Self-storage in the modern era is a massive industry. With thousands of customers flocking to storage companies for their services, it only makes sense that competition is cutthroat. As the owner of a storage company operating in a highly dynamic environment, you must be the best to survive.
For any business, staying relevant doesn’t come as easy as breathing. There’s a lot of grunt work behind the scenes and a journey riddled with challenges. Thus, it wouldn’t be inaccurate to suggest that a successful storage company is driven by strategy, effort, and innovation.
If you’re tired of watching your competition bag more clients and eager to claim their spot at the top, here’s what you need to do.
1. Always be there for the customer
What makes self-storage so unique is that it requires customers to give their belongings to a company. Safe to say, this involves a considerable degree of trust. After all, it’s not easy to stow away your limited-edition daredevil figurine!
So, then, how do you convince the client that you’re actually worthy of their trust? One word. Communication. People rely on companies that are responsive, tackle their issues head-on and don’t make them wait too long for a reply.
Verily, you should hire trained customer support staff who know how to do their job right. So, tell your HR to set high standards for recruiting employees who will interact with your clients because that’s where the money’s at.
2. Use the right marketing tactics
When you type ‘storage companies near me on Google, the first thing you’ll see is a bunch of website links advertised at the top. Scroll down a bit, and you’ll come across organic search results with compelling headlines. While one might speak of their affordable prices, another may be positioning themselves based on security.
As a storage company eager to become an industry leader, you must truly get to know the customer. Research is crucial, and this couldn’t be stressed enough! So, get out there and find out what your clients want. What’s that one thing that will convince them to invest in you?
Once you have the right answers, deploy innovative marketing techniques to push your brand under the spotlight. Leverage social media, text, and paid advertising. Most importantly, send messages that resonate with your audience.
3. Boost your security
Just as the need to be responsive, amping the security at your storage facility is imperative. Even if a person only rents storage for cheap items, they will still need to be convinced that their things won’t be damaged.
It’s as simple as choosing the most trustworthy friend for an important task. Think about it. If you’re busy and need to delegate something to another person, you’d be very careful with your choice. You would choose a friend who’s known for their reliability rather than the one who can’t even keep a goldfish alive.
Simply put, your company should be the friend everyone can rely on. So, make sure you invest in the right security tools, including CCTV surveillance, door locks, and hiring a team of guards.
4. Provide real-time tracking
The modern customer wants to know everything, and that includes information about their belongings. Naturally, if your storage service comes with a real-time tracking feature, it’s bound to give them some peace of mind.
So, whether a client’s things are in transit, at the facility, or being processed for a return, it’s a win-win if they’re able to see what’s happening while it’s happening.
5. Don’t oversell cheap storage
Let’s get one thing straight. Everyone loves a good deal. However, nobody likes to put their money into a service that ‘feels’ cheap. No matter how great your self-storage solutions might be, don’t just market based on price.
Strike a balance and position your company on other, more exclusive, qualities as well. For instance, you could talk about free collections or standard liability coverage and then tactfully slip the affordability benefit in there without overdoing it.
6. Be responsible in the era of COVID-19
Political orientations aside, the pandemic is no joke, and your customers know that. Because storage involves at least some form of in-person contact, you should make sure that your professionals are taking all precautionary measures.
This will not only show the customer how much you care about their health but also protect your hardworking employees from taking sick days off.
7. Be active on social media
Have you ever heard of a successful company that isn’t on social media? We haven’t either. However, simply having a social media presence is not enough.
Besides marketing, you must make sure that you’re engaging your online community. Rest assured, everyone likes a good conversation. So, go on Reddit, start funny threads, share memes about the quirks of self-storage, reply to comments and be the kind of company that knows how to attract millennials.
After all, boomers with spacious homes and fewer belongings aren’t your target demographic, the modern generation is!
8. Offer freebies
Famous storage company STORED is the perfect example when it comes to offering freebies. While its primary service obviously comes at a price, they do provide free collections the first time around.
Now, this isn’t that much of a big deal, especially not for a company that has been around for almost a decade! Similarly, you should integrate a free element somewhere in your service as well.
9. Offer discounts
Although this might sound like a no-brainer, it’s still worth mentioning. As a business owner, you already know the financial conundrums tied to storage. Wouldn’t you jump at the chance of finding a discounted place to store your inventory? Of course, you would!
Similarly, you should attract customers by offering compelling discounts from time to time. Perhaps you could edit the headline of your company’s Google ad to show ‘10% off on Christmas storage’ when Santa’s around the corner. Or offer price cuts for students who live on a budget.
This way, when people search for ‘storage companies near me, the first thing they’ll be enticed by is amazing discounts.
10. Set up a 24/7 hotline
Self-storage might not be an emergency service, but that doesn’t mean your customers won’t need you at the wee hours of the night. Perhaps a customer immediately needs one of their valuables that’s at your facility and figures that out at 3 am! Anything’s possible!
It would be much appreciated if your clients knew they could say what’s on their minds without waiting for the morning. Needless to say, you don’t want a disgruntled customer searching for the words’ 24/7 storage companies near me’ to choose another one just because yours won’t answer the phone.
