Perhaps the most important thing for your self storage facility is to end up on the first page of Google when people search for self storage in your area.
In terms of finding new tenants, other than a fantastic retail like location, I can think of nothing else today.
Yet, there is only room for a select few.
Let’s make sure your facility is one of them.
No, this is not an episode on SEO, although that is critical.
There is a lot of articles on this topic, and for most of us in the self storage business, if you are using an industry web site provider, there is good, or good enough SEO provided.
As I stated in the first episode of this series (Episode 122) SEO is boring to me and in my opinion, my time, energy and money is best spent where I think the industry experts are currently falling down.
So this Episode is about how to “Buy or Advertise your way to the top of page one in Google (and the other search engines).
Again, I am not an expert, don’t pretend to be, but I am very frustrated with “experts”.
So I learned what I need to because it is so important.
That is my coaching to you, and this article’s subject. Here is how I learned to do pay per click and take that over, or at least inform the “experts” what I expect. Now, if the results are not happening with them, at least I know where to look.
The first step is to create a Google Add Words account if your facility doesn’t have one.
Go to https://adwords.google.com and follow steps to create a add words account.
So just like the Facebook advertising, I recommend you have a great offer and use a Landing Page instead of your website. Even of you want the readers to use the website to reserve or rent a unit, a landing page allows you to get analytics and control what the user does.
Our websites are great and there is a lot a user can do on them. They can look at pictures. They can use the storage calculator, they can see reviews and so on.
I don’t what them doing that now. I want them doing one thing. Claiming my offer. Then, they can do all the other cool stuff.
Create a Landing page.
Just as before in the Facebook advertising Episode, create a landing Page where you can give the user a simple choice, claim the discount or leave.
Perhaps part of claiming the add could be going to your site to make a reservation, but only after they claim the offer. That way you have their email address, and if you remember, you can put a pixel on the thank you page which sends the offer, so you can retarget them if they don’t use the discount.
If you want to experiment with the users renting or resvering online, try on the thank you page with the discount coupon. On that page, or the delivery email, try giving them an incentive to book the reservation now! Then link them to your web site.
Create The Add.
Googles platform is very simple and you can see the displays as you create the add.
As before you want a headline that makes the reader want to go to the next line. Also, make sure in any google adds that some keywords are in the headline, like self storage.
Then make the next sentence’s job be to have the reader go to the net line.
Easier said than done and lots of thought needs to go into this. Your goal is to have the reader who thinks they need self storage in the foreseeable future, stop what they are doing on line to claim your offer.
Budget
I like creating a small daily budget to test the effectiveness of the google add. Then you can scale if it produces results.
Remember, don’t just go from $3.00 a day to $100 a day. You will see the cost per lead really explode. Just ease up slowly the amount of money per day until you reach a daily and monthly amount that is within your facilities budgeted (you do budget for online marketing don’t you?).
Keywords
Next is the jackpot. Google knows they key words people use to search, and will show them to you. You have some selection choices, but trust that google knows what people are using to search.
I am most of the time surprised at what people are entering to search. Not what I would, but go with their suggestions most of the time. Trust what Google knows over what you think they should be entering to search.
Choose 10 to 15 keyword searches for self storage in your area that google suggest. Here is a screenshot of some of the ones I am trying out in my current add campaign.
Finally, put in your payment card and you are done.
You are not a victim.
I see and hear many self storage owners, especially of the baby boomer vantage (I can be on my soapbox because that is my tribe), complain and act like victims because “…this new internet thing is something I don’t understand.”
Well, understand it.
Its your business and something as important as marketing is part of being a business owner.
Even if from now on you hire someone to execute the marketing strategy, you design it with them. And never just turn it over anymore. Have specific measurable results you are after, and go into the entire process like we have done and figure out where the breakdown is if the results are not happening.
- If you want to try running your own campaigns, which I highly recommend, here are a few tips.1. Go backwards in your mind as you set it up. In other words, move from standing in your counter signing a contract back through the steps and create in that order. Your add will be the last thing you create (the offer, the offer email, the thank you page, the landing page etc.).
- Expect the adds not to work at first. This doesn’t occur to you like a problem. It is just information that will inform you where the breakdown is happening.
Example-If people are clicking the add but the conversion rate on the landing page is poor, it is most likely the landing page or the offer. Test and find out.
3. When you start seeing some results from an add, slowly scale it up.
Remember, in today’s world marketing is an art. Experiment now while you are doing well so if and when the times change, you are not one of these business owners that loses all they made during the good times. You will have new ways to keep your facility occupied while the rest of the market struggles.
And finally have fun with this. It is fun and rewarding to figure this stuff out and learn new skills.
Remember, self storage is the best business there is, and how we market it is always changing. Learn this stuff now, so when the next big change comes, you will have the skills needed to figure that one out.
