Do you like getting free PR? Read this blog by my new partner at Spa Clientele, Felicia Brown.
My husband thinks I am addicted to getting publicity, seeing my name in print, and being recognized for my business efforts. And I am...but probably not for the reasons most people think. I don't want glory...I want TOMA.
The truth is I am a shy person by nature and had to train myself to speak up and be heard about my business and other things I care about. To toot my own horn. To tell people to stop what they are doing and see what I am doing. Why? Because I want TOMA.
TOMA is short for Top of Mind Awareness. When it comes to being in business for yourself, TOMA is critical to your success. For example, when I was beginning in massage therapy I wanted people to think of me as THE massage therapist in town. I introduced myself around to everyone, attended tons of networking meetings, gave my business cards out to everyone I met and looked for as many opportunities as I could to get quoted in the paper or on the news.
I did the same thing with my day spa (and Spalutions, my consulting business) because I wanted it to be the only place people thought of when they thought of relaxation, massage therapy or holiday gift giving! It definitely worked and helped me get more clients and eventually to sell it for a profit.
And now many years later, I am still doing everything I can to get TOMA. Recently I saw a poll question in the Greensboro News & Record that I thought I had a good response for. So I sat down at my computer, typed it up and sent it to the columnist in an email. You know what, she published practically the whole thing. Click here to read the article in full.
This is free PR folks. I can use it as a tool to market my business by sending the link of it to past clients and contacts, posting it on my blogs and social networks, and sharing it with prospects or students. Being quote worthy brings credibility to me and my business and will do the same thing for yours.
Start looking for opportunities to write letters to the editor that relate to your area of expertise or business, submit comments to blogs and online columns, send a press release about something you did or plan to do that will be of interest to the community or the readers of a particular publication. And little by little you too will have TOMA.
A little about Felicia...
Felicia Brown, LMBT is the owner of Spalutions!, (www.spalutions.com) a firm that provides business solutions for spa professionals through business consulting, marketing coaching and staff training programs. She has written for and been quoted in numerous trade publications including DAYSPA, Spa Magazine, Skin, Inc., Massage Therapy Journal, Massage Magazine, Massage & Bodywork, Spa Management Journal and Dermascope. Felicia has also provided free business and marketing advice for spa and wellness professionals on her blog at http://blog.spalutions.com which she will now be doing here at Spa Clientele as well.
Felicia was recently selected as the 2009 Spa Person of the Year by the DSA as well as one of the Top Entrepreneurs of 2009 and Top 25 Movers & Shakers of 2008 by Business Leader Magazine (http://www.businessleadermedia.com.) Other awards include the 2005 Small Business Person of the Year (Greensboro Chamber of Commerce), 2004 Women in Business (The Business Journal), 2003 Forty Leaders Under Forty (The Business Journal), 2003 Best Places to Work (The Business Journal for Balance Day Spa), and 2005 Best Spa in Greensboro (Triad Style for Balance Day Spa). In 2007, she was also given an award for National Volunteer of the Year (committee) by the American Massage Therapy Association.
We are very excited to have her here at Spa Clientele and hope you will get to know her. She can be reached at Felicia@spalutions.com.
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