So you think your Facebook page is doing the job of a website? Wrong! Here are five reasons why having your own website is a whole lot better for your salon business.
You may have a killer Facebook page with a great following, but guess who owns all that lovely content you've been working so hard on? That's right, Facebook. You've built up your business and developed a loyal customer base, only to leave all your key messaging in the hands of a third party. Your posts and pictures have to stick to the Facebook terms and conditions, your layout follows the same format as every other salon, and guess what else? Facebook can change the look, function or even take your page down any time with no warning. Build your own website and of course, you choose everything from the colour scheme to the layout to how you present the info you really want your new clients to see from the outset.
Yay, you've got thousands of likes on your page! This is surely going to convert into loads of paying customers! If only it were so... sadly, even if someone has gone to the effort of seeking out your page and liking it, it doesn't mean that they are going to see all the great content you're putting up on it. Facebook still controls how much of your content your customers see and in the end, you'll more than likely have to pay to promote your posts just to have them show up in those same feeds. And even when your followers are getting to see your posts, your primary objective should be driving them to your own website so you can turn them into a loyal customer. Get a potential client onto your website and you are now in control of the conversion from interested party into paying customer. Cha-ching!
Are you choosing Facebook because it is the free, cheaper, easier option? Huh, your customers probably know that too. If that's how your business is operated then by all means, continue. But if you've worked hard to put a quality stamp on everything that you do in your salon, it stands to reason that you should do the same online. Your website is your new shop front and having a slick, well-designed and easy to navigate website and great information is going to set you apart from A.N. Other salon down the road.
You want something done, but where do you go? Google. Facebook pages for business simply don't rank as high on search engines as standalone websites do, which means that when someone is trying really hard to find your exact service in your very town, your rival could be popping up way ahead of you on their search result page. Great if they're only going to look for salon services on Facebook. Not so good if they, like the rest of us, use the biggest search engine in the world instead.
But we've left the best for last: get your own website up and running and you can include an online booking system. That leaves no more room for deliberation for that customer desperate for a nail/hair/tan appointment and instead brings them even closer to your front door. Well, what are you waiting for?
Find out how we can help you get found and get ahead of the competition by Auditing Your Web Presence for FREE today.