Welcome to the second instalment of the Growing Self Storage series brought to you by Stora in partnership with Christel Friberg Land of Clover Four. In this article Christel offers her top 9 low cost marketing ideas that any self storage business can use.
As a marketer, I am always looking for creative and memorable ways to spread the word about storage. Here are 9 of my top tips for how to grow awareness and build your sales funnel on a tiny budget.
1. Customer Stories
Your self storage site is full of tenants with a story to tell! Expand your business reach by teaming up with your business customers. Make a short video on your smartphone, where they explain why and how your storage facility makes a difference to their business. Share it on your social media platforms and encourage them to do the same. By putting a link to their website in the video or in your post, and by tagging each other, it is a mutually beneficial awareness campaign.
2. Finding Movers Early On
Sign up for newsletters with your local estate agents to be notified when there is a new property for sale in your area. Then, find a creative, memorable way to make them aware you can help when it is time to move (for EU operators, make sure it's GDPR-compliant). You could drop off a special offer in the mailbox at the property or go a step further and include a fridge magnet or something else with retention value to make sure that you are at the top of their mind when it’s time to find storage for their move.
3. HR Departments
HR departments are always looking for ways to add value to the employees in their organizations. So why not contact HR departments in your area and give them an exclusive deal on storage that they can offer their team. The HR department will then put you on their intranet for employees to search, or promote you internally in other ways, without adding any cost to you. The only thing to be aware of is that this will only work if your offer is exclusive to the organization. That means you will need to get creative about all the different ways you can piece together a storage offering, so that each company you speak to get their very own exclusive offer.
4. Business Events
You have space, you have business customers, you have a local network. That means you have all the ingredients you need to run one-off or regular business events at your site. This will drive footfall to your facility and everyone who attends the event will know who you are and what you do. That means they will think of you when they need storage, be it now or in the future.
5. Planning Permission
If you can get access to the records of who has been granted planning and building permissions in your area, you can get in touch with a special offer or a giveaway that is memorable enough so that when they need storage as part of their building project, you will be top of mind.
6. Charities
Become a drop-off point for one or more charities in your area. By allocating a few of your storage units to local charities, you can bring footfall to your site. You could even go a step further and allow the charities who store with you to hold events or sales at your premises. For example, they might want to arrange a sale of secondhand furniture or clothes that could be held in your facility, driving awareness and footfall at the same time.
7. Business Startups
Find a local accountant or business advice organization that works with startups and strike a partnership with them. You can then offer local startups to come along to your site for a visit and an introductory chat. It allows you to get to know your local business community and build that relationship early on. It is also a chance for them to see your site and what you can offer.
8. Make the Most of Morning Traffic
If you are on a busy road, or close to a busy road, where traffic builds up, then this can be a great marketing opportunity. Lighten up the traffic jam for those in it by handing out coffees, chocolates or a piece of fruit whilst they wait for things to get moving. Include a business card, a pen or some other give-away so that people are more likely to remember who gave them that early morning surprise.
9. Referrals Galore
Encouraging your customers to refer friends and family to store with you is perhaps the most low-cost marketing idea of all! Besides generating the enquiry itself, referrals tend to convert at a higher rate than cold leads because there is more trust attached to your business right from the start. So, look at what you are doing to encourage referrals and see if you can do something more or something different. Keep in mind that referral schemes are at their most effective when both the referrer and the referee receive a bonus of some kind for doing it. Also, non-cash incentives tend to be more effective at generating referrals than cash-based incentives are.
Your Turn!
What creative, low-cost marketing ideas have you tried that work well for your business? Tell us about your experiences!
Read the Growing Self Storage series
- Part 1: Why Self Storage Marketing Is Like Peeling an Onion
- Part 2: 9 Low-Cost Marketing Ideas Any Self Storage Business Can Use
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Did you know you get FREE pre-opening mode with Stora?
Stora is helping the next generation of self storage businesses market and sell their services online. For startups we even include pre-opening mode so you can promote your services online before your facility is even open!
