Top 5 things you should do (but typically don’t) to keep your self storage facility full

Most of the time, the ideas for my posts come from random moments of inspiration while waiting for something (be it the coffee machine or traffic lights), but today’s post actually comes from Thom – a client who suggested I tackle this one for him. So let’s dive right in and look at five ways to help keep your self storage facility (or any business, for that matter) full.

 

Check that your website can convert

For every $92 spent acquiring customers, only $1 is spent converting them (source). Statistics like this show precisely why it’s so important for your website to convert a prospect into something more.

If someone’s on your website, it’s because they’re hungry for information, answers and pricing – so it makes sense to give them the online tools they need to make a commitment while their buying intent is high.

Take a look at your website right now and check a few things for me;

  • Is your phone number visible on the front page, without having to scroll?
  • Is there an option to request a quote, make an enquiry, reserve a unit or move in online without having to scroll?
  • Does your website work properly on a mobile phone? If you have to pinch & zoom it simply to read or navigate, then the answer is no. Google says 61% of users are unlikely to return to a mobile site they had trouble accessing and 40% visit a competitor’s site instead.

If your website doesn’t meet all of the above, then it might be time to make some improvements or refresh your website (contact Storman for details). You should also look at implementing Storman Online Reservations  on your website, which will let your prospect commit right there and then.

 

Properly target those in nearby areas

Did you know that 72% of consumers who performed a local search then went on to visit a store within eight kilometres? (source). With location and website conversion playing such an important part of the buyer’s journey and decision making process, how do you target those from your catchment area without paying a fortune in Google ads for certain keywords? Easy: Use a different tool.

Facebook, for example, lets you target people right down to the suburb level, as well as by interest (ie. moving house, renovating, etc) – ensuring your money is spent wisely.

 

Find lookalike customers

I’ve posted on this topic previously, but in short, this allows you to find like-minded people by diverting advertising spend to the right type of customers (e.g. certain types of businesses) via the right channels – purely by looking at what already works for your business.

 

Get customers to do the selling for you

Do you have a refer-a-friend program in place at your business? People are 90% more likely to trust and buy from a brand recommended by a friend (source so this is a great way to drive business from your existing customer base.

Of course, word of mouth works both ways – if your business has issues, then people could be spreading negativity, so ensure you’re asking customers to provide feedback when they churn away.

 

Stop customers from leaving in the first place

Following on from the previous point, the best way to keep customer numbers high is to stop them from leaving in the first place. Keeping an existing customer is much, much cheaper than advertising for a new one.

Be sure to run an exit survey to find out why people are leaving; this will let you ascertain whether it’s due to normal churn, or due to something you can control – such as price, brand image, security perceptions, an undetected pest problem, etc.

Furthermore, it’s often a great idea to transition customers onto a set & forget automatic payment arrangement. Not only does this mean you can collect up to 96% of payments on time each month, but your arrears will be lower, you’ll spend less time chasing late payers and it means your storers won’t be ‘thinking’ about storage (and thus, re-evaluating their need for it) at least once a month come invoice time.

By using a regular auto payment (such as a direct debit from a credit card or bank account), it becomes a little less ‘fresh’ in their mind and they’re likely to keep that unit for longer.

Lastly, use the ‘Reason for Move Out’ field in Storman to track why they’re leaving. Storman’s Customer Analysis Report lets you drill down into this detail, too. Use this to discover trends and make improvements.

 

Summary

There you have it – five different ways to help keep your facility full. Can you think of any others? Leave me a comment below!

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