Self-storage providing industry is still in its nascent stages. This is because they are generally localised and restricted. As a result of this, there is an absence of branded names and the presence of too many companies in one location has given rise to intense competition in that area. Thus, in order to build a brand and rise above competition one needs to find ways to increase their sales volumes.
In order to achieve this, self-storage companies need to develop marketing strategies so that they able to establish and grow a database of loyal customers and maintain it. Marketing ideas is a great way to familiarise customers, both loyal and potential, with what they have to offer by way of services. In order to know more about self storage unit providers, Visit Here.
Some of the many different and effective ways of marketing a self-storage providing company are:
- Referral marketing: This is the most lucrative and result oriented method that this industry can adopt. This is because, referral marketing depends on word of mouth publicity, something which is greatly trusted by customers. One way to take advantage of this is to issue promotional referral letters to customers already working with these companies. These promotional letters should also mention the bonus or award that a customer would get when his referral ends up contacting the self-storage service provider. These bonuses and discounts act as motivational inputs thereby making referral marketing a huge success. Another way of referral marketing is to give corporate gifts, especially to customers who have been loyal, as a mark of a special event or to celebrate seasonal spirits. These tend to make customers feel special and they keep recommending the name of their storage unit provider thus ensuring word of mouth publicity. Thus gifts are also an effective yet inexpensive way of marketing the concept of self-storage units.
- Community marketing: In order to get positive results from community marketing, the self-storage provider needs to network with social and business groups like the police, the girl scouts, the local chamber of commerce etc. This gives them access to mailing lists relevant to that area which can be later used to email promotional offers, bonuses and contests to increase awareness among people. Another way of gaining entry into the minds of people staying in the locality is to gain free newspaper coverage by helping to organise social events like the annual drives, carnivals, organising donations etc. In fact inviting schools, social agencies or even the police to organise events such as car washes, bake sales or even slogan writing contests with social messages etc., can also spread awareness among the residents of the locality thereby promoting the name of the self-storage company and make small inroads to the creation of a brand.
- Packaging: Providing promotional packages is another good way of gaining visibility. Pitching promotional packages to offer moving assistance to people moving in and out of the locality, reaching out to dormitories especially at the end of high school year with an exciting offer package and move out boxes at rates which can be afforded by high school students etc., are good ways to market the company and also gain sales out of it.
- Signage and banner: These are tried and tested methods of marketing the facilities and services offered by a company. Hence banners with catchy taglines and dynamic and attractive signage have a way of staying in the minds of people thus making them recall the name of the company at times when they need. However, in order to ensure freshness and to maintain interest in the company, self-storage providers need to keep changing the banners at regular intervals. This also helps pique the interest of the people passing the area and ultimately makes them seek out the company concerned.
All of the above marketing ideas also help to get good reviews which again change the perception of people towards the self-storage unit provider. A positive feedback always incites trust which is a deciding factor when it comes to a choice between two or more companies. Thus because of the presence of these self-storage units in localised areas, this trust tilts the odds in their favour thereby resulting in a much bigger and loyal data base.