In recent years, marketing has become more important than ever among self-storage facilities, which are having to compete fiercely for customer dollars. One of the liveliest areas of Self-Storage Talk is the Marketing forum, where SST users gather to discuss topics such as sales techniques, discounts, referrals, print vs. online advertising and social media.
In a forum like Marketing, posters share not only the ideas that have worked for them but also the ideas that haven't. In one such thread, A Marketing Mistake That I Made Was ..., users humbly admit to a few marketing endeavors that turned out to be wasted time and money. Among the failed ideas: value pack coupons in the mail, coupons left at local restaurants, and the Yellow Pages.
But, as often happens on SST, the thread subtly changes from one where users bemoan their bad ideas to where they're again sharing good ideas. User shaekirk, a facility manager, shared how she's found that free cloth tote bags (or grocery bags) are an effective form of branding. After all, everyone has to go grocery shopping, and most despise those plastic bags, so people will gladly use an alternative that's free and better for the environment. That idea has piqued the interest of user JamestownStorage#8, also a manager, who's looking for a place online to order the bags. Right away, someone is taking an idea from the forum and implementing it.
This is one small example of how the forum can provide ideas that make your business better. If you've picked up an idea from SST, put it into practice, and seen success from it, share your story on this thread.
Helpful ideas are everywhere on Self-Storage Talk. Start sharing yours today, if you're not already there.