Website vs. social media - and how they should be working towards your success.
In a social and digital media world, hair salons, barbershops and beauty outlets should be maximising every opportunity to reach and inspire relevant audiences, and grow their revenue potential. And yet, many focus almost entirely on social media, and many more have either no website, or a website that doesn’t always get the same focus as posting on Instagram and other social platforms. While hairdressers, barbers and beauty experts post on their socials frequently to showcase their work, their website sits online in the background not doing much more other than contributing to their digital presence.
The basis for this refocus is simply understanding the difference between how these two communications methods function, and how getting the balance right between your socials and website can pay dividends. It’s not an either or - both are equally important. Plus, it’s worth remembering that, while clients and potential clients spend a large proportion of their leisure time on social media, they also spend time searching online for hair, grooming and beauty services on Google by browsing through websites and pouring over reviews; this is where the majority of your new clients will come from.
Social media is important, of course, but here’s why you also need to focus on your website, and how by using both effectively you can boost your prospects for success.
Why social media? - the upsides and downsides
The upsides! Social media is important, as it gives you the opportunity to inspire your fans and followers with your latest work, news and activity in a live and interactive environment. Plus it’s free to use. Social platforms also allow you to attract fans and followers that you can communicate with whenever, and however, you want with no limitation on how often you post. So you’re on Instagram, for example, you post regularly, create inspiring content and measure effectiveness mainly in terms of the number of fans and followers you have, and how many likes and interactions you achieve. What’s not to like?
The downsides: For all the ups, social media has its downsides too. First, as a business user, you have no control over how your content is aggregated, how many of your fans and followers you reach, and how many will actually get to see your content. Platforms like Instagram use algorithms that serve your content to a mix of followers and non-followers. You have no say over that. Social media takes time and effort, and it requires a lot of resource to manage it and make it work effectively. So how does it feel to know that only around 10% of your fans and followers will be served your content?
If you have 1,000 fans, you’ll be doing well if just 100 get to see it, and with engagement rates averaging at just 1%-5%, you’ll be lucky if 5 followers engage with it. Why? Because all social platforms are commercial and, although they’re free to use, they ultimately want you to promote your content by spending money to amplify your reach. Here’s the question…how many salons, barbers, beauty and wellness businesses have a social marketing strategy and actually invest in promoted content?
Next, not all your fans and followers will be either existing or potential clients and it’s not, strictly speaking, a ‘marketing’ environment. And yet, many salon businesses use social media to sell, whether it’s appointment bookings, products or services. So what percentage of your fans are actually going to have a bearing on your growth and business success? The reality is that to make social media pay dividends, you need to invest in social marketing, have a social marketing strategy and manage it in ways that will have a positive impact on your growth potential.
Last, with Facebook, X, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn etc. there are so many platforms to manage, which can be overwhelming, time and energy consuming and a challenge for busy salon owners to manage effectively.
Why websites? - the upsides and downsides
It’s surprising how many salons, barbers and beauty businesses either don’t have a website, have an uninspiring website or rely on social media to generate new clients. So here’s why you need a website, and why you need one that actually supports your business strategy.
The upsides! First, your website is your owned space. You don’t own social media and if social platforms change their formats or policies, or vanish all together - remember MySpace?! - all your endeavour on social media could be wasted. And then what? Go back a few years and Twitter, now X, was the primary social platform that hairdressers used. Then it was Facebook. Not anymore, it’s Instagram, TikTok and...So things do change that affect you and your presence on social media. Your website on the other hand is yours and only you can change it, and you have complete control over it. Invest time and effort in your website and it serves as a showcase for your brand, your business, your team and their expertise, your services and products, and it can serve as a hub to attract and generate appointment bookings, and even generate sales of products and vouchers if you add E-commerce.
Another key value is this. Imagine all the people that live, work, study or visit your local area, which is where the majority of your existing and potential clients come from. If they’ve never heard of you specifically, the primary place they’ll look for a salon, barber or beauty salon just like yours is on Google (and possibly other search engines). They’re not going to try and find a salon in Bath, for example, on social media. So, they search on Google and you don’t come up in searches because you don’t have a website, but your competitors do. That’s a lost opportunity for you and an opportunity gained by your competitors. Or, almost as bad, they find your website but 1. they’re not inspired by it and/or 2. they can’t book an appointment online. All evidence shows that well over 50% of clients are searching for salons and booking appointments outside of normal business hours, so if you don’t offer this facility, it’s another opportunity that goes begging.
A website should be your business hub. It’s your brand space, your shop window and it’s where you generate appointments and sales. It’s also a marketing asset unlike social media that should be a social asset. Plus you should blog regularly on your website to position and share your expertise, highlight promotions and offers, and build trust and confidence in your brand among your visitors. On social media, all salons work within the same structures, but your website can really differentiate your business both visually and narratively…it’s where you tell your story! Plus, with free appointment software or on-platform appointment booking features, and e-marketing functionality, your website can be a marketing asset that really boosts your profile while enhancing your communications, image and sales. With amazing website platforms now available you can achieve all this and, after covering design and build costs, it will cost no more than a few hundred pounds annually to maintain.
The downsides: There really aren’t any downsides other than 1. not having one, 2. having an uninspiring one and 3. not using it to its full potential. Like all business assets, you should keep your website up-to-date, it should position your brand and expertise in a visually inspiring way that instils confidence in your site visitors, and you should utilise its full range of features to strengthen your marketing effectiveness.
In conclusion - get the best of both world’s
The reality is that, as a salon business, barbershop or beauty salon, you need social media and a website to be a part of your communications mix. The key thing with social media is not just to post, but to think strategically about the best platforms to use and how to use them - what do you want to gain from social media, how can it generate a return on investment, and how can it have a positive impact on your success? As a vital part of the mix, your website can contribute so much towards your marketing effectiveness and business growth, and your presence on Google. For example, do you have a Google Business profile? And what good if there’s no website to link to?
Remember also that social media is not a search engine. Clients may stumble upon your salon on Instagram but if they’re looking for hair, beauty or barbering services where they live, study or work, they’re much more likely to search on Google, so your website is vital when this search activity takes place.
As a marketing business with over 20 years in the industry, Feel can help you manage your social media, either by managing it for you, or by consulting and mentoring you along the way. Plus we develop websites exclusively for salons, barbers, beauty and wellness business through our new dedicated brand, My Salon Website. Contact us to discuss how we can help, and discover FeelGo, which we’ve created to maximise your social media and marketing effectiveness with no retainer fees and no contract.
“Our new website works perfectly. We’ve got lots of new clients and online bookings, so we’re super happy!”
Cheryl Hooper, Salon Manager at Two By Simon Smith
In March 2024, Feel Marketing and My Salon Website created a new website for this luxury salon in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.