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Publicity is to Public Relations as Public Relations is to Marketing – True or False?
Remember those kinds of relational questions in school? They forced you to think about how things really related to each other. That what this post is about because if you are clear on the relationship between PR and publicity you will be much more successful at the latter and you will have a ‘foundation’ for success in all your marketing efforts for your salon or spa business.
Candy Bars Aren’t Really Good for You
There’s a reason buildings start with a foundation. Only once you have one can you lay bricks and mortar and begin to dress it up. Public relations is about the foundation. Publicity is the ‘dress it up’ part. That’s not to say you can’t get publicity without public relations, you can, but without foundation, it’s inconsistent. It’s like eating candy bars instead of good meals for energy. After a short-term energy blast, you’re left energy-less and crashing.
Confucious said, “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.” That’s what we are doing here with this blog. Sure we hand out ‘candy bars’ occasionally like these two … Snickers and Oh Henry!, but we try never take our eye off the bigger ball. We’ll remind you, to stay focused on your story and how you tell it … to everyone in the world.
Do Not Neglect Your ‘Foundational PR’.
Ever read any writings by Seth Godin? You are about to. He has a most worthy blog. Wish we could hang out for a day. Thoughtful man. Who is he? We suggest you discover for yourself. He’s written a bunch of books, the most recent, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us and a favorite … All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World . He wrote the following post recently and it resonated so powerfully with us because it reassured us that what we do is important.
The difference between PR and publicity
Most PR firms do publicity, not PR.
Publicity is the act of getting ink. Publicity is getting unpaid media to pay attention, write you up, point to you, run a picture, make a commotion. Sometimes publicity is helpful, and good publicity is always good for your ego.
But it’s not PR.
PR is the strategic crafting of your story. It’s the focused examination of your interactions and tactics and products and pricing that, when combined, determine what and how people talk about you.
Regis McKenna was great at PR. Yes, he got Steve Jobs and the Mac on the cover of more than 30 magazines in the year it launched. That was just publicity. The real insight was crafting the story of the Mac (and yes, the story of Steve Jobs).
If you send out a boring press release, your publicity effort will probably fail, but your PR already has.
A publicity firm will tell you stories of how they got a client ink. A PR firm will talk about storytelling and being remarkable and spreading the word. They might even suggest you don’t bother getting ink or issuing press releases.
In my experience, a few people have a publicity problem, but almost everyone has a PR problem. You need to solve that one first. And you probably won’t accomplish that if you hire a publicity firm and don’t even give them the freedom and access they need to work with you on your story.
Thank you Seth.
OK READERS … WHAT’S YOUR STORY? STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS OR CHASING PUBLICITY? CARE TO SHARE?
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Question mark photo by DoBeRaGi – Flickr Creative Common
This blog is poses a very pertinent info about the value of publicity for beauty industry professionals. How to sell yourself is not often on the curriculum in cosmetology schools. As well, while marketing, advertising and public relations can all fit under the umbrella of ‘advertising’ – each one needs to be handles very differently to be effective in building a viral business presence in a highly competitive market
Looking forward to more!
The Maven of Mind Marketing
Michelle Matteson
Thanks for the comment Michelle and thanks for subscribing again. Glad you are here.
You’re right. It’s tough on the troops and that’s why we started the blog. Newer salon pros need knowledge. With regard to PR there haven’t been too many affordable options or resources for them.
Here are a few older posts that get pulled up every now and then
http://www.beautyprpro.com/seeing-a-beauty-industry-event-through-the-eyes-of-a-beauty-pr-pro/
http://www.beautyprpro.com/all-the-worlds-a-stage-are-you-ready/
All the Best
Alex
As an editor, I think this piece rings very true. Every day, salons and manufacturers send us releases looking for ink–but few have taken the time to develop their story or shape the story to match our overall editorial vision. That means we either pass on the information or we recognize a nugget of wisdom and flesh out the story ourselves. Yes, as editors, that’s our job–but sources would get further with us if they took a step in the right direction.
Hi Stacey. Thx for your comment. As I said to Roseann, I’ll bet our readers would love to hear more from the horse’s mouths about how they can get more of what they want (good PR) without having to hire a public relations company. Can I twist your arm?
P.S. See Roseann’s guest post on the blog http://www.beautyprpro.com/compelling-copy-gets-you-published/.
.-= Alexander Irving´s last blog ..Compelling Copy Gets You Published =-.
Thanks, Alex, I am happy to share some thoughts. In SALON TODAY anyway, we make it very easy. At the bottom of each department is a box that tells readers exactly what we are looking for and where to send the information. For example, in Marketing, we’re looking for examples of brochures, service menus, business cards and pamphlets. In Architects of Design, we’re looking for decor images and stories. In Asked and Answered, we actually post the question for the next month’s roundtable discussion. Our applications for SALONS OF THE YEAR and the SALON TODAY 200 include multiple essay questions designed to give us story ideas for our publications, websites and e-mail newsletters. One of the best ways to get coverage in our magazine is to fill out these applications. Even if a salon doesn’t win, they have a great chance at getting coverage through the year as we pour over the applications.
For SALON TODAY, it’s all about sharing great business ideas that help owners grow — so any successful salon business strategy has the makings of a great story. Many of our features start with a press release or even an e-mail that simply shares an idea that worked for someone.