By Derek Whitney
Finding new tactics to promote your self-storage business has never been easier. A fresh Google algorithm update and exciting new features offered by social media networks make it easy to market your facility without increasing your advertising budget. These highly effective tactics will get your message in front of more consumers.
Get More Free Traffic From Google This Year
If you create a blog for your website and answer questions in your blog posts, Google will send you free traffic. In 2013, Google released the Hummingbird update, which benefits business websites with content written for readers, not search engines. You don't have to worry about keywords in 2014, just write content that answers your customer's frequently asked questions.
For example, if your company receives phone calls from people wanting to know what size unit they would need to store the contents of a one-bedroom apartment, write a helpful blog post that answers this question. The people calling probably searched online first and couldn’t find the answer. If you respond to this question on your website, Google will reward you with high placement in its search-engine results.
The Hummingbird update will lower your pay-per-click advertising costs because you’ll see more traffic coming from organic search results. Post your articles on a blog page so each article will have its own URL for Google to index, and remember to include a strong call to action at the end of each.
Your self-storage business will get fewer phone calls when potential customers find the information they need online. This is especially important if you have a toll-free number and pay for each call you receive.
Social Media Promotion Tactics
You probably already use several social media networks to promote your business, but you may not get the exposure you deserve. Your self-storage facility should use them as modern versions of the Yellow Pages.
First, create a Facebook fan page for your business and use the description to include keywords consumers would use when searching for a local storage facility. Avid Facebook users (and there are millions of them) use the Facebook search provided by Bing as often as they use traditional search engines to find local businesses. Google also shows Facebook fan pages in its search results.
Next, create a Google+ account and get your storage facility on Google+ Local. Google will return your listing, including your location on a map, facility photos and reviews of your business, from Google+ users when people search for a local storage facility. Make sure you provide all the information requested when creating your listing so people searching for storage will see everything they need to decide that your business will solve their problem.
Lastly, open a YouTube account and publish videos featuring your business. Be creative! A video showing people how to pack a storage unit to make the most of the available space will get more views than a virtual tour.
Offer Solutions Instead of Advertisements
Self-storage is a solution to a problem. Promote the solution instead of your business. For example, online entrepreneurs, such as those who sell products on eBay or Amazon, often have homes packed with boxes that are getting in their way. Homeowners trying to sell their house may find it difficult to interest buyers if their home appears cluttered. These people may not realize how renting a storage unit will solve their problem until you point it out to them.
Write an article promoting a solution and place it on a custom tab for your Facebook fan page, or use the article as a post for your Google+ business page. Rewrite the article and create a resource box at the end urging readers to visit your website for more information. Submit the article to online article directories, trade publications, local newspapers and other media outlets that are eager for fresh content.
Go Mobile
If you promote your business on social media, where many users access their accounts from mobile devices, optimize your website for smartphones, tablets and laptops. Make sure that when people click on your link on your Google+ page or fan page, they don't have a problem navigating your website. If they have a hard time finding your phone number or can't see which size units are available, they’ll move on to your competitor.
Writing articles and managing multiple social media accounts is time-consuming, so delegate some of the work to an employee who has good communication skills and likes to spend time on Facebook and YouTube. Think outside the box when creating your 2014 marketing plan and people will remember your business when they need self-storage.
Derek Whitney is a blogger for Lackland Self Storage, which has locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He enjoys blogging about self-storage social media, search engine optimization and local search.
