Empty space a hot commodity in Canada

January 23rd, 2007

The Canadian press is recognizing the benefits of self-storage, citing an estimated $8 billionlast year in rentals. Indeed, the industry is booming in Canada, with continually growing revenues up by more than 15 cent over the past five years, according to the Canada.com network of newspapers.

“We’re still behind the States, but we don’t have their problem of oversupply,” Candace Watson, the owner of Canadian Self Storage Valuation Services, told the paper.

Investors, new entrants and established brands are doing business there. This three page report in The Gazette is a dream for the industry there. How do you reckon the reporter got the idea for this comprehensive report? How did he choose the sources he’d interview?

The reporter may just be observant and could have picked up the phone book to look for sources, but it’s equally as possible that some savvy operator there tipped him off with a press release. Here’s what we do know: your chances of getting into the paper are greater if you launch public relations campaigns. Here’s what we also know: getting mentioned in your local paper enhances your credibility and gives you a competitive edge.

Get to know your local media but don’t harass them with unworthy news items. If you’ve got something to say, say it. If not, just be a good corporate citizen until you do. That, in and of itself, will eventually generate something to say: “We helped Toys for Tots” or “We offered free storage to a fire victim.”

Who will your local paper interview next time they do an article on self-storage? It’s at least patrially up to you.

Entry Filed under: Public Relations, Media Relations