How often do you survey current renters to determine how they found your business? This is an important question to ask as a business owner. “How did you find us?”
There are 52,301 self-storage facilities in the US alone, according to Sparefoot. There are enough self-storage businesses to accommodate 6.32 feet of storage per person in the United States. Currently, the average facility occupancy rate is 85%, indicating that self-storage is still performing well.
People use self-storage for various reasons. The main reasons people consider a self-storage unit include:
- Decluttering
- Storing seasonal items
- Downsizing
- Moving
- Renovations
- Storing business inventory
When owners think of these reasons, they realize that there will always be a demand for storage. How can owners and managers attract those individuals in need of storage? Here’s the good news. There are some good marketing strategies to deploy in order to reach people who need storage. Want even better news? Most of them are free. Using these tools will enable you to reach a broader audience and demonstrate their need for the solutions you offer.
- Create and maintain a consistent social media presence. Facebook has the largest market share at 69.71% across all social media platforms. (Statcounter) People of all ages today use Facebook as a telephone book of sorts. Searching for a business? Check to see if they have a Facebook profile. As a result, self-storage businesses must have a social media presence. The first choice would be a Facebook page, but as owners gain confidence in posting, expanding to other platforms may be helpful.
- Create and maintain a Google Business Profile. A Google Business Profile is completely free, it works with SEO to boost your rankings, it allows for the capture of Google Reviews, and it is easy to work with. Businesses must create a free Google Business Profile. From a marketing perspective, it’s more valuable than Facebook, and it makes business owners look lazy not to have it.
- Offer a solution to a problem. What problems do future customers have that your self-storage can address?
- Reselling is a big business today. Resellers often need storage for their inventory, and you can provide a solution.
- HOAs with strict deed restrictions prevent homeowners from storing items at their homes. With homeowner associations becoming increasingly popular in many states, new residents may find themselves at odds with their HOA over recreational vehicles, boats, and other large toys requiring storage outside of the neighborhood.
- Small business owners, including landscapers, pool cleaners, window cleaners, and carpet cleaners, all have equipment in need of storage.
- Multi-generational families need storage to accommodate growing households.
- Downsizing at various times of life presents challenges that the self-storage industry can solve.
At Coastal Storage, we provide expert consultation on the booming self-storage industry. As the Argus Self-Storage Network Affiliate for the states of Florida and Georgia, we provide expert advice on finding your next investment property, whether you have one location or one hundred. Call us today at 904-591-0140 to work with our team.