The 2020 holiday season is quickly approaching, and though I have a feeling a lot of holiday parties will be taking place on laptop screens, people will still want to look their best. If a potential client jumps on Google to find the best local salon near them, will your beauty business show up in the first two pages of results?

If you only have social media accounts for your business, chances are actually kinda slim!

I know that most of you have gotten really good client engagement through social media, and you’ve used it as a user-friendly, easy and free way to market your salon online. And you know that I love social media as a place to advertise your beauty services (I even have a course about it!)

However, as you'll soon see, you will experience some downsides if you rely on social media alone to advertise and connect.

If you don’t have a website set up yet, you’re certainly not alone! I recently discovered that 30% of my beauty community does not have a website yet.

When I dug into the reasons why beauty professionals don’t have a website yet, here’s what I heard:

“I always meant to set one up. I’ll get to it eventually, I’m just really busy…”

“The tech part is confusing and seems hard, like I have to learn a new skill. It feels like a long road ahead, and I just don’t have time to devote weeks or months to learning how to do it!”

“I don’t think I need a website. I’m doing great on my socials. I have lots of client engagement and steady customers finding me on Instagram and Facebook to book an appointment.”

These reasons and many others like it have held plenty of business owners back from building a website. And I get it - I had the same apprehensions and reasons before I built mine.

So let’s ask the obvious question - is it actually important to have a website for your business?

Well friends, here comes the truth bomb: in 2020, you absolutely need a website. If you don’t have one, you’re leaving money on the table, and leaking potential business right out from between your fingers. Whether you're an esthetician, hairdresser, make-up artist, professional waxer or any other beauty business professional - you gotta get a website!

So without further ado, here are the three awesome things that a website can do for you, that social media just ain’t gettin’ done!

A website will help you get found easily on Google

I have thousands of people finding Sunnystorm Marketing on Google and exploring my website every month. Google is the main place people will search for a local salon or other beauty business near them. So...is your business showing up?

Have you searched yourself on Google recently? Go ahead and try it now. What are the results? It’s important to see what people are seeing when they search for your business, so that you know whether or not you’re being easily found. If you have social media accounts alone, unfortunately, you may be hard to find - hidden under loads of other beauty businesses that have websites.

Don’t worry about all the work you’ll have to put in to get found on Google. In fact, Google doesn’t need much at all. You can keep it super simple. An About page, a Services menu, a few pictures and videos, and all the important details about finding and booking an appointment at your salon are all Google will need to help you get found. Google will show you the love, with just a little bit of effort on your part!

Check out my easy tips for getting your salon website to the top of Google results here!

A website gives you a non-competitive space to share and connect on a deeper level with potential clients...on your terms!

Social media is great. It’s fun, it’s easy to manage, it’s free, and it connects you with clients and curious first-time-visitors alike. But here’s something I bet you probably don’t often think about: You do not own the content on your social media sites. Facebook and Instagram own your business pages and all of the content on it. If they decide to change an algorithm, or their Terms of Service, you can find yourself at a big loss. A slight switch in an algorithm can make all the difference between the attention being focused on your salon and your competition’s, and it’s completely out of your control. You could also potentially lose access to all of the content you’ve spent months or sometimes years developing and sharing, at any time. Yikes!

You need an autonomous space where you can connect intimately with clients and potentials, without having to battle for eyes like on other platforms. I want you to enjoy a space where you can connect with people on your terms, without competition.

So how do you get people to pay attention to your website? Well, as an example, visitors spend hundreds of hours a month browsing through blog posts I’ve written. Creative content like a blog will keep visitors interacting, connecting, and becoming more likely every minute to book with you. Granted, many visitors to your site will jump on, browse very briefly, and then jump off without booking with you. But if you’re purposeful about the content on your site, you can capture attention in a way you can’t on social media - through well-timed pop-ups, special offers, and valuable content and services that will build loyalty to your brand. With a website, you control the narrative and keep the eyes on you.

I've got lots of fun and simple blog topics for beauty professionals to get you started here.

Most importantly, you’ll have lots of opportunities to grab email addresses by offering free e-books, web seminars, or tutorials - and emails give you that valuable chance to stay connected once visitors leave the site.

Building this space can actually be a lot of fun, because you can make it completely yours! Imagine your website as a blank canvas. You can use this canvas to paint a beautiful picture of who you are, what your business is about, and what’s special about your salon offerings. You get to choose the backdrop, colors, images and format that best represent your salon, and it can all be as detailed or simple as you’d like. Best of all, you have total ownership over the content and what’s done with it. It’s a marketing dream come true!

A website is a signal to clients that you are a legit business

A website that promotes your salon on your terms gives you a very clear and present edge on your competition. This is especially crucial if you’re a beauty booth or suite owner. While you may not take up much space in the brick and mortar sense, you can take up a HUGE amount of space and attention on the web with a well-formatted, polished website. You’re a business owner that’s serious about building your brand, and your website will powerfully emit the message across to everyone that sees it, “I’m a professional - let me show you why.”

With a beautiful website, suddenly word-of-mouth referrals get powered up by a bigger, more compelling picture - and hot d**m, that picture looks amazing! A website fleshes out the stories people tell about your business. It gives clients confidence that they are choosing a serious beauty business when they see that you’re dedicated to maintaining a polished, professional and helpful site that speaks volumes to your talent, experience, and value.

Ready to finally get your website up and running?

I hear you when you say you don’t have the time, or the tech skills, or the need to create a website. But when we look closer at those reasons, they’re simply not true, and they’re only holding you back from getting the results you want. Don’t limit yourself - a website will show you off as a legitimate beauty business with tons to offer. New eyes will be checking you out every time they pop on to Google to find a beauty business near them. You’ll have a blank canvas to tell the story of you, your business, your values, hopes and dreams - and you can share all this with a captive audience who aren’t being torn away by algorithms that work against you.

Suddenly, “I know this place that does amazing nail treatments” will become, “Omigod check out her website, you’ll see what I mean!”

Ready to stop leaving money on the table and jump into the wonderful marketing win that is a website? Download my No Sweat Beauty Biz Website Starter Guide right now!