On October 4, 2021, both Facebook and Instagram crashed due to "Configuration changes on the backbone routers that coordinate network traffic between our data centers," blocking their communication ability and setting off a cascade of network failures.

More simply put, the outage was caused by the loss of connection to the Domain Name System (DNS) servers.

Facebook had its first significant setback in 2019, which took the platform offline for nearly 24 hours, and the issue was attributed to Facebook's server configuration.

If you were on these powerful platforms, you would remember that the mobile apps and desktop versions would not update or allow their faithful users to communicate with their audience or run their social media-reliant businesses.

Businesses that rely heavily on these platforms to advertise, connect with customers, and sell products and services lost out on revenue dollars for 24 hours.

Now that you're all caught up on the history lesson, let me explain how solely relying on these platforms to communicate, promote and share your business can be risky.

None of us are Mr. Zuckerberg or Meta. We don't own Facebook, Instagram, or even TikTok and have zero control over them.

So if these platforms become a 'pay to play' sorta company, which Instagram is starting to go this route with their blue verification badge, are you going to pay?

If you want your content pushed out to reach new followers, you may not have a choice.

Moreover, Meta announced it would no longer pay influencers for Reels on Facebook and Instagram because Reels were "not earning the company enough money."

Unpopular opinion alert!

At the end of the day, it's all about money!

Am I saying to remove yourself from these social media platforms? NO

It would help if you diversified or created various forms of communication with your clients.

Think of something that you can control and have ownership of.

What am I referring to? Your email list!

So what do you do about it?

If you have no control or ownership of these platforms, what do you have control over?

You have your client's information, such as email addresses, and you can reach them even during the next social media crash or if your accounts get hacked!

You can advertise, run promotions, and even blog about any topic related to the beauty industry.

Maintaining contact with your clients also builds trust and helps nurture the relationship between salon visits.

Your clients want to hear from you and value your opinion, so give it to them!

10 Reasons Why YOU should Start an Email List

1. You own this list, and you have control over it

Like any other client information, you should ask your salon clients for their emails.

You can store this information on your online booking system and home computer.

I like to have a master copy of my salon clients' emails in case anything happens to the company that stores the information.

Why?

It all goes back to the fact that you don't own these companies but own your home computer!

You also have 100% control over the information stored on your computer's hard drive.

2. You can deliver value.

Sharing your opinion on retail, styles, or industry trends is valuable to your clients.

They can learn what you have to say about topics in the beauty industry.

An email list is a great way to share your opinion and deliver valuable content straight to your list.

3. You can nurture client relationships.

After the client leaves your salon, sending them a Thank You or a follow-up email is a great way to nurture a new relationship.

This shows the new client that you care enough to reach out to them and keep you on their mind.

They are more likely to return to you because you kept the lines of communication open and added value to their client experience.

It also shows that you put in the effort to educate and inform them on trends within the beauty industry.

Believe me, this will set you apart in a crowded market.

4. You can build trust.

Trust is not something that most people take lightly.

Building trust takes time and a good level of mutual respect, so you can gain your client's confidence by positioning yourself as an expert.

People buy from those who they value the opinion of and who they trust. You may not be selling retail products, but you are selling salon services.

The services that make you money!

Now we're going to Marketing class for a minute!

Are you ready?!

5. You can make more income (mailbox money).

Statistics show that emails have a higher CTR, click-through rate, Vs. Facebook or Instagram, meaning that more people are clicking the links in emails to buy products than clicking the link in your bio.

This also means that if you sell retail products or earn a commission on them, as I do, you are more likely to see your retail sales increase.

Since these clients value what you say and your thoughts on beauty, they trust you and are likelier to buy from you Vs. Amazon.

This is how you can make 'mailbox money,' simply earning money through your emails.

6. Ability to reach your audience.

When you post on social media, only a tiny percentage of your followers see your content due to the infamous Algorithm.

This is just an unfortunate truth in our world, but I have found a way around this roadblock: email marketing.

It doesn't matter how many subscribers are on your list; you can email them all if you have their correct email addresses.

No more wondering, 'Did they see my post?'

Plus, what if your social media account is hacked, and you're not able to get into your account? If you had a client email list, you could still stay connected with them.

7. Performance analytics.

Most email service providers allow their users to see how well an email campaign performed by displaying a few numbers, open rate, click rate, and how many unsubscribed.

The open rate is how many subscribers opened the email.

Click rate is how many subscribers clicked on any of the links within the email, and unsubscribed is how many people clicked the button to no longer receive emails from you.

Looking at these numbers helps you determine what email topics your audience finds attractive and which ones they don't.

Don't get your feelings hurt if you see that someone unsubscribed. It could mean they don't like emails, and it's nothing personal.

8. Ability to send targeted emails.

Within your ESP (email service provider), you can create tags or groups of subscribers to whom you would send targeted emails.

For example, say you wanted to send out an email to all the clients who sent you.

Referrals, or you want to speak to only your extension clients, you could do this within your ESP, which is a straightforward process.

Mailchimp is a great website to start sending out your email campaigns. I used the free version, but they offer upgraded monthly packages if you are interested.

9. Higher ROI than running Ads.

The average ROI, or return on investment, is higher when using email marketing since you already do business with these clients Vs.—people who you don't.

These clients are what the marketing world calls a 'warm' audience, people who are already engaged with you in some way.

A 'cold' audience is a group of people who have not done business with you and have not heard of you.

It requires more money and effort to win over a cold audience because these people have yet to gain your trust.

Your email list wants to hear from you and is likely ready to purchase or see you again.

Sure, you can run Ads on social media to target a particular demographic of people and hopefully gain new clients.

You also need to nurture the relationship with the clients you already have just the same.

This would be a two-fold marketing strategy, where you nurture your clients while gaining the trust and respect of those you have yet to meet.

10. Low cost if not FREE.

There are a few email service providers that are entirely free!

Many are free if you have less than a certain number of email subscribers on your list.

Since you are just starting, you will likely be okay with this.

The templates are also easy to customize with your branding, colors, and photos.

If you have any questions, you can always contact the customer support team for that company or head to YouTube!

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