With an industry that is expanding you would think that it would be easy to attract more than enough customers to keep your self storage facility in business. However, with more and more facilities sprouting up all around the nation it is no longer enough to count on walk in traffic and word of mouth. Success (let alone survival) requires that a facility get involved in some form of advertising.
The problem can be in figuring out just what kind of advertising you want to do. There are many different ways that a self storage facility can engage in advertising.
You can count on things like fliers and mailers to spread the word to a large number of people very easily. Costs are not too high and it is a very simple method in which to engage in. However, the problem with something like that is most people don’t look at all the mailers and fliers they get; they just throw them out. You might get lucky to gain a dozen customers after sending out a couple thousand fliers.
Television and radio spots are another way to go. They are definitely a way to get your message out to people. The problem with them is that they can be expensive and you never really know just how many people are actually viewing/hearing your commercial spot.
While figuring out the type of advertising you want is important it is not the most important issue. The trick is in creating something that will stick in the back of people’s minds so well that they will almost feel obligated to use your services.
A quarter of a century later people still talk about the famous Wendy’s ads with an old lady asking ‘Where’s the Beef?’ Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ has spawned all kinds of copycats. There is not a person in the world that has not asked the question ‘Got Milk?’
Memorable advertising in the self storage industry can be just as effective as these famous taglines. What you have to consider when in the creative phase is the audience that your ad is going to be reaching and how it will be reaching said audience.
A perfect example is a recent ad campaign that Manhattan Mini Storage has engaged in. Through April they will have subway ads with the following slogan:
“Why leave a city that has six professional sports teams, and the Mets?”
Some ad campaigns will of course work out in some locales and not in others.
Sources Used:
“Self-Storage Marketing in a Fierce Economy: Taking Campaigns to a Whole New Level.” Inside Self Storage; 08 December 2009.
“Effective Advertising.” Inside Self Storage; 01 January 2004.
“Company Knocks Mets in Subway Ads.” PlayerPress; 09 March 2011.