At Self Storage Promotions, we understand the power of promotions – and we understand how to harness that power to accomplish your business goals. We started this firm specifically to correct and control the breakdowns between what your company represents and how your company is perceived in the marketplace.
We introduce a simple concept, yet one that has been often overlooked in the self-storage industry’s quest to lease up, increase ancillary income and expand into new territories: strategic promotions.
The new definition of storage promotions
We work with storage developers, investors and other industry stakeholders who understand that Wall Street is watching. Sure, the unit-renting public is beginning to notice that modern-day storage facilities are no longer rectangular boxes with little aesthetic appeal. But attractive buildings with high-tech bells and whistles do not a successful company make.
July 1st, 2006
There is always a better strategy than the one you have; you just haven’t thought of it yet. So said Sir Brian Pitman, former CEO of London mega-bank Lloyds TSB.
Pittman is on to something. That’s why Self Storage Promotions offers its clients what we call a Strategic Counseling Session. This one-day session will clearly define your brand and determine strategies that will take your facility to the next level.
There is a better strategy. Self Storage Promotions Strategic Counseling Session will help you think it up.
No other firm can brainstorm self-storage strategy like Self Storage Promotions. As the nation’s only full-service strategic promotions firm focused exclusively on the self-storage industry, we are equipped to not only brainstorm a plan of attack but also to execute the tactics that will win the competitive battle. We can also drive that strategy forward from concept development to web design and search engine optimization to marketing and public relations campaigns.
Self Storage Promotions’ Strategic Counseling Session is a proprietary discovery model that takes a three-phased approach to revolutionizing your brand investment. It begins with due diligence, continues with a hands-on planning session and concludes with a comprehensive report that details actionable tactics.
October 31st, 2006
You’ve got a state-of-the-art facility on your hands with all the proverbial bells and whistles that promise to wow potential tenants. Unfortunately, in many communities public perception of self-storage is still poor. Self-storage rings mental bells that recall rows of orange doors that open to smelly units with greasy floors.
Tell the story that you want told.
For newer facilities, public relations (PR) can help you change that perception with strategic promotions that educate consumers about the changing face of the industry and your part in it. For older facilities, PR can help dispel myths of security and hazards, while touting the perennial benefits of storage.
Let’s face it. Without public support, even the best and brightest facilities are liable to flop. Through press releases, newspaper editorials, and other activities that help your company promote a favorable public image, you can educate potential tenants about the industry and your leading position in it.
October 31st, 2006
Are you a good corporate citizen?
Do you donate to local charities?
Do you sponsor community fundraising events?
Does your facility provide free storage in the wake of a storm?
You can do good deeds all day, but if no one knows about it you won’t get much more than a warm fuzzy feeling in your heart.
We can help you identify what events and activities will give your self-storage company the biggest bang for your buck – and then help you get the word out so community stakeholders and potential customers can have that same warm fuzzy feeling you do.
October 31st, 2006
The media speaks its own language. It has its own code. We know that language because we have decades of experience in the media world. We know what types of story pitches editors like, what types of story pitches put them to sleep, and what types of story pitches will get you on their black list.
Writing a press release – and even sending it out over the wires – is no longer enough to get the attention of editors. Sure, it may boost your site ranking, but if you actually want to see your name in print you need to couple public relations with media relations.
Tap into the power of the press through relationships.
It takes diligence, good timing – and relationships – to get the attention of editors. Whether you want to break in as a guest columnist with the self-storage industry trade publications, promote your storage operation as a candidate for facility of the year, or just keep editors abreast of your latest work, media relations helps you open the doors of opportunity.
Crisis communications: it’s just a matter of time.
There are two types of companies in the world – those that have had a crisis and those that will. The self-storage industry is no exception.
How you handle crisis communications can either make you look like a noble leader or a secretive corporate suit. The latter can turn even the most miniscule molehills into monumental mountains as onlookers jump to the worst conclusions.
Protecting your brand means empowering your managers to work with the media in the face of troubling circumstances. Get prepared with a crisis communications plan and media coaching so you can respond appropriately when bad news – from criminal acts to natural disasters – breaks out at your facility.
October 31st, 2006
Beyond your ads, web sites and logos, the materials you present to self-storage customers, employees, lenders, potential investors and others speak volumes about the quality of your business.
Do your corporate documents truly represent your brand’s quality?
To be sure, telling your success story in a compelling way can help you attract investors. Casting your vision to employees with attractive manuals, videos and posters can build up employee morale and breed a winning corporate culture. And developing professional presentation materials for seminars and lectures can leave listeners hanging on your every word.
Speeches, annual reports, training materials, product manuals, Power Point presentations, sales letters and other internal and external documents can damage your brand’s reputation or enhance its quality. Again, do your corporate documents truly represent your brand’s quality?
October 31st, 2006
Despite the power of the press and the reach of the World Wide Web, marketing and advertising campaigns are still an integral part of the self-storage promotional mix.
The bottom line is your company can’t continue to grow without some strategic marketing and public advertising efforts.
Think of it this way. You woke up this morning to the sound of your advertised alarm clock. You brushed your teeth with advertised toothpaste. You ate advertised cereal for breakfast. You put on your advertised shoes. You drove to work in your advertised car.
You get the picture.
Nearly everything we consume comes with a compelling marketing message, yet we often shy away from letting the world know about our own products and services. One thing is certain: your competitor is reaping a harvest on the marketing dollars he has sown – at your expense.
October 31st, 2006
Yellow Pages got you seeing red?
Yellow Pages ads are a colorful part of the marketing mix, but they may no longer be enough to keep you in the black. Millions of consumers are heading to the World Wide Web to search for cars, clothes – and, yes, storage. That makes Web services a critical part of your promotional strategy.
Are you ready to turn online traffic into online sales?
It’s not just about a pretty web site, though. It’s about converting visitors into customers. That takes a combination of aesthetics, site architecture, copywriting, search engine optimization and other cutting-edge strategies that draw the right people to your site.
That requires the technical ability, the design skills, and the Internet marketing savvy to develop an end-to-end web-based promotional strategy that breeds results.
October 31st, 2006
You’ve invested millions of dollars in your state-of-the-art self-storage facility. But let’s face it. Just because you built it doesn’t mean they will come. You need to make a splash in your new neighborhood – and what better way than a grand event celebration for the whole family?
A successful grand opening event is more than drawing folks to the facility, it’s leaving them with a memorable experience that will keep them talking about your business long after the party is over. A wise man once said, “You only get one chance to make a first impression.” Touché.
Your challenge is making the most of that “one chance” without detracting from your day-to-day management activities – and without breaking the bank. You want a return on your investment; and one that pays dividends in the form of referrals long after the celebration is over.
October 31st, 2006
A brand is a promise, a pledge of quality, the essence of your product.
- What are you promising?
- Are you clearly communicating your Unique Value Proposition?
- Do you know what differentiates you from your competition?
- Do you really?
Branding: it’s is more than a buzzword in marketing circles.
It’s time to put your business plan in the hands of communications pros who can develop your company’s public personality – or give it a makeover. Branding begins with an understanding of who you are – and who your competitors are. Then it figures out where you want to go from there.
All aspects of your corporate identity, from logo and letterhead to phone book ads and direct mail to, well, every form of public communications, must be united under the brand strategy. Consistency is key because it is the repeated reinforcement of your brand that links your company with what it sells – and communicates your promise.
October 31st, 2006
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