Self Storage Unit

Ah, it’s officially summer and this time of year for many represents fun, travel, outdoor grilling, relaxation, cruising aimlessly in drop-tops and two-wheelers, camping, hitting the beaches, and being miserably hot and muggy. USSelfStorageLocator.com is headquartered in sunny, sweltering South Florida. Some self storage tenants have summer-related items to take out, while others are considering acquiring a self storage unit. Prospective tenants—those are the individuals I want to address in this blog.

Some consider shopping for self storage a tired tedious task that’s useful only when absolutely needed; while others find it a relief of sorts. I want to make one primary point when looking for self storage. If you’re the type of person that prefers to shop-around before making a decision, and you really don’t know what size of self storage unit you need, but you know how much junk lovely items you have, visit at least one facility. Ask the manager or employee to physically show you a few units of various sizes. Then you can fully determine what size you need.

I implore you to resist the urge to call several facilities while not knowing what size will be most accommodating for your storage needs. Asking “How much space do I need” after explaining on the phone that you have a crush-velvet couch, an antique Iowa-built cupboard, an Elton John pinball machine, a case of Victorian-vases that you got for a great price from the flea-market in 1989, a 6-Flags Atlantic shag-rug, a Greenbay Packers helmet, and a boars head isn’t a good idea. Whoever answers the phone and gives you an answer, is simply guessing. You, on the other hand, generally have a good idea of what you really have.

Again, I suggest you visit at least one property, so you will have a visual idea of how much space is needed and what that particular size is. Otherwise the person that answers the phone can assume from what you described, you need more space than you actually need, and then you overpay. Or you can be told the opposite—which you don’t realize the unit is too small until you’ve unloaded ¾ of your precious trinkets, and the rest obviously isn’t going to fit.

Here’s the scene that happens next. You will return to the storage office explaining that he or she advised you to get the wrong size. Then you’ll need to get another unit (larger or smaller); pay the difference for a larger unit, receive a credit, or get a refund; remove and place those same items in another unit (if the necessary size is available at that same facility), and sign lease/contracts all over again. How many people actually look forward to doing double the work, especially when it could have been prevented?

So all you first-time and past renters, who have chosen this summer to get a storage unit, do yourself a big favor and know what size you need before choosing a facility and unit. I understand that the nearest facility isn’t always close in some areas; and the one trip you take to self storage facility, is the one you want to make when dropping off your belongings. That’s not a problem. Visit usselfstoragelocator.com and use our search tool with visual unit size illustrations to give you an idea of how much space you might require. This feature will alleviate guessing and get you into the correct unit for your storage needs.

Self Storage Aggregators

Online marketing strategies which are available to self storage companies are vast and increase seemingly on a daily basis. One of the most cost-effective and successful online marketing options for self storage facilities is the use of self storage aggregators. These aggregators offer various features which are tailored to maximizing the visibility of self storage facilities online. The top five marketing tools available in online self storage aggregators are:

1. Lead Generator/Tracking

   Self storage aggregators generate leads with only one purpose in mind, to fill your vacant storage units. Aggressively seeking new customers and presenting your storage facilities’ unique strengths is vital. This marketing option proves to be very economical as self storage aggregator fees and pricing are much less than traditional television and radio advertising, yellow pages, billboards/bus benches, etc. With the increase of Internet use and online searches for consumer products and services, online business directories and aggregators that offer valuable information like product details and customer reviews have become essential to the decision-making process. For example, printing and distributing flyers would be difficult, if not impossible, to track and would have a higher overhead cost when compared to online lead generation services. Online self storage aggregators that offer lead generation and tracking are also cheaper than managing a full-blown website. The design and maintenance of a website which would serve the same function could cost a company thousands of dollars. By using online lead generation services instead, self storage facilities are able to expand their online presence, as self storage aggregators often market the businesses nationally, but most importantly in the self storage facility’s local area.

2. Online Unit Rentals

   With online rentals, potential customers can pay in advance for a storage unit instead of simply reserving it. It’s been proven that reservations do not have as high a conversion rate as online unit rentals, that’s why this feature alone offers considerable advantages for the self storage facility. Customers that rent a unit online are much more likely to convert to definite move-ins because they have made the commitment to pay in advance. This translates into increased revenue for the self storage facility which is always the main goal. Unit rentals can be made anytime - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Some self storage aggregators offer automatic inventory synchronization which allows you to keep your available units updated. This is especially helpful and lessens the time needed to update your facility’s inventory and profile. Aggregators also give you the ability to set custom specials that customers can choose when renting a unit from you online. Though renting units online is a fairly new concept, it is gaining a stable footing as more people start conducting business online.

3. Call Tracking/Recording

   When operating a business, you will want to ensure that your customers are treated in a professional and courteous manner. Customers often spread the news about bad customer service more than good customer service. Therefore, an unhappy customer can cause damage for the reputation of your company. This great marketing quality control tool is designed to ensure that customer service at your self storage facility runs as smoothly as possible. Some self storage aggregators offer call tracking/recording and issue a local or toll-free number. When customers make a call to inquire about your self storage facility’s services, the call is tracked and recorded. The recording is made available for review on the website. An email is then sent immediately after the conclusion of the call to the facility with the caller’s information and the recorded call. This can be used for quality assurance purposes and training employees about the proper way of answering calls and customer inquiries about your products. More importantly, management can use these recordings to evaluate and teach employees regarding leads that didn’t materialize into customers.

4. Enhanced Facility Profile

   When doing any form of business online, some customers wish to find out as much as possible about an organization or service before making a decision. If information about your self storage facility is not readily available online, customers might overlook your facility or get discouraged from doing business with you and will move on to the next storage facility listing which is able to provide what they are looking for clearly and concisely. With this feature, self storage facilities are able to provide a wealth of information to potential customers all in one place. It’s almost like having a virtual employee or interactive brochure available at the click of a mouse. Facilities are able to provide just about any form of information which would be relevant to the customer. The name, address, current specials, pictures, videos, amenities, and description will be prominently displayed. These are just a few of what can be listed. The self storage facility can customize this feature to suit the need. Some self storage aggregators will also show the location of the facility on a map which can be printed with directions. Inventory synchronization is a helpful part of the enhanced facility profile feature as it easily updates your facility profile and saves the time you would use to do it manually.

5. Email Notifications

   These notifications will provide you with information every time you get a new lead. This is useful to assist with following up on the leads in a timely manner. The customer’s email address, name, phone number, unit size needed, desired move-in date, and number of months interested in renting will be clearly outlined in the email. These are more reliable than voicemail messages as the customer might neglect to leave all the relevant information or the message may not be entirely clear. These notifications also keep the information in one place and since it is stored electronically. You don’t have to worry about losing the sticky note or message pad where you wrote the message. Instead, you can always just go back to it when it’s stored in your email.

These online marketing tools should be at the core of your self storage facility’s communication efforts. When utilized properly, they can help to increase the visibility of your self storage facility and boost online presence. This will in turn put your business several steps ahead of those which are either unwilling or unable to implement these valuable online marketing strategies. Remember, the more people that know about your business the greater the chance the numbers will increase of those willing and wanting to try your service or product.

The online marketing tools listed above are just a few of the features that are available on USSelfStorageLocator.com. Owners and operators of self storage facilities can contact us by visiting our website – http://usselfstoragelocator.com, in order to start a Free 30 Day Trial and take advantage of these invaluable marketing tools.

Florida Summer Beach

It’s that time of year again where you’ll break out your bikinis and shorts and put away all your winter gear and say a big hello to the sun. For the next three months, you can embrace beautiful weather and frolic at the beach to your heart’s content. As sure as you’ll need plenty of sunscreen, you’ll need self storage as well. Here are some self storage tips for summer that will get the not-so-fun things out of the way, and get you started with enjoying every minute of your summer:

• Put your out of season clothes away to make room for new ones.

  The most obvious items you will need to put away will be your bulky winter gear that you might have lapsed on storing during the spring or perhaps you live somewhere where spring was a little chilly this year. Whatever the case may be, stowing away those big winter boots and jackets will create much needed room for your bright and fun summer clothing. You can use airtight vacuum bags and place your winter clothing under your bed if space permits. You can even store them in your attic or basement since you won’t need them until autumn. If you have a big family and less than enough space, you can consider renting a small self storage unit to store your family’s extra clothing. Since you would just be storing clothing, you can take advantage of the availability and convenience that self storage facilities offer. If price may be an issue, enjoy additional savings by renting an upper-level unit if available. Many self storage facilities offer elevated units at lower rates than drive-up and ground-level units. Since clothing items are relatively light, it wouldn’t be a burden to transport between seasons.

• Store your winter equipment.

  Have an electric snow shovel or big external heater that you needed in the winter? You can free up space in your garage for your summer projects by putting these items in a storage unit for the summer. This way, you know they are kept clean and safe and away from the high temperature of summer which might cause them damage. Consider a climate-controlled unit for these items. Ensure that these items are cleaned thoroughly before storing them. They should be dry to avoid rust. You can store these items towards the back of your storage unit since you won’t need them again for a few months.

• College students can pack away items for next school term.

  Self storage is perfect for storing your belongings for summer. Whether you’ll be going home until Spring or just need some extra space in your already small dorm room or apartment while taking summer classes. You can store books, clothes, computers, and just about everything not needed until classes begin. Many storage facilities offer discounts for college students so be sure to inquire about them so you can save on that ramen noodles budget! Another helpful tip to consider is; you and a friend can rent a storage unit together to save even further. If the few items you have occupy less than half of the storage space, you can rent with another person and pay half the cost. Furthermore, if you only have a couple items to store, you can get even a few more friends to rent with which will cut your individual costs to almost nothing.

• Swap out your summer items with your winter gear in a unit you already rent.

  You can just swap out your items from your winter storage instead of renting an extra storage. You’ll save time and money and will have an opportunity to rearrange things a bit—putting the more important items that you will need to the top or front. You can do this at the beginning and end of every season instead of renting a new storage unit to store your extra seasonal items every time.

• Store your home improvement tools.

  Many people use summer as an opportunity to make renovations to their home. You’ll undoubtedly need to clear up space and move your belongings elsewhere while you work on your roof, lawn, garage or painting endeavors. Storing your items in a storage unit while you make your home improvements will ensure that they are kept out of the way and not damaged or tainted while you hammer and paint your way around your home.

• Use self storage to pack away your summer toys.

  You might be hesitant to buy that above ground swimming pool because you feel you won’t have anywhere to put it at the end of summer. Feel free to buy whatever you wish to enhance your summer experience and then rent a self storage unit at the end of summer to safely store them. You won’t have to worry about using additional space in your home or selling the items when summer is done.

Remember that you can take advantage of more general self storage tips on our site and be sure to employ these tips to have an even more incredible summer!