Posts filed under 'Branding/Corporate Identity'
You may not know this, but I’m the co-author of Web Analytics For Dummies. I am also co-owner of Conversion Press, as well as a marketing communications firm.
Can I be blunt? I think self-storage industry service providers, facilities, vendors, et. al. are losing a great opportunity to do more business through the Web. That’s because many of the web sites are old, outdated, and don’t adhere to Conversion Design principles that lead customers not just to visit the site, but also to take the action you desire to take.
I beseech you, self-storage brethren, to come talk to us about your web site needs for two good reasons: the money you are losing and the money you could be making. I don’t usually use this blog to pitch our services, but I’ve broken my own rules because this is so vital and so misunderstood, and it’s making the industry look mediocre. We have beautiful properties and not-so-beautiful web sites.
Together, we can get you a self-storage web site that looks good, that performs well, that drives revenues from self-storage Internet marketing and Internet advertising initiatives and that puts a smile on your face as you run to the bank.
March 11th, 2008
There’s a good story over at Highlands about self-storage auctions. I was glad to see it, because it showed the compassionate side of the industry and helps to educate consumers about the process. Here’s an excerpt:
Five owners of local storage centers offered the same feedback about auctions.
They feel guilty whenever they hold one.
“I don’t want to sell other people’s stuff,” said Beth Patrich, owner of County Line Mini Storage in Spring Hill.
She, like a lot of others, prefers to show compassion when it comes to someone’s personal property. When someone cannot pay their rent on time, they are usually willing to work with them. Maybe they will waive or extend the penalty fee or accept partial payments.
Of course, we have to be careful becomes in some states accepting a partial payment starts the whole process over again. And we know we don’t want to waive fees to often because it encourages late payments. But the bottom line is we should show compassion when compassion is due. It’s good community relations, which is good for business. Word of mouth is still the greatest marketing tool known to man.
March 3rd, 2008
A Florida construction crew with a backhoe accidentally cut into an underground tank near a hospital on Aug. 27. Just three days later, a construction crew at the Minnesota Zoo punctured a gas line while they were working on a new zoo exhibit. Although both mistakes were handled efficiently and nobody was hurt, Dean Brown, president of American Steel Buildings, points out how choosing the right construction crew can make a difference.
“Everybody makes mistakes,” Brown said. “But the difference between an experienced crew and an inexperienced construction crew could be the difference in what mistakes are made and how they’re handled. In erecting a self storage building, you may not have to worry about hitting a gas line, but there are other issues. Choosing the right crew can help eliminate the possibility of costly and harmful mistakes.”
You know what I like about this story? Brown is savvy enough to understand his need for publicity and crafted a brilliant campaign. I applaud him and his colleagues. Click here to read the rest of this release for yourself.
September 6th, 2007
When South Lamar Storage & Wine Cellar opens its doors on July 16, area residents and businesses will be introduced to a whole new approach to self-storage, according to a press release about the opening.
In addition to traditional storage services for general household and office items, the company will offer climate-controlled self-storage solutions for fine wine, tobacco and archival collections, and concierge services to meet the needs of downtown Austin’s high-end clientele.
Will Steakley, vice president of residential sales at urbanspace Realtors LLP in Austin, explains that as Austinites move into small urban spaces, their storage needs are evolving. “As our youth and empty nesters trade in a garage full of lawnmowers for the simplicity of a maintenance-free box in the sky, the demand for accessible long- and short-term storage within our urban core will become more and more precious,” he said.
I applaud this out of the box thinking. It may not be a whole new approach to self-storage in some regards. Wine storage is nothing new, but this is definitely a fresh approach that will have no trouble finding media attention in Austin, which is a great media market. Congratulations to South Lamar Storage for its innovation — and its commitment to communicating its differences in the local market.
Click here to read the rest of the release about South Lamar Storage.
July 6th, 2007
Zacks Equity Research highlighted Public Storage (NYSE: PSA) as the Bull of the Day. Shares of PSA have traded down about 17% since mid-April.
Zacks attributes this to a correction in the sector as investors are taking profits after multi-year gains. Zacks thinks the sell-off has been overblown and PSA is still operating in an excellent environment for self-storage.
The company continues to have strong earnings momentum, and as the economy strengthens, the company should see even greater returns. With the acquisition of Shurgard, PSA removed a major competitor, and is by far the largest self storage operator in the U.S. Zacks is also encouraged by a slowdown in new supply coming on line in major markets.
This is good news for all of self-storage because PSA is a good indicator of industry health. I’m glad Wall Street is watching. It gives us a real look at the industry, not just what the internal pundits say. If I were in charge of marketing for Public Storage, I would amp up my marketing right about now. In fact, if I were marketing for any quality facility, now is the time to beef up marketing/branding campaigns to leverage this rebound.
July 3rd, 2007
Noah’s Ark Self Storage opened a new self-storage unit in Orlando, Fla. The new Noah’s Ark offers 85,700 square feet of space and has a total of 651 units, including 299 units that are climate controlled. Storage units range in size from 25 to 300 square feet.
With the drought in Florida, we won’t literally need an ark any time soon, but we can always use a strategically located, Class-A self-storage facility and this is one of them.
I would point you, though, to the recent rebranding of the Parham Group. See, not everyone who knows Parham knew that he owned five distinct companies that offer end-to-end products and services for the self-storage industry.
Parham covers Maverick Investments, Noah’s Ark Development, NDS Construction, Cross Metal Buildings and Joshua Management. But they had different logos, different booths at trade shows, and different perceptions in the marketplace. Parham knew he could better serve the industry – and grow all five of his companies – if there was a consistent way to communicate the synergy his companies offer. That way was branding, including a new brand name.
Of course, deciding on a new brand name was just the beginning. The next step was creating consistency across the five companies. Parham took the individual logos and transposing them inside translucent cubes. The black, white and beige cubes communicated the ideas of storage units, building blocks and moving boxes. The scheme offers a feeling of unity that preserves the individualism of each company under the umbrella of The Parham Group.
The next challenge was the tradeshow presence, consolidating five disparate booths into one mega booth that offered each company its own space and identity as part of the parent brand. Parham developed a circular booth with a banner running its length that communicated the name of the parent company above the individual brand logos and the tagline “The 1 Resource.” The strategy paid dividends when attendees who started out talking with Cross Metal Buildings were introduced to Joshua Management staff and NDS Construction would-be customers took interest in other Parham Group divisions. CDs that offered attendees collective information about how to do proformas and choose sites served to prove the companies’ expertise across the self-storage board.
Nice job!
May 9th, 2007
InStorage Real Estate Investment, together with InScotia Developments, agreed to make investments in a portfolio of 10 high
quality self-storage properties in Western Canada. Why?
“The acquisition of these self-storage properties will increase our
exposure to western Canada, further expand our national platform, and solidify InStorage as a leading national consolidator of self-storage properties.
This is consistent with our stated strategy of producing a stable and growing stream of cash distributions for unitholders from the ownership and management
of high quality self-storage properties,” said James Tadeson, Chief Executive Officer of InStorage REIT.
Increasing exposure… that’s what it’s all about from a branding perspective. I wonder who InStorage will gobble up next…
December 12th, 2006
Big Yellow Group Plc, the largest UK publicly traded self-storage operator, said fiscal first-half profit advanced 35 percent as the company opened sites and the value of existing ones increased.
The company last month agreed to franchise a network of stores in the United Arab Emirates. Big Yellow will open its first store in the region in Dubai in the first half of 2008. The company may start franchises in other countries.
This company as an unmistakable brand: it’s yellow! It also maintains consistency with its bright brand. It’s web site bleeds yellow. It’s facilities prominently feature yellow. There’s no mistaking who you are dealing with here.
Of course, a brand is much more than a color or even a logo. That’s only the outward appearance. A brand is a promise that has to do with the heart of your company and its service. If Big Yellow’s promise is as consistent as its corporate collateral, then it will continue to post double-digit profits as it invades new territories.
Click here to see Big Yellow’s branding in action.
November 29th, 2006
The self-storage industry is seeing yet another major acquisition…and another brand gets bigger.
Los Angeles-based real estate developer Barker Pacific Group, through its affiliate, Union Development Company (UDC), has acquired eight self storage properties from Empire Companies and will rebrand them under its storage operation’s new name – Storage Solutions. The acquisition includes nearly 500,000 square feet of space with 4,000 storage units on 25 acres. UDC paid just over $30 million for the portfolio. The properties are located throughout Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.
Notice here that Storage Solutions is rebranding its acquired properties. Why? They already have a brand presence in their markets. Why mess with what works? Storage Solutions understands that mega brands span regions and territories and give customers comfort. Brands are a promise. A customer who rents storage in one city under one brand will feel comfortable renting from that same brand in another city.
A brand is more than a name and a colorful logo. Is your brand communicating what your business is all about? Storage Solutions has a clear branding scheme. Do you.
Click here to get the nitty gritty details about this self-storage acquisition.
November 2nd, 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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