Posts filed under 'Marketing & Ad Campaigns'
Yet another fund is including self-storage in its mix. Harrison Street Real Estate Capital closed Harrison Street Real Estate Partners I LP. The total value of the fund is expected to be between $800 million and $1 billion. Beyond senior housing, student housing, parking and medical properties, the fund will invest in, yep, you guessed it - self-storage.
The powers that be at Harrison said they wanted to focus on “niche areas” of real estate. At some level, self-storage may always be a niche. At another level, self-storage is a force to be reckoned as it continues to show strong among investors against other property types.
Success is always a two-edged sword. It presents opportunity and challenges.This is great marketing for the industry, but, of course, will lead to stiffer competition for operators.
June 21st, 2007
The Wesco Torrence Self Storage Center made a smart marketing move — announcing to the world its senior, student and military storage discount specials, along with a branded 800 number (or 888 number as it were).
That’s the news hook. The operator took full opportunity to describe the many benefits of doing business at the facility, including its wine storage, self storage or RV storage — it’s a full-service business center that’s ideal for businesses of all sizes and the general public alike.
This is a masterful release that communicates Wesco’s unique value proposition — and communicates it well. Would that all facility releases so on target.
Click here to read it for yourself.
June 20th, 2007
A Dundee firm has set up a website on which businesses can sell off unwanted or surplus stock, according to the Scotsman. Kangaroo Auctions - the brainchild of Steven Hourston and Chris Stevens, directors of Kangaroo Self-Storage - there is an estimated £24 billion of such stock annually in the UK, the story reprots.
“They claim their idea is Scotland’s first site dedicated to selling their goods, on the internet and, in a pre-launch trial period, has already secured clients as far south as London. The service makes use of a partnership with eBay, the largest online auction site in the world, which at any one time has some three million items listed and some ten million registered users.”
This is brilliant, ingenious, innovative. As self-storage continues to gain momentum on the international scene, firms in non-competing markets can glean from one another for the betterment of the industry.
Click here to read the rest of the article about Kangaroo in the Scotsman.
June 14th, 2007
The self-storage industry has been the fastest-growing sector of the U.S. commercial real estate industry over the past 30 years. The boom has benefited suppliers like American Steel Buildings as well, as they set first-quarter records in 2007 for moving self-storage steel.For the almost 60,000 self-storage facilities in the United States, revenues for 2006 were approximately $22.6 billion, or an average of $441,208 per facility, according to the Self-Storage Association.
American Steel is making a push to become the preeminent provider of steel for the self-storage industry in a press release that positions it as a friend to self-storage developers. This is a smart tactic.
In the same way that American Steel has positioned itself as s friend to self-storage, self-storage needs to position itself as a friend to other businesses. Operators can learn a lot from American Steel’s stance here, but beware: if you go overboard it will be perceived as marketing hype. American Steel comes right up to that line. Do they cross it? You decide.
Click here to read the press release for yourself.
May 16th, 2007
USstoragesearch.com, a firm specializing in online marketing for the self-storage industry, has teamed up with Inside Self-Storage (ISS) to offer a complimentary, three-part webinar series to help facility owner/operators increase their bottom line using the power of the Web. The first session in the series, “Online Marketing Myths Exposed and How to Capitalize on the Internet,” will take place June 6, 2007, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET.
Presented by Megan Eckert, executive vice president for USstoragesearch.com, the webinar will bust common misconceptions about online marketing and teach attendees how to generate new self-storage rentals using the Internet.
“There are so many misconceptions about Internet marketing in this industry. It’s unfortunate that many owner/operators have had negative experiences or let unfamiliarity stop them from gaining these Internet customers as paying tenants,” Eckert said. By offering this free webinar series, we look forward to teaching people how to properly use online marketing to increase profits without wasting time or money.”
Click here to register for this free seminar.
May 11th, 2007
SelfStorageNet.com launched new online self-storage facility search engine that offers consumers an option of receiving free rent quotes from self-storage facilities they select.
The search engine draws from a comprehensive database of over 30,000 U.S. self-storage facilities, according to the company. Users start by clicking a state on a USA map, which then presents a list of cities.
Once a city is selected, the website presents an extensive list of self-storage facilities to choose from. Users then have the option of selecting desired facilities and then clicking a “Get-A-Quote” button to receive a free rental rate quote for the type and size of storage unit they’re looking for.
Each of the self-storage facilities also maintains a separate in-depth listing for their facility that includes detailed information such as photos, maps, customer reviews, facility amenities, contact information and hours of operation.
I’d recommend this for self-storage operators of all sizes. The Internet is the place to be, and selfstoragenet.com is a strategic online location for a search engine like this. Click here to learn more about the opportunity.
February 7th, 2007
You’ve probably heard of self-storage facilities offering eBay drop off stores, but have you visited eBay recently and typed in “self-storage”? It yields some interesting results.
You can bid on metal buildings with starting prices of $18,000 or mystery auctions for the contents of abandoned units starting at $14.99. You can bid on the purchase of moving.bz with a starting price of $1 million - yes $1 million. Or you can bid on individual units as a tenant.
This isn’t the strangest stuff you can buy on eBay. Some people were selling snow this winter, for crying out loud. This is not only a strategic use of this platform, it’s a great convenience for bidders and a smart way to bring greater awareness to the industry. I’m going to check into this more and report back. For now, check it out for yourself by typing in “self-storage” in the search box of eBay.com.
February 6th, 2007
Big Yellow is known for its big brand. The firm just hooked up with a new creative agency, though, to handle its account. It will be interesting to see what the new firm can do that the old one didn’t. In any case, Big Yellow is on top of its game. Are you?
Whether you hire a new creative agency, stick with the one you’ve got, or do your own self-storage promotions, you can take a crayon from Big Yellow’s box. In other words, you need to mix it up. Sure, if it “ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is often a good rule of thumb. But sometimes you don’t know how poorly something is performing until you get a new one. (Remember that old Chevy?)
If your marketing campaigns are working well for you, then you may be able to glide through the year with the same old, same old. On the other hand, may need to do what Big Yellow did and get some new ideas into your campaigns.
If you haven’t already, measure the performance of last year’s campaigns to see what worked and what flopped. Look for opportunities to do something different. Where is there room for improvement?. That could be as simple as revamping your Yellow Pages ad or as dramatic as changing the name of your facility altogether. It could be as quick as getting new fliers printed with a fresh slogan or as complicated as extensive as launching a multi-channel strategy that includes online initiatives.
The point is, you need to find ways to get out of some of the boxes you are in. Don’t get too comfortable in 2007. Get your box cutter and let some light and air into your marketing.
Click here to read about Big Yellow’s new creative agency.
January 10th, 2007
You’ve gotta love this story in Hawaii’s Star Bulletin on “Santa Closets.” Apparently, customers at the local self-storage facility are using their units to hide presents from young kids who may be too curious not to partially unwrap their toys while their parents are tucked away sound asleep in their beds at night.
This is a great marketing strategy that should be officially pushed during the Christmas season. Why not formalize a campaign around it?Or, get double bang for your buck and host a Toys for Tots drop off box at the site — and have a big poster about your Santa Closets right next to it. Hmm.
I encourage self-storage operators to keep an eye on news about the industry in the New Year. You might find a preasent in the form of a new marketing tip like this one.
Click here to read the rest of the story about this great marketing strategy.
December 20th, 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
Next Posts
Previous Posts
