You absolutely DO need a website! All your marketing efforts via social media should drive potential clients to your salon’s website. Here are four reasons why you should have a website.
1. Your website belongs to you, social media sites do not. Social media sites like Facebook can pull your account at will for any reason, without prior notification and you could potentially lose everything. Technically speaking, you do not own your Facebook page. Although you can house your images and information there, there’s no guarantee that you can retrieve any lost information.
2. Establishes credibility. In this day and age, no small business should be without a website. When potential clients look for a new place for services, they seek out a website to gather information and make informed decisions. If you don’t have a website, it decreases your chances of setting your salon apart from the competition. Additionally, you are not recognized immediately as a legitimate business. Think about what you do when you are seeking out the hottest new restaurant or gym — you visit the website first. A website is the single most important marketing tool you have in conveying information, establishing your credibility, and legitimizing your business to potential customers.
3. You control the information on your website. Your website is the hub for information specific to your business. It is a digital brochure that allows you a place to sell yourself, your brand, and your services. A website contains pertinent information about you, your services, pricing, policies, etc., which cannot always be accurately displayed via Facebook. Also, Facebook pages are subject to negative comments, competitor messages, etc.
4. Search engine optimization (SEO). Search engine optimization is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a website or a web page, from search engines, like Google, Yahoo, or AOL. When you have your own website these search engines can find you based on keywords including location and services offered. When potential clients search “nail salons” in your area, based on that search criteria your business becomes searchable.
Facebook is a social tool used to communicate with your clients. A website is a selling tool used to present information specific to your business and make them want to come to you. These tools are meant to complement each other, not act alone.
— Tiffani Douglas is a social media expert and author of “Social Media Marketing: A Guide For Beauty Professionals.”