Why Online Marketing is a Critical Tool in Self-Storage

"For self-storage operators, online marketing is crucial", according to Mara Rodriguez, pricing analyst at The William Warren Group, a self-storage operator. "In today's Internet-driven world, you need a highly functional, mobile-friendly website where people can view available space, research amenities, and reserve and pay for their units online in real time."

Of course, your facility might not have the money or expertise to develop a custom-built website that integrates with your back-end management system. Or you might not have the budget to hire experts to boost your search results on Google. Even if you do have a perfectly good website, it still might not be good enough, as you're probably competing online against bigger operators with deeper pockets and better search results.

Six Ways To Improve Your Online Presence

1. Make sure your website lists the facility's address and phone number
2. Post large, clear photos of the interior and exterior of your facility, as well as photos of employees and events. If need be, hire a professional photographer to snap the pictures. Avoid stock photos, as consumers don't find them authentic
3. Consider posting video tours of your facility
4. Be sure your site features reviews from satisfied customers
5. Look into creating a blog for your site with tips and information about storage, moving and related topics. Sites with rich content tend to outperform other sites in search results. "Update your website with fresh content every couple of months. Google loves it," said Holly Ritchie-Fiorello, marketing director at The Storage Group, an Internet marketing firm for self-storage facilities
6. Make your site mobile-friendly. If your site doesn't look good on smartphones and other mobile devices, then you very well could be losing customers. These days, your website must be easy to read and navigate on both desktop and mobile devices

Marketing Aggregation

If you don't have a big budget for digital marketing or technology or you don't have expertise in those areas, an online marketplace, or "aggregation," might be a good fit, Rodriguez said. These comparison shopping sites let consumers research amenities, compare options and reserve spaces online, and they send customers from the vast and competitive Internet landscape.

Whatever you decide to do online, remember that your web presence is the virtual door to your business. Just as you want your facility to have great curb appeal, you want your website to appeal to online consumers.

"Think of your website as you do your storage facility -- the building itself and everything inside. Everything about the building affects how your business performs; the same is true of your website," said Paul O'Brien, an expert in search engine optimization (SEO).

Contributed by: John Egan, editor in chief at Austin, Texas-based SpareFoot, which helps self-storage facilities around the country attract more customers.

These tips were taken, in part, from two free white papers offered by SpareFoot: one offering simple ways to boost your facility's results and the other discussing self-storage marketing tactics.

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