Raising your salon's profile

Once your salon is running smoothly you'll want to start thinking about taking its profile to the next level; Alison Jameson, managing director of Alison Jameson Consultants tells you how.

How can I raise my salon's profile on a national scale? Whatever you decide to do it's important that it looks and sounds professional and gets straight to the point. Journalists are busy people and haven't got time to waste.

• Have a good story - Make sure you have a something newsworthy and interesting to 'sell'. Keep it current and accurate - no one is interested in old news
• Start local - Start by building your salon's profile on a regional level and use your local press to get you on the map.
• Be confident - Learn from your mistakes and gain confidence for when you speak to the editors of bigger publications
• Stress your USP - what is it about your service that sets it apart from the opposition? You'll need to make this very clear to journalists.

How can I forge relationships with the press? You need to build a strong professional relationship with journalists. Meeting people face-to-face is always a good start. Attend trade events where you know the press will be and either get someone to introduce you or be bold and introduce yourself. Call or email journalists regularly and ask what they are working on, and if you can help them with anything - such as providing quotes or information. How can I get my salon in the headlines? There's a saying that all publicity is good publicity but that isn't necessarily true. You want to make headlines for good reasons:

• Get involved with a charity and raise some money
• Make expert comments - make sure they are fresh and topical
• Get to know local, national, trade and consumer journalists, so that they come to you.