If you’re an owner of a storage facility, then you know that it can be a challenging business. You must keep track of all the storage units, ensure occupancy rates stay high, and deal with customer service issues.
While the self storage industry continues to grow, there are now also more self storage players on the field, and competition has grown fierce. To stay ahead of the game, self storage operators are becoming more savvy and creative, using every marketing trick in the book to get ahead.
What’s clear is that ensuring the growth of your storage unit business depends on the way you position yourself in the market. You also have to stand out from the rest of the pack by showing the value you offer to attract new customers.
At Storagely, we believe you can achieve that by building the best self storage websites that are a cut above the rest. But we also understand that storage businesses are unique and have different needs. So to help your storage unit business reach its full potential, we’ve put together a list of the top 5 storage unit business hacks to grow your business and stay ahead of the competition.
1. Upgrade Your Self Storage Business Website
The best self storage websites enable businesses like yours to maintain an online presence which is extremely important in today’s digital world. Your storage business website is your most powerful marketing tool and is often the first thing potential customers will discover about you when searching for storage units in your area.
Many storage operators who don’t have a website miss out on a huge opportunity to reach new customers. Your website functions as a window to your self storage operations and needs to highlight what makes you stand out from other self storage facilities. It also needs to be attractive enough to engage your target market.
To make sure you have one of the best self storage websites, it should have the following elements:
Storage Facility Basics
Think about everything your customers ask and have the answers on your website. This includes your location, contact information, rental prices, storage unit sizes, access control, and operating hours. If your existing website is outdated or doesn’t have the correct information, you’re losing out on potential customers.
Search Engine Optimized
Self Storage SEO or search engine optimization is also essential to website design and can help you rank higher on search engine results pages. An optimized website will make it much easier for customers to find your storage unit business when searching for storage units online. Use the right keywords that potential customers are likely to use when searching for storage units in your area.
Attractive and User-Friendly Design
Your storage unit business website should be well-designed and easy to navigate. First impressions matter, and you want to ensure your storage business website looks professional and inviting. Ensure that it loads fast and is mobile-friendly since most people use their smartphones to search.
Storage Unit Business Online Rentals Capable
Beyond attracting and engaging customers, all the bes self storage websites should have the ability to complete the rental process. Include real-time unit availability information and tools so clients can go ahead and rent their storage units online. This is extremely convenient for potential customers and can help you close more deals.
Easy Integration
Your website should also easily integrate with storage management software such as Sitelink. This self storage business hack can help you automate storage rentals and payments, making storage unit rental a breeze for you and your customers.
At Storagely, we believe that the best self storage websites should engage customers. We offer storage website templates that are not only modern, responsive, and easy to customize but also beautiful to attract your audience. Our storage website builder is self storage SEO friendly and has a powerful online rental system to help you grow your business.
2. Invest in Self Storage Management Software
If you are a storage unit business needing management software, tip number 2 might interest you. To manage storage facilities effectively and efficiently, you need to have the right self storage management software in place. And while free self storage software exists, they are often not as user-friendly or don’t have the right features.
The best self storage software can automate many tasks and processes to help you save time and money. Look for all-in-one software that can handle a wide range of your tasks and requirements to increase operational efficiencies.
When choosing storage management software, ensure that it can perform the following tasks:
- List real-time unit availability
- Track payments and refunds
- Record storage unit rentals and payments
- Automate invoice and receipt issuance
- Manage customer information
- Generate relevant reports
- Provide insights that can help you make data-driven marketing decisions
- Seamlessly integrate with other related services such as your CRM and accounting systems
But for the best results, your chosen storage management system should have an online reservation system that makes it easy for customers to rent storage units online and make online payments. This is a huge selling point for potential customers who want the convenience of being able to reserve storage units from the comfort of their homes or offices. It gives them the flexibility to choose, reserve, and upgrade units and is also almost guaranteed to boost your self storage web sales
3. Implement Self Storage Industry Referral Marketing Activities
Referral marketing is one of the most low-key storage facility business hacks and the most effective. Word of mouth is still one of the best ways to market your storage business, and it doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming to set up a referral system.
Referrals are a low-cost form of marketing that can help increase brand awareness and sales for your storage unit business.
There are many ways to encourage storage unit referrals from current and past customers. They can help spread the word about your services to friends, family, and colleagues.
For example, you can offer discounts or free storage units for every new storage unit rental referral. Others give out prizes or gifts to customers who make referrals. Whatever you decide to do, make sure that the reward is something that will incentivize customers to make referrals.
Don’t forget to include details of your storage unit referral program on your storage facility website and other promotional materials such as email newsletters, flyers, and posters.
4. Request for Self Storage Facility Customer Testimonials
Customer testimonials and reviews are one of the most powerful storage marketing tools you can use to promote your storage business, and harnessing that power is our 4th storage business hack.
When potential customers see that others have had positive experiences with your storage units and services, they are more likely to do business with you. It reassures them that they are making the right decision in choosing your storage facility.
While many customers leave reviews of their own volition, many more will provide them if you ask. So don’t be shy and kindly request feedback from your clients. When asking for storage unit customer testimonials, make it easy for them by providing a list of questions they can answer. Here are some storage unit testimonial questions that you can use:
- What made you choose our storage units over the competition?
- What was your favorite thing about our storage units?
- What did you like best about our storage facility?
- How easy was it to rent a storage unit from us?
- Would you recommend our services to family and friends?
To increase the impact of reviews, include your storage unit customer testimonials on your website, email newsletters, and social media platforms such as Facebook and Google My Business. You can also have customer testimonials in your print marketing materials, such as flyers and posters.
5. Use Images and Video in Your Self Storage Marketing Strategy
Last but not least, our final storage unit business hack is to use images and videos in your storage marketing strategy.
Images and videos are a great way to make your storage facility website more visually appealing and engaging. They can also help boost your self storage SEO by increasing your click-through rates and dwell time on pages.
When it comes to storage unit images, try to use a mix of professional photos and user-generated content. Professional photos give potential customers a realistic preview of what your storage units look like, while user-generated content helps create a sense of community around your brand.
Including videos on your storage facility website is also a great way to engage potential customers and promote your storage business services. You can use video to give storage unit tours, showcase customer testimonials, or provide helpful storage tips.
When creating storage unit videos, keep them short and sweet. No one wants to watch a long, boring storage unit video. Instead, focus on creating engaging and informative content that will hold viewers’ attention from start to finish.
How Can Storagely Help You Implement These Hacks for Your Self Storage Business?
Now that you know the top 5 storage unit business hacks, it’s time to implement them and start growing your storage business. But where do you start?
Look no further than Storagely to activate these storage marketing hacks. From designing beautiful, functional, and effective best self storage websites to providing the optimum all-in-one online rental system, we have what you need to streamline your storage business operations and boost your bottom line.
