what you do, and what other people say about you. So, in essence, great PR is great customer service. Working on every detail of how you deliver your service and improving every detail of the business regularly is crucial.

At its most fundamental level, PR is word of mouth and someone leaving you a top review. I’m the first to admit that everyone can get complacent, but you should never take a good reputation for granted. More often than not a bad review is about the experience than the haircut. Five-star reviews that are left from the heart are gold dust for your business. According to research, 92 per cent of people will trust a recommendation from a friend and 70 per cent of people will trust a review from someone they don’t even know! Shout about and share your reviews as it can make all the difference when it comes to attracting new clients.

Get social

The PR landscape has changed massively since I started out. There was no social media 30 years ago, but it’s given us all an opportunity to showcase our salon from our smartphone. When done well, social media is a behind the scenes glimpse at your salon and reflects what you do best. It’s a way to establish a know, like and trust factor with prospective clients and existing ones. Before you spend a single penny on a PR agency, I’d make sure your social media – which, let’s face it, is a free resource – is up to scratch. Yes, it can be a time suck, but it is a distraction that is worth your time. Get junior members of your team on board - if they’re really keen, they can be creating original content, which will be a great boost for your salon.

Are you showing up online?

Your shopfront used to be your salon’s best advert but now your online presence has become just as important for making a good first impression. Your website is an opportunity to give a flavour of what your client can expect when they visit. A professionally built website should include all the relevant Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) work to get your salon seen by anyone searching for a hair service in your area. It doesn’t have to be complex, but it does have to be a good reflection of your brand.

Call in the pros

When you’ve done as much as you can to build your PR reputation from its foundations, I’d stop to think what your ambitions really are. Do you want to become a brand ambassador (or even launch your own product range), or do you need some direction on what it takes to win those coveted industry awards? Everyone will have a different goal and a smart PR will know which pathway to steer you on. It’s really important to know your ‘brand’ even if that brand is YOU. To give you an example, when I started out, I was never a glossy Mayfair hairdresser, or the equivalent of what Gordon Ramsay was to the restaurant world. Instead, I was more of a ‘Jamie Oliver’, reachable and affordable to all walks of life. Knowing who I was and where I fit into the hairdressing landscape has helped me hugely and I still refer back to those principles today.

Scoop yourself an award or two!

Being an award winner is a good business move. There’s no shortage of awards competitions in the hair world, plus there are local business awards you can get involved with too. Yes, it can seem like a lot of fuss to get an entry together but even so, nothing quite beats the thrill of winning. It feels great to be recognised by your peers and it’s a great motivator for your team too if you back them in their quest to win a trophy.

There is an element of vanity about entering awards but becoming an ‘award-winning salon’ lends a lot of cachet to your brand and it will 100 per cent get you noticed. Growing the visibility of your salon to clients and in the local area is one of the best PR strategies there is. Everyone loves a success story.

Trust me, if you think of PR less as a ‘campaign’ and more something that you practice every day, you’ll be hitting the headlines for all the right reasons.