Posts filed under 'Community Relations'
Want to see a example of a brilliant community relaitons strategy that is sure to pay dividends for many years to come in terms of brand loyalty?
Hawaii Self Storage has launched this month a new initiative, the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), which is part of Hawaii Self Storage’s Community Pride outreach initiatives.
Through the program, anyone who is experiencing financial difficulties related to their residence is eligible to receive free storage for a minimum of four months. Those interested in applying must submit a letter and proof of residential financial hardship to Hawaii Self Storage. The TAP Board will review requests and fill qualified requests on a first-come, first-served basis.
Each of the three Hawaii Self Storage locations – Kaimuki, Pearl City and Salt Lake – are part of this program. In addition, Hawaii Self Storage will soon be opening two new facilities – Hawaii Self Storage – Mililani opening in September and Hawaii Self Storage – Kapolei opening in October – that also will offer TAP lockers.
“As a locally owned company, we’ve made it our mission to help the community, and right now, the community needs more help than ever,” said Hawaii Self Storage President Daniel Ho. “From the subprime crisis to the closure of Aloha Airlines and Molokai Ranch, to the recent announcements by Maui Land and Pine and Ka‘anapali Beach Club, we’re all affected. These events ripple throughout our state, and we want to help people in this time of need. For some, four months of free storage will be a huge burden off their back while they readjust their living situation.”
Click here to read the rest of this story.
August 6th, 2008
Surrounded by storage units, hundreds of people gathered recently to raise money for local fire victims, the Oroville Mercury-Register reports.That’s because Oroville RV/Boat & Self Storage hosted a benefit barbecue, which drew in guests ready to eat ribs, hear local bands, have their faces painted and view classic cars.
Cars lined the street in both directions and nearly 100 people were already in line for ribs, just past the event’s 5 p.m. start.
Bravo to this specialty storage center. This is one way to win a community’s heart - and if the local paper gets informed all the better. So many companies do good, but don’t tell anyone they are doing good, so only relative few know.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…when you do good, let the world know!
Click here to read the rest of the story.
August 2nd, 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
So what do you do with a gifted piece of land? Do research; then do more research, and finally, whittle down all your possibilities to one final conclusion. That’s what three siblings did when their parents gave them nearly two acres of land along Rodeo Road, writes Cindy Bellinger of The New Mexican.
Bellinger goes on to tell the stories of three siblings who launched a self-storage facility in her neck of the woods. I only wish I had the free time to call them up and ask: Did you send out a press release? Was it happenstance? Does the newspaper have a beat reporter for self-storage?
This is a great story and my heart is to see every single self-storage facility get a write up like this one in their local paper. Press releases make that easier. We tell the story you want told rather than hoping a reporter will take notice and tell the right story. Congratulations to the Ortiz family and your new venture.
Click here to read the story in The New Mexican.
September 19th, 2007
The green movement is sweeping the nation and portable storage is poised to play a key role in helping environmentally-friendly companies, like Santa Barbara Electric Bike Company, grow their businesses.Santa Barbara Electric Bicycle Company’s bikes are hitting the streets as a new mode of fun and reliable transportation. Stylish and quiet, electric bikes are also proving to be the efficient and sustainable answer to skyrocketing gas prices and increasing traffic congestion. The bikes work by augmenting rider power with a rechargeable, lightweight battery.
“Our goal is to reduce emissions and make Santa Barbara the greenest city in the nation. We want to get everybody riding a bike to work and portable storage containers are helping us make that goal a reality,” said Scott Shaw, owner of Santa Barbara Electric Bike Company. “For a small business with high growth potential, portable storage containers are definitely a necessity. It’s a cost-effective way for us to grow our business and to expand according to the demands. We need a secure location to store our products. Portable storage helps.”
Click here to read the rest of this story.
September 14th, 2007
Is your self-storage facility complying with lien laws?
Vin A. Fichter, a nationally recognized expert in self-storage law, told the North Country Gazette that one of the primary legal issues facing the self-storage industry is the operator’s failure to follow the state’s lien sale procedure law
Fichter has said that he has seen example after example in which, for the sake of expediency and to save some small expenses, a self-storage company will discard the personal property of a tenant without following the easy “safe harbor” procedures in the state’s law.
“This is sheer folly and eventually will land the mini-storage facility in a lawsuit, one which might even affect the financial ability of the facility to survive. Plaintiff attorneys have a way of smelling money and will take such cases on contingency if there is ‘gold in them thar hills’. Then the mini-storage tenant has no risk because he or she pays nothing if the attorney does not recover anything. Don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish,” Fichter says. “Follow the Self Storage Act. It’s easy.”
I’ll take it a step further. If you don’t follow the laws, you may find yourself in a whole heap of bad publicity in your community in addition to a lawsuit. Avoid the need for a crisis communications campaign by taking action early. If you do find yourself in a PR nightmare, though, be sure to confront it head on with a communications plan that serves as clean up patrol. Staying silent only makes matters worse.
Click here to read the rest of this story on the North Country Gazette.
September 7th, 2007
New information released this week by the Alexandria, Virginia-based Self Storage Association (SSA) indicates that the number of primary self storage facilities in the United States has nearly doubled since the year 2000. At the end of 2006, 51,500 primary self storage facilities dotted the country, with 23,075 of those facilities added between 2000 and 2006. This represents 81 percent growth in the number of facilities during this period.
“The U.S. self storage industry continues to expand at a pace in step with growing residential and commercial demand,“ says Michael T. Scanlon, Jr., President and CEO of the Self Storage Association. “However, dollars that heretofore had been allocated toward ground-up development of new facilities are now being channeled toward expansion and renovation of existing facilities, conversions to self storage from other uses, as well as an increase in the number of acquisitions being undertaken, Nearly one-in-ten American households now rents a self storage unit and nationally commercial business now accounts for about 30 percent of total self storage rental space.”
The industry’s most recent research confirms whatmembers have been saying – that the rising costs for land, tighter capital markets and the added costs associated with a longer entitlements process, have all had a negative effect on ground-up development.
The question is what will the industry do about it? A strong and strategic community relations program doesn’t hurt — in fact it can pay major dividends. Self-storage operators looking to do new projects should communicate the benefits of their plans to community stakeholders. If you can get the community on your side, it will be easier to get the politicians to follow suit.
September 4th, 2007
There’s an interesting editorial in The Boston Globe this week. The headline reads, “Don’t blame cost of self-storage as cause of homelessness.”
I like the headline. It’s provocative. I’d be robbing from the author to even summarize or comment on it. Click here to read Alex Lekas’ comments for yourself.
August 3rd, 2007
Want some publicity for your storage facility? Then get involved in the web 2.0 world and start commenting on online newspaper stories about the industry — especially ones in your home town. It’s quick, it’s free and it’s effective. It’s called viral marketing. Why not give it a try? Social media is the wave of the future.
For all of you self-storage operators and consultants and real estate brokers in Arizona, here’s an article to get you going:
Click here to read: Can’t get a handle on clutter at home?
Just don’t say anything I wouldn’t say. In other words, tread carefully because if you don’t choose your words wisely they could come back to haunt you. It’s a balancing act. You need to know the ways of communicating in a socially networked web 2.0 world.
July 10th, 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
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