Inside Self-Storage is taking its popular Legal Learning education series on the road with its new Legal Learning Roadshow. Taught by industry attorney Jeffrey Greenberger, the full-day event will be an intensive exploration of the legal topics including lien sales, tenant bankruptcy and life changes, vehicle storage and much more. The first event will be Jan. 13 at the Chaparral Suites Hotel in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Taking place from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., the Roadshow will include a breakfast meet and greet with Greenberger, a buffet lunch, and several opportunities for Q&A. Registration also includes a workbook and series of sample forms attendees can directly reference in their self-storage operation, plus a lien-sale checklist template, sale rules, a release for sale participants, vehicle-storage lease clauses and more. Registration is $595.

ISS has arranged a special room rate of $135 per night at the Chaparral Suites Resort, good for the nights of Jan. 12 and 13. Reservations should be made by calling 800.494.3146 and requesting the VIRGO room block.

Scottsdale is considered one of Arizonas premier destinations, with an abundance of shopping, nightlife, events and festivals, golfing, spas, and outdoor recreation. Old Town Scottsdale features a mix of art galleries, local boutiques and dining options. Complete event details can be found at www.issroadshow.com.

Stor-Age, the largest operator of self-storage facilities in South Africa, has commenced development of a new self-storage facility in Centurion, South Africa, the fourth city in which the company is establishing its brand. The property has a corner location on Samrand Avenue and Rietspruit Road, with excellent visibility to commuters accessing the N1 highway. On completion, the two-story facility will have 8,500 square meters of storage space in more than 700 units.

Centurion is in the Gauteng Province of South Africa, between Pretoria and Midrand (Johannesburg). Formerly an independent municipality with its own town council, it is now part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.

"We've been planning our entrance into the Pretoria market since 2009. The development in Centurion sits firmly within our pre-defined strategy," said Gavin Lucas, CEO. "We looked extensively at acquisition opportunities, however, the reality is that there are no existing self-storage facilities in Pretoria that meet our quality and location standards. Pretoria is yet to see a great-quality self-storage product, delivered to the market in an outstanding location."

Stor-Age operates almost 20 self-storage facilities throughout South Africa, with a corporate office in Cape Town.

SpareFoot, an online self-storage marketplace and provider of Web-marketing tools, has launched a social-media contest seeking out the best self-storage marketing ideas, with a Kindle Fire tablet as the first-place prize. Facility operators are encouraged to submit their most creative marketing ideas through the Facebook page for SelfStorage.com, a SpareFoot partner.

The contest is deliberately open-ended to invite a wide range of marketing ideas or strategies that self-storage owners and managers could use to drive more tenants to their facilities. Operators are invited to contribute anything from a crazy concept theyre tossing around in the back of their minds, to a tried-and-true effort thats been successful in the past.

Entries are being accepted at facebook.com/SelfStorageInc through Nov. 28, when a jury of SpareFoot marketing experts will review all entries and select five finalists. On Dec. 1, the finalists will be announced and the viewing public asked to vote on a winner. Anyone may vote for any idea once during the voting period, which concludes Dec. 21.

The winner will be announced on Dec. 22. He or she will win a recently released Kindle Fire tablet.

The goal is to inspire storage operators to recognize social media as not only a consumer marketing channel, but also as an ideal platform for sharing ideas and learning from peers in the industry, said Rachel Greenfield, SpareFoot marketing analyst and contest coordinator.

Founded in 2008, SpareFoot.com lists more than 5,000 self-storage facilities in its nationwide directory, which allows consumers to find, compare and reserve self-storage units online. Through multiple websites including SpareFoot.com, SelfStorage.com, Apartments.com and many others, SpareFoot helps self-storage operators find new tenants through a pay-for-performance model. This Austin-based startup company is backed by Silverton Partners, FLOODGATE and Capital Factory.

Extra Space Storage in Lady Lake, Fla., is working with several local charities to raise money and collect donations.

The facility is serving as a drop-off for donations to Project S.O.S. (Support Our Soldiers) to collect baby wipes, medical equipment and other items for overseas military personnel. After hearing about soldiers struggle to keep their skin cool and from drying out, founder Gary Kadow began collecting containers of baby wipes. Soon other items were added including walkers, canes, electric wheelchairs and scooters, and other medical equipment.

Extra Space Storage of Lady Lake also hosted a craft and gift show Nov. 12 to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Lake and Sumter counties. The facility also collects household goods for Devereux Kids, an organization that assists families by offering furniture and other household goods.

Extra Space Storage in Lady Lake, Fla., will celebrate its grand opening Nov. 16, with free food, tours and giveaways. The facility, 520 County Road 466, has 607 storage units ranging in size from 25 to 300 square feet.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Extra Space Storage is a real estate investment trust that owns or operates 854 self-storage properties in 34 states and Washington, D.C. The company's properties comprise approximately 550,000 units and more than 60 million square feet of rentable storage space.

Pogoda Cos. and National Storage Centers joined forces to give back to the community this fall,  helping to raise more than $100,000 at two charity events. The companies are also teaming up with U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys For Tots Annual Holiday Toy Drive this holiday season by adding drop-off boxes at self-storage facilities.

The self-storage companies participated in The American Diabetes Association raise awareness and Stomp Out Diabetes during the 5th Annual Wine Tasting Benefit hosted at The Reserve at Big Rock Restaurant, near downtown Birmingham, Mich., on Nov. 3.

The event featured an evening of food, wines from around the world and an auction of gifts and prizes. Besides being one of the major sponsors, Pogoda Cos. and National Storage Centers donated a 10-foot-by-20-foot self-storage unit for the silent auction. Company owner Maurice Pogoda and his wife, Lori, served on the Stomp Out Planning committee.

In Ann Arbor, Mich., National Storage Centers helped raise awareness for yet another cause, the 2011 Take Steps for Crohns and Colitis Walk at Gallup Park on Oct. 22. The event featured music and a kids corral complete with crafts, face painting and prizes. There was also a Midway area, where sponsors set up informational booths. National Storage Center of Ann Arbor on Jackson Road manned one of the booths and gave out free water bottles and candy to attendees.

Select self-storage facilities managed by Pogoda Cos. will serve as drop-off locations for the Toys For Tots holiday toy drive. The Toys For Tots Foundation has been in existence for 63 years, during which time Marines have distributed more than 400 million toys to more than 188 million needy children.

Extra Space Storage Inc., a self-storage real estate investment trust, purchased a self-storage facility in North Bergen, N.J., for $18.35 million, or about $196 per square foot.

Extra Space Storage had been managing the property for North Bergen Mini Storage LLC at the time of the sale. The facility, 7020 Kennedy Blvd., was built in 1970. The 93,664-square-foot building has 1,411 storage units, 1,303 of which are occupied. No brokers were involved in the sale.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Extra Space Storage is a real estate investment trust that owns or operates 854 self-storage properties in 34 states and Washington, D.C. The company's properties comprise approximately 550,000 units and more than 60 million square feet of rentable storage space.

By Dallas Dogger

Self-storage activity has been quiet in Australia, with occupancies in some cities stagnant, others in slight decline, and some micro-markets experiencing an increase in rentals. Local talk of the two-speed economy has some investors spooked, while theres another view that a number of markets were overbuilt in the 2005-2006 boom times.

While the mining industry is selling commodities for record prices, mainly to China, retail businesses report slow if stagnant growth, and new residential housing startsthe precursor of the drive for self-storageare at their lowest numbers in years. Local self-storage builders report little in the way of new construction, with some operators taking a consolidation approach to development, adding only new spaces needed in existing sites, and many reducing staff in the process.

A New Joint Venture

In September, Brisbane-based National Storage announced a new joint venture with global real estate investment management firm, Chicago-based Heitman. The joint venture acquired 20 freehold storage properties and businesses valued at more than AU$180 million. The transaction represents the single largest investment in the Australian storage industry.

The initial 20 acquisitions represent around 1 million square feet of storage space and 11,000 storage units. Nine properties were acquired from the APN Fund Management portfolio and another 11 were acquired from the Investec Property Opportunity Fund portfolio. The properties are located throughout Australia in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, Sunshine Coast and Sydney. National Storage will handle the facility operations under its current branding and operational structure.

Indicating that he sees good potential for future acquisitions, Andrew Catsoulis, managing director of National Storage, says the company will target existing facilities in capital cities in which the company operates. As the market leader in these areas, we will be looking to add critical mass to our current operating platform as well as add value to these existing operations. We currently operate 60 centers around Australia and believe a target of 100 centers under National Storage ownership within the next two to three years is an achievable number.

The joint venture with Heitman brings a partner with vision, confidence and global expertise in the storage industry that will help contribute value to our growing joint portfolio, Catsoulis adds.

National Storage was established in December 2000 following the merger of Stowaway Self-Storage, National Mini Storage and Premier Self-Storage. Today the company owns and operates 60 facilities throughout Australia and employs more than 150 staff across its network. National has completed a revitalization of its technology systems, implementing a centralized customer contact center, VOIP phones across all facilities and a transition to Web-based software, allowing full-scale Web integration.

Oversupply in Some Markets

Kennards Storage, another of Australias largest operators, saw signs of improvement in occupancy and rental price growth in 2010, but it proved to be short-lived. 2011 has been a flat year for the storage industry, says owner Sam Kennard. But its better than other industry sectors, such as housing and retail. We should not be too unhappy about flat!

Among the Kennards Australian portfolio, there remain pockets of strength that offset the weaker areas. In some areas, asking rental rates are even declining as result of the aggressive competition. However, markets such as the Gold Coast suffer oversupply, and it will take years to overcome this challenge.

For the past two years, Kennards has concentrated on expanding its existing self-storage facilities. The portfolio increased by approximately 2,000 new spaces and 90,000 square feet. Another 2,500 spaces are in the pipeline for the next 12 to 18 months.

In New Zealand, where Kennards has eight facilities, the industry has suffered a long period of recession or insipid economic growth since 2008. This has led to occupancies dropping dramatically in some locations. However, since May, Kennards facilities have seen broad-based growth in occupancy at all of its locations. This will feed into storage-price strengthening. Its nice to see this turning around now, Kennard says.

Online Marketing

For some operators, the gap between the big operators and the small mom-and-pop stores is widening. With the rise of the Internet, larger operators were quick to pick up on the demise of the Yellow Pages as a primary source of inquiry.

Since 2007, operators are receiving more customer inquires via the Internet, but some operators have yet to pick up on the trend. Now theyre finding out the hard way as calls have dropped off and theyve been left behind.

Lean Growth Ahead

In general, 2012 will likely be a year of continued lean growth as banks are still tight on lending, interest rates are still high, and investor confidence is still average despite the majority posting consistent incomes. The self-storage industry has weathered the global financial storm better than most, and theres an optimistic view that there will be pent-up demand when the economy improves. As real estate activity improves so does the fortune of self-storage operators.

Dallas Dogger is the CEO of Brisbane, Australia-based Centreforce IT, an installer of self-storage access-control, CCTV and door-alarm systems throughout Australasia. For more information, visit www.centreforceit.com.au .

By Dan Hobin

Smartphones are everywhere. Theyre replacing digital cameras and iPods, and offering turn-by-turn navigation so we never get lost. They present user reviews and ratings for every business in town. By 2013, mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common device used to access the Web. They're speeding up the way we live, the way we search for and gather information. As smartphones change the way we communicate, theres a growing need to connect with future clients through mobile.

In the past year, smartphone visits to self-storage websites went from 2 percent of total traffic to almost 10 percent, equal to 500 percent year-over-year growth. In the next year, they'll likely comprise 50 percent of total self-storage website traffic.

Web access through mobile devices is on the rise among key demographics. What is the risk of ignoring the shift to mobile? Of the 93 percent of U.S. adults who own a mobile phone, 27 percent use it to research products or services, and and that number is growing. Nine out of 10 18- to 29-year-olds own a cell phone, and 65 percent of them use it to access the Web. Forty-three percent of 30- to 49-year-olds use their cell phones to access the Web. In August 2011, Google CEO Eric Schmidt backed up his statement, Mobile is the future, when his company acquired Motorola mobility for $12.5 billion.

Mobile Users: Context and Intent

Understanding who the mobile user is and how hes using a mobile phone to connect with your business is the key to designing your mobile website. To capture this user, consider how his context changes between a desktop computer and a mobile device. It can be vastly different. A desktop user is typically sitting down at home or work and focused on reviewing information. In contrast, a mobile user is on the go and is usually multi-tasking, highly distracted and time-constrained.

In addition, think about user intent. Typically, desktop users are willing to absorb more content, while mobile users need to find critical information immediately, looking for quick answers. Desktop users are more likely to browse or explore than mobile users who are searching with a purpose.

The Mobile Website: Friendly vs. Optimized

Self-storage operators need to build a mobile website with customers' context and intent in mind, one that is mobile-optimized, not just mobile-friendly. A mobile-friendly website:

• Is viewable on a mobile device, but the viewer may have to scroll horizontally to see the compete site.
• Will lack click-to-call functionality.
• Has a design optimized for a larger screen and mouse navigation.
• Can be frustrating to mobile users.

In contrast, a mobile-optimized website:

• Factors in user context and user intent, using optimal design and functionality.
• Leads users to the information they want.
• Encourages action.
• Recognizes the device being used to access the site and adjusts layout and functionality accordingly. It even recognizes and accounts for device orientation, switching to the appropriate layout when the device is flipped.

Important Design Elements

The best way to ensure positive user experience on your mobile website is through responsive design, which allows you to host your desktop and mobile website on the same service and automatically reacts to user context. When the user visits your website, responsive-design programming detects the device type, serving up the appropriate website version. If the user is coming from a desktop or laptop, he will see the whole website. If he is coming from a smartphone, he will see the mobile version.

There are a few other design elements that are important to consider when building a mobile website. Ensure consistency by carrying over colors, fonts, logos and other branding elements from your standard website. Cut as much content as possible and keep it simple. The words you choose should be keywords relevant to your business such as self-storage. A searcher should be able to find what he needs immediately.

In the case of self-storage, a user is probably looking for a phone number for the location nearest to him. Other important content elements that should appear on the main screen or within one click include name, logo, address, phone number, map, hours, unit sizes and a photo.

Your mobile website is a great source for lead capture, so its important to track and measure leads and conversions. Use simple forms on your mobile website to encourage website visitors to take action. A contact us form with an e-mail or phone-number field and text box gives searchers an easy way to request information. Offering real-time reservations with a call to Reserve your unit now  is another way to spur a visitor to action. A mobile website can help your storage business capture new tenants when and where theyre ready to convert.

Mobile Search: Get Found

Once you have a mobile-optimized website, how can you ensure potential customers find it? For a local-based business like self-storage, location is everything, and geo-targeting based on GPS is a great way to get the best results. Most of the people looking for self-storage on their phones will search for a facility nearby. The best mobile websites detect the users location and serve up the closest locations. This opportunity is available only on mobile devices, not desktops, due to GPS technology.

On-page search-engine optimization (SEO) will ensure mobile users are directed to your Web page. SEO includes paying attention to branding, keywords and website load speed. From the perspective of SEO and user experience, load speed is even more crucial to a mobile website since the user is often multi-tasking and may be impatient with a slow-loading page.

The maps section of Google, commonly referred to as Google Places, is gaining in popularity as a directory listing on mobile devices. Currently, 40 percent of users are accessing Google Places through a mobile device, and the percentage is on the rise. Its free to claim your listing, so populate it with as much information as possible including name, address, phone number, logo and photos that are consistent with your website.

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is another important tool for optimizing your mobile website for search. Since a smaller screen means less real estate for search-engine results, its important your paid ad appears as one of the top slots out of only about three that appear on a mobile screen.

For the past several years, a simple desktop website and a PPC advertising budget was enough for self-storage companies to attract business, but as more users access the Internet through mobile devices, its more important than ever to go mobile. Smartphone visits to self-storage websites are on the rise. A mobile website can help your properties be everywhere. The time to build your mobile website is now.

Dan Hobin is founder and CEO of G5, which provides Internet-marketing services including website design, online campaign management and local-search optimization. With more than 20 years of experience in building high-growth technology companies, Hobin is responsible for overseeing the companys overall strategic direction, planning and execution. For more information, call 541.306.3388; visit www.g5searchmarketing.com .

The new Extra Space Storage in Lady Lake, Fla., is celebrating its grand opening Nov. 16, with free food, tours and giveaways. All Occasion Events will also show attendees how to set a holiday table or decorate a tree for under $100. 

We want to throw a get to know us party for the neighbors, and by neighbors we mean everyone in the greater Lady Lake area, said Ken Speegle, divisional vice president of the new Extra Space Storage of Lady Lake. Were excited to be here and were looking forward to being an asset to the community by providing valuable services to customers and being good neighbors to all.

The facility, 520 County Road 466, has 607 storage units ranging in size from 25 to 300 square feet. The facility is accessible year-round and features 24-hour video surveillance.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Extra Space Storage Inc. is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust that owns or operates 854 self-storage properties in 34 states and Washington, D.C. The companys properties comprise approximately 570,000 units and more than 62 million square feet of rentable storage