Self Storage Advertising

Self Storage Advertising
We are bombarded with an incalculable number of
advertisements on any given day. Think about it; just on
your drive to work you'll hear radio commercials for car
dealerships, local events, restaurants, furniture stores,
shopping centers, radio sponsors and more. You'll see
billboards, bumper stickers, company vehicles, semi-trucks
and moving trucks that all display company logos and
phrases. And don't forget about the billboards. So, it may
seem that advertising for your self storage facility is
like casting your net in a huge ocean and hoping to come
back up with something.

On the contrary, a well organized marketing plan will lead
you to the exact point at which to cast your net. Marketing
centers around the research you should conduct within your
industry. You should determine your demographic, or target
customer. Then you should consider the economy in which
your business is located. After thorough marketing, where
to place your advertisements will come more naturally.

Advertising is the end result of a good marketing plan.
Still, self storage advertising seems to be an illusive
science. Many self storage operators can't quite get the
right concoction of phone book ads, billboards, flyers,
etc. In addition, they wonder which of their advertisements
works the best and which ones aren't doing so well for them.

Because advertising budgets usually don't allow you to
plaster your business name on every street corner, every
search engine, every mailbox, and each radio commercial, a
self storage owner has to know where he gets the biggest
bang for his buck.

A simple way to find out how your customers heard about you
is to ask them. Train your facility managers to ask
customers, "How did you hear about us?"

You should keep in mind that it isn't useful to have your
managers asking that questions unless you provide them a
way to track each response. Give your facility managers a
spreadsheet or tracking system so that all the data
gathered can be evaluated and reports can later be
generated in order to determine what ads bring the largest
ROI. Something as simple as a piece of paper with a column
for Yellow Pages, Internet, Billboard, Radio, etc so that
the manager can tick a mark for the appropriate column will
offer effective tracking.

The self storage owner should collect the sheet monthly and
stay on top of his marketing and advertising campaign. He
can analyze the data to determine what media to which he
should allocate more of his budget.

You should also caution your facility managers not to turn
a simple question into an interrogation. Some self storage
facilities have their managers go so far ask to ask which
page number of the phone book it was that they saw the ad.
While collecting the data is valuable, it is not intended
to supersede the goal of talking with a customer- to gain a
new tenant. Asking such pinpointed questions as the page
number of the phone book, or time of day when they heard
the radio ad could distract the conversation. The focus of
talking to customers should be about meeting their needs,
not your own marketing needs.

If you desire such in depth research, you should hire an
expert in the field. Self storage managers wear many hats;
however, research and development should not be one of them.

Whether you hire a professional or use your own expertise
to determine your customer demographic, knowing who your
customers are is key to an effective advertisement.

Research will allow you to know where your customers come
from. Self storage customers typically result from several
universal, common life circumstances that lead to the need
for storage. Some of these events are due to a move or
remodeling a home, military service, campus or apartment
living, and/or divorce, to name a few.

If you find that a good portion of your customers are due
to relocating or moving to a new home then your advertising
dollars should go towards areas that this kind of customer
would frequent. For example, advertising near home
improvement stores will attract customers that are moving
or remodeling a home. Advertising in the newspaper near the
Classified ads where a home seller or buyer will look is a
great way to draw attention to your services. Online
advertising with realtor websites and other relocation
services will also impress customers to rent with you.

There couldn't be a more noble reason to need self storage
than serving your country. Advertising near military bases
will pay off when our country's men and women are
transferred, relocated or deployed. Many self storage
operators advertise a military discount, which is an
excellent way to thank the men and women in the service.

Students drive the busy season of self storage as they move
from campus to apartments and back home with Mom and Dad.
It would be a mistake not to advertise in every opportunity
campus life presents. The possibilities for advertising to
students goes as far as your imagination will take you.
From flyers to brightly painted cars to raffles and more,
advertising for near campus will bring an exponential
return on your investment because students need self
storage at least twice per year.

Apartment living often presents opportunities for tenants
to store. Tenants never have enough closet space, so self
storage becomes a necessity as families grow. Consider your
demographic and aim your advertisements to the average age
of the apartment community. For example, apartment
communities housing a majority of college students require
advertising for discounted rates or short term storage for
the summer, while apartment communities for young families
may do better by highlighting the convenient location and
security. Senior living communities should point out the
security and care heirloom items will receive while in
storage.

Families grieving the loss of a loved one can become
overwhelmed by the daunting task of shuffling through
inherited items. In many cases, families inherit more
furniture than their current homes allow. Or perhaps they
want to store their old furniture to make room for the
antiques they recently acquired. Advertising aimed at
individuals going through such a painful circumstance
should be approached with the utmost respect and dignity.

Self storage advertising attracts a wide demographic of
customers with methods such as television advertising,
radio announcements, direct mail, door hangers, fliers,
phone book ads and billboards.

Television is an effective way to target a variety of
customers while standing out among your competitors.
National broadcasting would be overkill for storage
facilities grouped in localized areas. Local broadcasting
is less expensive and reaches your target group. A
television broadcast should last from 30 to 60 seconds.
Effective TV budgets for storage advertising ranges from
$5,000 to $10,000 per month. There will also be some
production cost which can be great or small, depending on
the choices you make for the broadcast. This is an
excellent tool for bringing in 50 to 100 new customers per
month. A self storage owner should know the value of each
of his customers and therefore can easily justify a budget
for TV advertising. A self storage business could also
consider sponsoring local events or newscasts to receive
additional advertising.

Radio advertising for a self storage business is purchased
similar to TV advertising. However, radio broadcasts are
less expensive than television. Production is usually free.
To be effective, radio advertising should be broadcasted
during morning and evening drive times. When self storage
businesses combine TV and radio advertising, they both
become more effective. A self storage facility or company
could also sponsor radio traffic reports and weather
reports in exchange for advertisement.

Direct mail can produce excellent results, if purchased
correctly. It should be purchased in bulk and works best
with high saturation. You can count on about .1 percent
response on your mailing. The cost should be approximately
3 cents per piece.

Professionally designed door hangers have proven to be a
successful means of self storage advertising. Having a
professional design the hanger will ensure the best
results. You should also use quality material that will
withstand outside elements. A laminated 3-by-9 inch, full
color hanger with a perforated card at the bottom is the
best way to make a good impression on customers. Door
hangers cost around 20 cents each and can be purchased in
variables of quantities.

Fliers are a great advertising option for self storage
owners. Colored fliers can be distributed to realtors,
competition, attorneys, insurance companies, auto
dealerships, etc and have shown successful results.

Phone book ads are the most common and effective tools used
for self storage advertising. Over eighty percent of all
customers use the Yellow Pages to contact your storage
business. This means that your competitor will have his ad
somewhere close to yours. The phone book isn't a new idea
and everyone knows they need some sort of advertisement
here.

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Self Storage Advertising
http://directory.selfstorageowner.com/