Self Storage Article Directory- Self Storage Advertising and Marketing

Self Storage Advertising

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:46:08 GMT

We are bombarded with an incalculable number of advertisements on any given day. Think about it; just on your drive to work you’ll hear radio commercials for car dealerships, local events, restaurants, furniture stores, shopping centers, radio sponsors and more. You’ll see billboards, bumper stickers, company vehicles, semi-trucks and moving trucks that all display company logos and phrases. And don’t forget about the billboards. So, it may seem that advertising for your self storage facility is like casting your net in a huge ocean and hoping to come back up with something.

On the contrary, a well organized marketing plan will lead you to the exact point at which to cast your net. Marketing centers around the research you should conduct within your industry. You should determine your demographic, or target customer. Then you should consider the economy in which your business is located. After thorough marketing, where to place your advertisements will come more naturally.

Advertising is the end result of a good marketing plan. Still, self storage advertising seems to be an illusive science. Many self storage operators can’t quite get the right concoction of phone book ads, billboards, flyers, etc. In addition, they wonder which of their advertisements works the best and which ones aren’t doing so well for them.

Because advertising budgets usually don’t allow you to plaster your business name on every street corner, every search engine, every mailbox, and each radio commercial, a self storage owner has to know where he gets the biggest bang for his buck.

A simple way to find out how your customers heard about you is to ask them. Train your facility managers to ask customers, “How did you hear about us?”

You should keep in mind that it isn’t useful to have your managers asking that questions unless you provide them a way to track each response. Give your facility managers a spreadsheet or tracking system so that all the data gathered can be evaluated and reports can later be generated in order to determine what ads bring the largest ROI. Something as simple as a piece of paper with a column for Yellow Pages, Internet, Billboard, Radio, etc so that the manager can tick a mark for the appropriate column will offer effective tracking.

The self storage owner should collect the sheet monthly and stay on top of his marketing and advertising campaign. He can analyze the data to determine what media to which he should allocate more of his budget.

You should also caution your facility managers not to turn a simple question into an interrogation. Some self storage facilities have their managers go so far ask to ask which page number of the phone book it was that they saw the ad. While collecting the data is valuable, it is not intended to supersede the goal of talking with a customer- to gain a new tenant. Asking such pinpointed questions as the page number of the phone book, or time of day when they heard the radio ad could distract the conversation. The focus of talking to customers should be about meeting their needs, not your own marketing needs.

If you desire such in depth research, you should hire an expert in the field. Self storage managers wear many hats; however, research and development should not be one of them.

Whether you hire a professional or use your own expertise to determine your customer demographic, knowing who your customers are is key to an effective advertisement.

Research will allow you to know where your customers come from. Self storage customers typically result from several universal, common life circumstances that lead to the need for storage. Some of these events are due to a move or remodeling a home, military service, campus or apartment living, and/or divorce, to name a few.

If you find that a good portion of your customers are due to relocating or moving to a new home then your advertising dollars should go towards areas that this kind of customer would frequent. For example, advertising near home improvement stores will attract customers that are moving or remodeling a home. Advertising in the newspaper near the Classified ads where a home seller or buyer will look is a great way to draw attention to your services. Online advertising with realtor websites and other relocation services will also impress customers to rent with you.

There couldn’t be a more noble reason to need self storage than serving your country. Advertising near military bases will pay off when our country’s men and women are transferred, relocated or deployed. Many self storage operators advertise a military discount, which is an excellent way to thank the men and women in the service.

Students drive the busy season of self storage as they move from campus to apartments and back home with Mom and Dad. It would be a mistake not to advertise in every opportunity campus life presents. The possibilities for advertising to students goes as far as your imagination will take you. From flyers to brightly painted cars to raffles and more, advertising for near campus will bring an exponential return on your investment because students need self storage at least twice per year.

Apartment living often presents opportunities for tenants to store. Tenants never have enough closet space, so self storage becomes a necessity as families grow. Consider your demographic and aim your advertisements to the average age of the apartment community. For example, apartment communities housing a majority of college students require advertising for discounted rates or short term storage for the summer, while apartment communities for young families may do better by highlighting the convenient location and security. Senior living communities should point out the security and care heirloom items will receive while in storage.

Families grieving the loss of a loved one can become overwhelmed by the daunting task of shuffling through inherited items. In many cases, families inherit more furniture than their current homes allow. Or perhaps they want to store their old furniture to make room for the antiques they recently acquired. Advertising aimed at individuals going through such a painful circumstance should be approached with the utmost respect and dignity.

Self storage advertising attracts a wide demographic of customers with methods such as television advertising, radio announcements, direct mail, door hangers, fliers, phone book ads and billboards.

Television is an effective way to target a variety of customers while standing out among your competitors. National broadcasting would be overkill for storage facilities grouped in localized areas. Local broadcasting is less expensive and reaches your target group. A television broadcast should last from 30 to 60 seconds. Effective TV budgets for storage advertising ranges from $5,000 to $10,000 per month. There will also be some production cost which can be great or small, depending on the choices you make for the broadcast. This is an excellent tool for bringing in 50 to 100 new customers per month. A self storage owner should know the value of each of his customers and therefore can easily justify a budget for TV advertising. A self storage business could also consider sponsoring local events or newscasts to receive additional advertising.

Radio advertising for a self storage business is purchased similar to TV advertising. However, radio broadcasts are less expensive than television. Production is usually free. To be effective, radio advertising should be broadcasted during morning and evening drive times. When self storage businesses combine TV and radio advertising, they both become more effective. A self storage facility or company could also sponsor radio traffic reports and weather reports in exchange for advertisement.

Direct mail can produce excellent results, if purchased correctly. It should be purchased in bulk and works best with high saturation. You can count on about .1 percent response on your mailing. The cost should be approximately 3 cents per piece.

Professionally designed door hangers have proven to be a successful means of self storage advertising. Having a professional design the hanger will ensure the best results. You should also use quality material that will withstand outside elements. A laminated 3-by-9 inch, full color hanger with a perforated card at the bottom is the best way to make a good impression on customers. Door hangers cost around 20 cents each and can be purchased in variables of quantities.

Fliers are a great advertising option for self storage owners. Colored fliers can be distributed to realtors, competition, attorneys, insurance companies, auto dealerships, etc and have shown successful results.

Phone book ads are the most common and effective tools used for self storage advertising. Over eighty percent of all customers use the Yellow Pages to contact your storage business. This means that your competitor will have his ad somewhere close to yours. The phone book isn’t a new idea and everyone knows they need some sort of advertisement here.

Display advertising is common among directories and telephone books. Display advertising is a type of advertising that may, and most often does, contain graphic information beyond text. Logos, photos, clip art, maps and other items are commonly seen in display advertisements. In periodicals and directories, it can be seen on the same page, or a page adjacent to general content or listings.

Logic leads you to understand that your ad has to be better than your competitors and catch the eye of customers flipping through the pages. It is well worth the cost to hire a specialist when designing your self storage display ads. They will know how to differentiate your ad and make it stand out among your competitors.

Also, consider that size and placement are very important; the closer to the front of the heading, the better chance you have of being noticed. In-column display ads are also very effective and a high percent of users are drawn to this kind of listing.

Whether you outsource some one to write your ad or you make it yourself, keep these things in mind. Your ad should give a legitimate, compelling offer. It should be simple, clear and clean. Most ads give too many details that are skipped over by a reader. Use your name once in a small ad and sparingly in larger ads. Color can differentiate your ad and set a tone. Different colors catch the eye, use bold colors to draw immediate attention to your ad. Humor and theme also appeal to readers and will make your ad stand out from the crowd.

Billboards are a big way to get noticed. They should follow many of the same rules as phone book ads and should always be designed by a professional.

Advertising is more than where you write your name and phone number, hoping that customers will see it. Advertising happens in ways that are more indirect. In fact, anything that gives others an opinion of your business is advertising.

A customer driving past your facility forms an opinion, consciously or subconsciously, about the state of your business. Keeping your site clean is an easy way to not only maintain the property, but also advertise the integrity of your business. An effective display of your business name will keep it in the forefront of customers’ minds. Also clearly displaying signage regarding what other products you offer, such as trucks, boxes, copies, UPS service, etc will highlight the extra services you offer.

Landscape should be kept bright and clean. This creates an inviting entrance for passersby.

Once inside your office, products should be displayed well, kept neatly shelved and hanging on the front end of peg hooks. The staff should be cheerful and inviting with a professional appearance. Offering a site tour or having a few model storage units in the office is also excellent ways to advertise your storage facility.

These subtle ways to advertise cost nothing or very little and provide great opportunity to get noticed by customers.

Your advertising choices are important and drive new business. No matter what route you choose for your self storage advertising campaign, your facilities must be ready to manage the influx of customers that will result.

Many self storage companies will tell you the downfall of unsuccessful advertising campaigns was because they did not effectively answer every call or spend any time working on an effective phone presentation. Most simply quote a rate and even fewer mention amenities or attempt to close the sale.

Training your staff on how to meet the customer’s need, build value in the property and close the sale is important to the success of your marketing campaign. Even beyond the goals of your advertising, a well-trained sales team is essential to the success of your business. Unless you can follow through by closing the sale, even the most ingenious and competent advertisement is fruitless.

Because a good marketing and advertising plan doesn’t forget that the manager in the store is really the one who closes the deal and brings in the profit, protecting your bottom line with sales training for your staff is a wise investment. Monitoring staff with call recording and secret shopping is also a great way to gain a third party perspective.

Call centers have also become a trend and necessity for self storage owners as the market becomes more competitive. The goal of any advertising plan is to get the phones to ring. Call centers offer competent staff devoted to converting leads over the phone into new tenants. A single phone call is worth $800 to $1600 to a self storage facility. This places tremendous value on the staff answering your phones.

We mustn’t overlook the most powerful advertisement any business has, large or small. Word of mouth (WOM) is by far the most influential and prevailing factor to your business. It costs you absolutely no money and is easily gained with each satisfied customer. A satisfied customer creates exponential growth opportunity as their friends and family have a need for storage.

What makes word of mouth so powerful? It is believed that word of mouth has valuable source creditability. Research shows that individuals are more inclined to believe WOM than other methods of promotion. The receiver of WOM tends to believe that the communicator is speaking honestly without ulterior motive.

Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM) s a term used the marketing and advertising industry. It describes the activities that companies undertake to generate personal recommendations as well as referrals for brand names, products or services. In order to promote and manage word of mouth communications, marketers use publicity techniques as well as marketing methods to achieve desired behaviors and responses in customers.

Influencer marketing is used to seed WOMM by targeting key individuals that have authority or influence over a large number of prospects. An example of influencer marketing is seen in popular athletic supplies being promoted by high-profile athletes and superstars. Similarly, companies look to Hollywood movie stars to promote a brand or product to the public. These are forms of influencer marketing.

Self storage can build a good WOMM campaign by offering storage to influential people within the local community and also organizations such as churches, schools and local businesses. Positive WOM generating from these sources can have a massive impact on your business.

Self Storage Marketing

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:29:19 GMT

When the self storage industry was in its infancy, marketing was not a big concern. Since there were very few facilities in existence, an owner merely needed to provide a fairly safe and clean environment for the small number of people looking to store their belongings. Over the years the number of available units has grown, as well as the number of people needing storage. Today, there are nearly 50,000 self storage facilities in the U.S. alone. Therefore, the savvy customers have developed much higher expectations, making marketing in the self storage industry a vital tool.

Self storage marketing is the promotion of your self storage business. Self storage marketing is usually always centered on the customer. A recent industry study showed that the reasons people need self storage are that, 44% are moving, 34% don’t have enough space and 15% are people with business needs. Self storage businesses determine what the customers needs are, and implements them into their self storage properties.

A well-known analyst and marketer has divided marketing into four general sets of activities that are common in any business. These activities have become universally recognized as the “Four P’s”, and are often referred to as the Marketing Mix.

• Product: The product aspects of self storage marketing deal with the specifications of the actual features, benefits or services that the self storage properties offer, and how it relates to the self storage renter needs and wants.

• Pricing: This refers to the process of setting a price for the unit, including discounts.

• Promotion: This includes advertising, sales promotion, publicity, and personal selling, and refers to the various methods of promoting the product, brand, or self storage company.

• Placement or Place: refers to how the property gets recognized by the customer.

As well as the standard Four P’s (Product, Pricing, Promotion, and Placement), marketing for a service industry such as self storage calls upon an extra three activities, totaling seven and known collectively as the Extended Marketing Mix. These are:

• People: Any person coming into contact with customers can have an impact on customer service. They must be appropriately trained in the ways of self storage, well motivated and the right type of person.

• Process: This is the process involved in providing a service and the behavior of people, which can be crucial to customer satisfaction and service.

• Physical evidence: Unlike a product, a service cannot be experienced before it is delivered, which makes it intangible. This means that potential self storage customers could perceive greater risk when deciding whether to rent. To reduce the feeling of buyers’ remorse, and improving the chance for a rental or reservation, it is often vital to offer potential customers the chance to see what a service would be like. (Site visit)

For a self storage marketing plan to be successful, the mix of the four "P’s" must reflect the wants and desires of the self storage consumers in the target market. Trying to convince a market segment to rent something they don't want is extremely expensive and seldom successful. Marketers depend on marketing research, both formal and informal, to determine what consumers want and what they are willing to pay for it. Marketers hope that this process will give them a sustainable competitive advantage. Marketing management is the practical application of this process. The offer is also an important addition to the 4P's theory. As in any business, the idea of marketing is to promote the business – both as a whole and on an individual level.

In the past, self storage as a whole has sometimes had a bad reputation. Oftentimes when people think of the industry they think of the horror stories that are shown on the evening news – the meth lab found in a unit, a soldier’s items being auctioned by mistake, the hurricane damaged storage property, the car used in a homicide being stored in a space. Unfortunately for the storage industry the every day good things that occur are just too mundane to draw attention. This is one reason why positive marketing on a national level is extremely important. Self storage organizations, private, statewide and nationwide have all become very important in the positive marketing for all self storage owners and managers. Many of the larger private self storage organizations put on large conventions to increase the awareness of the self storage industry. This allows owners and managers to meet, exchange ideas and learn some new techniques. Positive feedback nationally will always help locations on the local level.

Most self storage companies today have a customer focus. This implies that the company focuses its activities and products on consumer demands. Generally there are three ways of doing this:

• The customer-driven approach consumer wants are the drivers of all strategic marketing decisions. Every aspect of a market offering, including the nature of the product itself, is driven by the needs of potential consumers. The starting point is always the consumer

• The sense of identifying market changes—being one step ahead of the competition will enable you self storage business to succeed.

• The product innovation approach—using that crystal ball to be able to take into account customer needs vs. what will be profitable for your business.

In the field of business, self storage marketing is a broad term used to describe marketing in the self storage industry. Don’t confuse self storage marketing with self storage advertising. Self storage advertising is only one function of self storage marketing. Besides self storage advertising, there are other functions in self storage marketing like, sales of self storage, communications, pricing, market research and more.

The market will bear what research has been done to meet the customer needs. Figuring out which site should have climate controlled units, RV parking, drive up or stacked units will show in your occupancy rate. Being able to provide the customer and the local market with what will sell is the goal.

Direct self storage marketing is a function and type of marketing. Two main definitional characteristics distinguish direct self storage marketing from other types of self storage marketing or self storage advertising. The first is that it attempts to send its messages directly to self storage consumers without the use of intervening media. This involves unsolicited commercial communication with consumers or self storage businesses. The second characteristic is that it is focused on driving purchases that can be attributed to a specific “call to action.” This aspect of direct self storage marketing involves an emphasis on trackable, measurable results regardless of medium.

“Bulk mail” is the most common form of direct self storage marketing. Bulk mail is sent at a reduced rate specified by the post office. Different areas or lists are used to decide where the mail will be sent. Telemarketing is the second most common form of direct self storage marketing. Marketers use random or selected telephone numbers to try and reach potential self storage customers. The third type of direct self storage marketing is, email marketing (including spam). This type of self storage marketing will soon pass telemarketing as the second most common form. While annoying, many people are drawn into the spam email by offering a promise, a discounted item or other “too good to be true” item. It’s very inexpensive and only takes a few people to fall for it to make a profit.

Prospecting customers through direct marketing and advertising can prove to be very beneficial to new self storage companies that might have a new site open. It has been shown to be highly effective to make yourself known in an affirmative way to the surrounding area and neighborhoods. By presenting yourself and your company in a positive way, the good deed will come back to you in rentals. You want to make sure that the area that your property is in knows that you are proud to be a part of the neighborhood.

Direct self storage marketers use other media such as;

• Package inserts- commonly referred to as “stuffing”, package inserts can be as diverse as cereal boxes to cigarettes to diapers to instant mashed potatoes. Recipes, mail away promotional items and offers are some of the things that might go in a package insert.

• Magazines- glossy ads that catch the readers eye—There is a magazine out there for any type of hobby, hairstyle, fitness, glamour, gossip, travel, sports, boats, cars, families, babies, women, men, weddings, teen life, gay life, muscles, cooking, lifestyles, storage, consumer goods, decorating, seasons, clothing, shoes, lingerie, non profit organizations, gentleman’s, dogs, cats, pets and more.

• Door hangers- relatively inexpensive and used to target specific areas of your town or city. Whether you have a large student, elderly, retired, middle class, young families, etc. the inserts can be tuned to fit the type of market you are trying to reach. A door hanger can be one piece of paper or many sheets put into a plastic bag hung on the door.

• Newspaper- a common way to market your business with an ad in the local newspaper. From small town newspaper to big city printing, newspaper reach different markets and can be delivered to your door or picked up on the corner. It’s easily accessible, is light and travels nicely.

• Television – most U.S. homes contain at least on television and with television come, commercials. Commercials are a way to get inside peoples homes where they might be more receptive to new ideas without being threatened.

• Radio- a mainstay in many homes and has been around form decades. To pay for radio programming, commercials are also used. Radio has recently had to reinvent itself to keep up with technology. New radio programming over the Internet is commercial “free” but there is still advertising around.

• Email- can include spam. If you have an Internet connection you probably are familiar with spam. It’s basically junk mail that is sent over the Internet trying to get you to buy designer watches, Canadian prescription drugs, sex enhancers, herbal supplements, and more gimmicks.

• Internet banner ads- you’ve seen them flashing at the top of almost every web page. Shoot the duck; swat the fly, guess who this is, and punch the bad guy are just some of the bigger ads you will see. When you click on the ad it takes you to that companies website and they show you want they want you to see.

• Pay-per-click ads- these are like the Internet banner ads but a third party is involved. You might have a personal website and by adding a pay-per-click ad you could be paid by that advertiser.

• Billboards- these large and sometimes controversial signs line some of America’s highways. They provide larger than life ads meant to catch your moving eye.

• Transit ads- larger cities benefit from this type of advertising on buses, in buses, in cabs, on cabs, in trains, in planes. People using these types of public transportation are inundated with ads. Even pedestrians walking on the sidewalk see the ads pass by on the streets.

If the ad in the medium asks the potential self storage customer to take a specific action like; visit a self storage website, call a toll free phone number, make a reservation or rental, complete a survey, or visit a PURL—then the effort is considered to be direct self storage marketing.

Marketing specific types of self storage services helps self storage businesses fill a niche. Some self storage companies cater to construction and remodeling companies by providing on site or mobile storage (pods), while some businesses focus on document shredding and document storage for legal firms, doctors offices or public offices. Self storage sites have even begun having driveway sales and involving the renters and the people at that property. One self storage site lets a customer that has a unit outside of the regular gated area sell fresh produce. The manager like the increase in traffic to his site and the tenant appreciates the simplicity of the unit. The self storage marketing business is growing because people have new and innovative ideas to keep the industry thriving.

One of the best ways to keep your self storage business thriving is marketing your security features. The self storage site across the street from you rents units about the same price, but what can you do to differentiate your self storage business from them? One way is to out secure them. By providing more than excellent security and marketing your self storage site as secure, you are setting the bar for the other guy. Letting people know that their belongings are safe with your storage company, will put their minds at ease. Some of the basic types of security are; gates, fences and lights are standard security items. Door alarms, surveillance cameras, biometric thumbprint or hand scanners and on site managers would be considered the next level of providing a secure self storage property. Make sure to highlight your advanced security to every customer on the phone, yellow page ad, flyer and walk in customer. Vary your sales techniques so that you are approaching different customer groups with slightly different sales scripts. You should always create a sense of urgency. You might have 50, 5x5 units vacant, but that is a limited number; you don’t have 51 units to rent. Creating a sense of urgency gets the customer to want to rent or reserve a unit now. You don’t want the customer to be without a storage unit, do you? Saying something like, “because I have a limited number of units, the best way I can help you is to reserve that unit for you, which credit card would you like to use?” Make sure to get the customers name and phone number so you can follow up with them later. Jot down a few notes about your phone conversation or office visit. Don’t forget to follow up. If a lead just sits on your desk, it won’t do you any good. When following up, don’t be discouraged if they have rented someplace else. If you provided the best customer service and your property is safe and clean chances are they might rent from you in the future or refer someone to your place. A friendly face goes a long way in the self storage business.

Whatever self storage marketing plan you choose, make sure to follow it to the T. It may take a few tries to find a proper self storage marketing plan that will fit your business and in the end show up looking great on paper. Remember, self storage marketing is the big plan with the way you market your business being the smaller (but important) parts. Devise a marketing plan that is flexible enough for you to make small adjustments so that it continues to work for you on an everyday basis. Self storage marketing is a business must. And, it must be used all the time for your successful self storage business to be profitable.