How to Better Market Your Storage Store
As many people accumulate more and more "stuff," storage stores continue to open across the U.S. These facilities are also used by professionals involved in job relocations, by military personnel being deployed, and by those in between housing options. Each self-storage facility features the same basic structure: storage units of various sizes, sale or rental of packing supplies, and perhaps other peripheral services. You want your storage store to stand above the others in your town, but it's going to take some marketing detective work to accomplish that goal.
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Things You'll Need
- Demographic data
- List of competitors
- List of potential business clients
Instructions
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Identify your market's subgroups. Through current data from the U.S. Census Office, you can examine the demographic composition of your city or county. In addition, the Self Storage Association, a non-profit trade group for storage business professionals, provides recent data on tenants of such facilities throughout the U.S. Finally, your local Chamber of Commerce should be able to provide details of business and residential trends in your area.
Some examples of market subgroups are: residential college students, retirees moving between homes, corporate relocation clients and military personnel. Find out what's most important to each group and develop a specific marketing plan for their respective needs.
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Showcase your facility's advantages. Although most storage facilities have similar structure and services, your physical setup might give you a "leg up" over your competitors. For example, increased acreage might mean you can offer RV and boat storage on otherwise vacant land. If you offer climate controlled storage, your facility might be more attractive to tenants with items subject to humidity and temperature damage. In these cases, your facility can meet the tenants' specific needs. Give them an incentive to become a customer.
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Get your coupon or flyer in newcomer welcome packets. In some towns, these packets are delivered through the mail. In other communities, in-person delivery by a welcome service might mean increased exposure. Either way, you're getting your business in front of people who have a lot of "stuff."
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Exhibit at business expos. These events are generally held at a central location and give you an opportunity to showcase your business in front of a large number of people. Although there's no way to predict the level of new sales from such an event, expos will always give you good visibility in your residential community.
Here are two marketing bonuses: (1) Donate a storage-based door prize that will be announced on the intercom at the event; and (2) Hold a drawing at your own booth as well. As you collect names for the drawing, you are constructing your own mailing list.
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Market to other businesses. Many firms are outgrowing their current space but can't really afford to step up to a higher-priced location. They may welcome the chance to store their excess inventory or supplies offsite at a good price. In the case of service companies, their prior-year records are often stored offsite. Finally, mobile sales businesses often store all of their inventory in self-storage units. Give all of these companies a reason to store their "stuff" with you.
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