Marketing Self-Storage
By 2026, the global self-storage industry's value is expected to rise to $64.71 billion. It is a mouth-watering prospect that concurrently highlights the competitiveness of the industry.
What is self-storage?
They provide individuals as well as businesses with short or long-term storage facilities. They offer:
- Security
- Professionally run and managed facilities (not your neighbor's empty shed or attic)
- Varying sizes of storage units
Self-storage is the ultimate lock-and-leave.
In addition, some businesses in the industry offer a choice of locations. Indeed, having self storage closer to home or the office is handy. You'll never know when you need the items stored in them. And it certainly makes moving bulky items either way much easier.
It is not unusual for some users to treat self-storage units as extensions of their homes or offices. As people strive to declutter their immediate environment, self-storage units are must-haves. It may not be long before we find a self-storage facility in every suburb or cluster of suburbs.
With or without the help of the pandemic, self-storage is on a growth trajectory. As demand rises and competition intensifies, prices will come under pressure. However, a price-centric strategy is costly. Hence, it is important for players in the industry to explore self-storage marketing ideas with the aim of implementing a strategy that works.
Like any product or service, without a clear understanding of the target audience, self-storage businesses will be guilty of hopeful marketing. They cast the net far and wide with the hope of making a catch. Even when they do, it might not be the right catch.
But with a clear understanding of the target audience, it will be easier to pin down their needs. Not everyone has the same tick boxes when choosing a self-storage facility. Knowing the tick boxes makes marketing self-storage more precise.
Now, there are many ways to market your self-storage facility.
At the heart of it is advertising. It has been said, "Running a business without advertising is like winking in the dark." No one will notice you.
Pay-per-click Google advertising is widely used by businesses. It is the rocket fuel of online advertising. Partnering with the right marketing agency is important. They possess the marketing knowledge and expertise that saves self-storage businesses time from doing it themselves. In addition, they are likely to be abreast of the latest hints and tips. These are invaluable, especially when there is a multitude of other business activities to be looked into as well.
Self-storage Marketing Agency
The old adage build it and they will come has grown irrelevant. Today's consumers are spoilt for choice. This is true in the self-storage industry. Unless you are salient in their minds, risk staying empty.
Having said that, you can't simply muscle your way into consumers' minds. You need a strategy. They imply consistency, which is a vital component of every successful marketing.
Regardless of the self-storage business model, for example, targeting individual users versus businesses or furniture and fittings versus wine collection, engaging a self-storage marketing agency is an investment in the success and viability of the business.
Let's look at the other advantages of partnering with a self-storage marketing agency.
Repository of Ideas
You will need a bag of tricks to capture and retain the attention of your target audience. But your time and energy are best used to run the business. The marketing agency, on the other hand, lives and breathes self-storage advertising ideas.
Tools to Measure Outcomes
It's easy to get excited with advertising ideas. But unless they produce the desired results, they are mere activities. You must be able to measure your marketing investments. A marketing agency will have the tools to facilitate this.
Stay Updated with Consumer and Market Dynamics
Consumer behavior is a moving target. Although the core needs and values may not change, their manifestations will. Taking note of these changes is the prerogative of marketing agencies. They make it their business to understand consumers.
To help you make an informed decision, it's important to consider the disadvantages as well.
Inflexible Working Aarrangement
Agility is important. As such, an inflexible working arrangement can work against you. Keeping in mind the marketing agency is a business in its own right, its modus operandi may not align with yours.
It takes time
Building a mutually beneficial relationship takes time. Unfortunately, time is a scarce resource. If it's not in your favor, you're best striking out on your own for a short period of time.
Fundamental Differences
Fundamental differences in vision and strategy can be debilitating in client and agency relationships. It usually emerges later than one would have hoped for.
Self-storage Advertising Ideas
Yours might be the most unique of all self-storage ideas. But unless it is communicated and amplified, it remains only an idea. Remember, without advertising, you are winking in the dark.
IoT has democratized advertising. Whatever business you are in, whatever the size of your business, you can advertise online and reach millions of prospects. This wide reach used to be the prerogative of big businesses.
Having said that, IoT does not guarantee success.
Because of the plethora of ways you can undertake online advertising, you will need the right strategy and execution plan; hence, the need for a marketing agency.
- Email marketing campaigns: It's one of the most personalized advertising approaches. But it is contingent on the availability of a database. Building this database takes time.
- Social media campaigns: Choosing the right channel is important. Knowing where your target audience 'hangs out' helps in the choice of channels to be on. For example, not everyone is on Tik Tok despite its popularity.
- SEO: This is a long-play game. If you are looking for quick results, it's probably not the best option. Ostensibly when there is stability in your sales and revenue, SEO can be an effective long-term advertising plan.
- Google Search Ads: There's a reason Google-it has become a verb and not just a name of a search engine company. It is the Webster or Oxford dictionary equivalent of the IoT. Everything and everyone worth noting can be found on Google, and that includes your self-storage business.
Using pay-per-click to ensure you are discovered on Google isn't difficult. Given proper planning and monitoring, you can achieve the desired results within weeks. With the right set of analytics to guide you, pay-per-click advertising is effective and efficient.
Working with a marketing agency will give you access to tools to measure the outcomes of your advertising efforts.
Self Storage Technology
With the help of the right marketing technology, reaching out to prospects and customers has become easier. Add the expertise and knowledge of your chosen marketing agency, you might achieve the desired results sooner than you had hoped for.
However, unless you are guided by relevant data, success may be elusive. Using data effectively starts by constructing the critical list. And, with the help of a dashboard to visualize key data, you can make decisions promptly to optimize your marketing efforts. Success with pay-per-click advertising, for example, is hinged on the effective use of data. When integrated with the right ad management platforms, making data-driven marketing decisions is not only simple but empowering as well.
When pay-per-click advertising decisions are not driven by data, it is equivalent to shooting in the dark or hopeful marketing. Over time it gets expensive.
Self Storage Companies
The immense potential of the self-storage industry will draw more players into it. As more people and businesses de-clutter their immediate environment, self-storage units are practical solutions. Best of all, it offers the flexibility the pandemic has shown to be important.
With the entrance of new self-storage companies and as existing ones up their game, competition will be keen. While price is a necessary condition, it will be insufficient to influence customers. Besides, unless they are aware of your business, you are unlikely to be in their consideration set to begin with.
A well-conceptualized and executed marketing strategy will unlock the minds of the target audience in your favor. Implementing PPC advertising strategies can propel you to the top of the list. Companies such as Storagepug and Automatit offer the experience and expertise to position self-storage companies ahead of the competition.
Aside from creating awareness, marketing can convince the target audience of your uniqueness. Keep in mind the threat of the blight of sameness in fast-growing categories with many players. As each jostles for pole position, it is critical to be mindful of their uniqueness. Do not compromise your uniqueness for the sake of market share. Great marketing agencies never fail to remind their clients of this.