When I first entered the self-storage business, when I thought about “marketing,” the question was, how big a yellow page ad can you afford?
People often named their facilities with an “A” in the first part of the name because it would show up early in the yellow pages.
My first company was called “AmeriStore.”
Spending $25,000 to $50,000 a year on a half-page Yellow Pages display ad was nothing.
That was our marketing. Over 85% of customers came from that. It was expensive but easy.
Times have changed.
In today’s world, there are five essential elements to effective storage marketing, in my opinion, and four of them deal with online aspects of being relevant to your customer base today.
Online
Being online and having a coordinated strategy is no longer a luxury. One must show up and show up powerfully.
According to StoragePug, 63% of all self storage customers start their journey to their unit online.
So, you had better be there and in a way that drives customers to your project.
Now, most of us who are attracted to this business have absolutely no real interest in “online stuff.”
My coaching is…get over it.
Here are what I think are the four aspects of a strong online presence today.
- An Industry Provided Website.
What I mean by “industry provided” is not having Uncle Harry or your friend who is good with websites make your storage website.
Have a company within the storage industry create it.
Your site must integrate with all the aspects of your business, such as your security and operating systems.
Prospects need to be able to be converted to customers on your website as well today.
The cost of Uncle Harry figuring out all the integrations, much less being able to do it, is crazy.
Today, vendors in the space have already created the necessary integrations. No need to reinvent the wheel.
Your site must also be optimized to be found in Google searches; industry vendors are excellent at this.
If you have no idea where to start, start with vendors who are members of ISS (Inside Self-Storage) and/or the SSA (Self-Storage Association).
You can see their products are the conventions as well.
Regardless of your thoughts about Google, it really needs to be understood and leveraged, so your project shows up powerfully to your customer base.
Here are some examples of what I mean.
- Simple, but you can look in almost any market online and see facilities that have not claimed their business on Google.
Create, claim, and maintain an accurate business profile in Google. Update with new photos and information regularly. This allows you to often show up on the first page of the maps.
The first page, before you scroll (“above the fold”), is prime real estate in Google world, and often one can show up there, depending on the search someone is doing and the market, just by maintaining a good business profile.
I am amazed how many mom & pops don’t do this simple thing.
- Google Adds words campaigns. In almost every case today, one needs to have a Google AdWords campaign targeting what customers use as keyword searches in your trade area.
Get a coach, buy a course, use Google to learn, but learn how to do this. Even if you plan to vendor it out, understand it so you can see if someone is doing a good job or not.
- Organic search and SEO. This often takes a while to get tuned in (hence the Google Add words campaigns), but it is an important part of online management and marketing.
Again, understand what is going on here, even if you are rendering this aspect out as I do.
- Reputation Management.
Although I have never been one to put much stock in reviews, apparently, most people do.
(My story is the average person is not someone I would ever care to be like, so why would I ever care about what they think? I know it is just my story, but sometimes it sure seems right.)
Many companies live and die by reviews. Today, one needs a strategy for getting them and monitoring them.
It is important to respond to customer concerns that arise in reviews, showing that you care and that customer satisfaction is important to you.
And it is not just Google reviews. This practice needs to be applied across all platforms, websites, social media pages, and Google.
Implement strategies to get reviews (other than paying for them). Good times are at key moments during the customer journey, such as on move-in, move-out, when you solve an issue for a customer, etc. Ask and make it easy for someone to write an honest review.
- Social Media
When people need something, they go to Google. However, social media is a powerful place to build brand awareness and connect with people in your trade area.
At any given time about 10% to 12% of your target area needs what you have. If you can stay in front of them, even when they don’t need storage, it can enhance your chances of being a go-to resource when they do.
Today, every company should have a social media strategy. It can also be a place to run ads and promote specials.
I personally am annoyed by most social media, so I am the perfect candidate to hire someone to manage my social media strategy execution, which includes posts identifying our facilities and content that explains what storage is and isn’t,
I do, however, get involved in certain marketing campaigns utilizing social media. I like it because if someone happens to need storage and lives or is in the trade area, I can run specials, and it is straightforward to track how many rentals I get from that particular add campaign.
Off-line Marketing
Even though the majority of time, energy, and resources today are utilized to implement online marketing strategies to really win at the game, I still believe there is a person-to-person offline marketing component that can separate winners from losers in the self-storage space.
- Person to Person.
I think there is no substitute for direct, one-on-one marketing. Here are some examples.
- Our managers would go out at least twice a month, calling on apartments, businesses, and other self-storage facilities in our trade area. They would offer gifts and would let everyone know that we pay referral fees.
Our number one source of referrals is other self-storage facilities. Even greater than from customers. Our managers pay the same day, $50 or $100 referral fee directly to the manager of the facility that referred the people. If a customer goes to a competitor and they don’t have the size they are looking for, the manager knows if they send them to us, they will still make some money. Works like a charm.
- You, or your manager, joining the business association that is in the market or trade area your facility is in.
Here, relationships are established, and I cannot tell you how many units we have rented over the years from these relationships.
- Hosting events. For example, we almost always request to host the Christmas parties for the business associations we are members of.
Conclusion
Marketing has really evolved since I got into the business. The one thing I have learned is that no matter what I do today that works, it will most likely be different tomorrow.
Stay nimble, and go to trade shows and conventions to learn what others are doing. Attend webinars. I have studied what other businesses do to market online and see if I can transpose any of their practices onto self-storage.
Today, with all the competition out there, marketing will often determine your success or failure. Budget money for it and design a marketing strategy.
Review it often, tweak it, and move forward. I like approaching it like a game, and conversions are the score. Also, I love to win at the games I play.
Have fun designing and playing your marketing game.
