We’ve all heard of the principle “caveat emptor,” or “let the buyer beware.” It means the buyer is responsible for checking the quality and suitability of goods before making a purchase. Still, it amazes me how many self-storage buyers have more money than common sense when spending millions of dollars to purchase a facility. They get excited about an accepted contract and leave due diligence at the door.

Although you may want to trust all the facts provided to you by the seller, you need professional help when evaluating a potential asset so you’re not stuck with an expensive “ugly duckling” that’ll never grow into a swan. Statements and facts that aren’t verified through a review of the market and competition, physical plant, facility finances, and overall operation can result in an unhappy purchase. This article will cover a few points you and your team of qualified professionals can use to ensure that what’s presented on paper is accurate and your quest for information is fulfilled.

Your Team

First, you need to assemble your professional acquisition team. This should include:

• A real estate attorney and broker, both experienced in self-storage transactions
• A certified public accountant (CPA) or firm with extensive experience in real estate transactional accounting review
• A reputable construction company or engineer
• A qualified self-storage consulting or management company with due-diligence experience

An experienced self-storage attorney can help you avoid legal terms that often are inserted into the purchase contract to protect the seller rather than the buyer. The attorney and broker will also help you when requesting items that will be added to the contract. These include but are not limited to:

• Phase I environmental report
• ALTA (American Land Title Association) survey of property lines and easements
• Flood zones that affect the subject property
• Vacant land that could face challenges due to protected riparian zones or soil issues
• Fire inspection of extinguishers and suppression systems

One of the biggest and most important purchase factors is the Certificate of Occupancy (CO), which states the site complies with zoning and other city and county requirements. Not having a CO is a red flag that should be investigated. Although very rare, it can occur, especially in smaller towns. Also, what zoning area is the subject site located in, and could this affect future development or expansion, unit sizes, vehicle storage, or barriers to entry for future competitors? All these items can affect site performance.

Your professional acquisition team will cost money upfront but will offer you a better understanding of hidden or misrepresented issues in the market, physical plant, facility accounting and overall operation. Some items may even warrant a reduction in the sale price.

Market/Competition Review

All buyers should conduct an extensive due diligence of the local competition including curb appeal, occupancy, specials and rental rates. The research, done within a three- to five-mile radius, will allow you to see how the subject site truly stacks up against the competitors in the market.

It’s amazing what you can uncover by talking to managers at nearby facilities. In one purchase for which I conducted due diligence, a site that looked perfect had flooded every summer due to rain, according to a competitor. This important information led us to hire a restoration firm to evaluate the property, which revealed hidden damage that had been covered up. This fact alone led to a large reduction in the sale price as well as a solution for the property.

It’s also important to verify that rental rates and occupancy are accurate as listed in the sale package. Of course, there can be seasonal issues that affect these numbers. For example, if you’re buying a storage facility in a college town, you’ll see highs and lows around student renting, especially in the summer.

As part of your research, find out if competitors are full but have low rates and specials. Can you compete in the market based on local income demographics? If there are discrepancies in this information, it warrants additional investigation. There may be valid reasons, but you must understand how these facts could affect performance.

Physical-Plant Review

The physical site review is one of the most important evaluations when purchasing a self-storage facility. Your construction company or engineer will examine all the things you might overlook. For example, an uninformed buyer might not realize that unit slabs weren’t raised from the asphalt and flood at every rainfall.

Leaking roofs is another problem that can be expensive to fix. This needs to be uncovered prior to purchase. A roof inspection eliminates surprises, and if there’s a leak, a price reduction can often can be negotiated.

Here are a few other things a professional company can help you answer:

• Can the building handle a larger sign, or can one be placed based on zoning policies?
• Are the concrete or asphalt aisles in good shape or broken?
• Are the climate-controlled units up to code and have they been serviced?
• Are the unit doors hard to open? Is the manufacturer still in business for parts, or will the site need all new doors?

Finally, always hire a pest-control company to evaluate everything from rodent issues to termites in wood buildings or interiors.

As you can see, there are many physical aspects to a storage property that need to be checked. Remember, not all issues are deal-breakers but rather negotiating points.

Financial Review

The financial investigation is critical for the purchase. Often, the CPA finds non-disclosed issues that may affect business income. For example, if the review reveals dips in income when the site is highly occupied, why is this happening?

Always ask for two to three years of property tax returns. Request the same years in management summaries and occupancies. Perhaps the facility uses management software that can generate reports you can scrutinize for financial or operational issues.

Also, request copies of all contracts that affect site expenses. Does the stated purchase price, which is often based on net operating income for two to three years, reflect accurate expenses? Many buyers overlook utility costs, so look at those, especially on properties with climate control.

Another big expense item is real estate taxes, which can strangle cash flow. You need to know if the tax bill will increase and by how much. Have the site’s taxes been on a restrictive escalation due to law that will escalate greatly upon sale? Many sellers fail to appeal their real estate taxes and leave money on the table. Knowing this information will allow the CPA to accurately complete the due diligence and offer a more defined return on investment.

Operational Review

An experienced consulting or management company can summarize all the operational functions of a professional self-storage site and verify that all facility operations are normal or determine where they can be improved. Often, lending institutions won’t even make a loan without an experienced company advising on or running the site for a set period.

The company you hire will evaluate the systems related to marketing, collections and lien-sale compliance. It’ll complete a full site audit to make recommendations on curb appeal, security, lease clauses and more. It’ll also verify all tenants and ensure the required forms are completed correctly, thus avoiding legal issues down the road. Finally, an evaluation of the facility’s service contracts will determine if they’re truly necessary, what their terms are, and if money can be saved by cutting them or putting them out to bid.

Before you buy, you must be willing to invest in the due diligence necessary to make smart decisions on the path to self-storage ownership, or suffer the consequences. Paying fees upfront will help you avoid buying an ugly duckling, or at least be assured of growing it into a beautiful swan for a great financial outcome.

Andrew Kelly Jr. is principal of Sierra Self Storage Consulting LLC, which was founded in 2004 to help new and existing facility operators enhance their return on investment. The company offers facility brokerage, consulting for new development and due diligence, facility audits, owner and staff training, and property management. For more information, call 520.323.6169; visit www.sierraselfstorageconsulting.com. 

Doorage, a startup business specializing in valet self-storage, has launched service for the Chicago metropolitan market. The company uses an online platform that allows customers to schedule item pickup, maintain a visual catalog of stored belongings, and schedule delivery of items to their home.

While some valet-storage operators target residents who don’t have adequate home storage with a by-the-bin pricing model, Doorage determines each customer’s rental rate based on the exact amount of cubic feet used, according to the company website. It offers six pricing tiers ranging from $2.50 per cubic foot for up to 50 cubic feet of space to 35 cents per cubic foot for items requiring more than 801 cubic feet.

Doorage recently leased its first warehouse at 801 Chase Ave. in Elk Grove, Ill., from commercial real estate firm Westmount Realty Capital LLC, according to the source. The building comprises 21,627 square feet.

Customers aren’t allowed to visit the warehouse but can manage their belongings and schedule return deliveries through a photographic dashboard. Pickups and deliveries incur a $20 flat fee as long as Doorage workers spend less than 20 minutes at a residence. The cost for moving service beyond 20 minutes, is $45 per man per hour, according to the website.

The company intends to work with Westmount to lease other warehouse space in Greater Chicago and has plans to expand the brand nationwide within the next few years, the source reported.

Sources:
RE Journals, Brown Commercial Group Negotiates 21K SF Lease for Self-Storage Start-Up
Doorage, Website

Space Valet, a startup business specializing in traditional and valet self-storage services, has launched in Mumbai, India. The company uses an online platform that allows valet customers to schedule item pickup, maintain a visual catalog of stored belongings, and schedule delivery of items to their home or business. It also offers storage units with private access.

The company’s by-the-bin storage option is similar to that of other valet-storage operators. Customers can store individual bins in a secure warehouse for R299 each per month. Four sizes of private storage units are available ranging from 120 to 800 cubic feet. The smallest rents for R1,650 per month, while the largest fetches R11,000, according to the company website.

Valet customers can use the company’s mobile app to manage their belongings to schedule return deliveries and item pickup. It isn’t clear if the company charges for delivering items back to customer homes. Space Valet partners with a moving company as its transport fleet. Moving assistance is available for traditional self-storage customers.

The company was founded by cousins Ameya and Devak Davda. Both entrepreneurs were exposed to self-storage while studying abroad and believe the concept will be embraced by Mumbai residents who don’t have adequate home storage. The city’s population is about 18.5 million people.

"I was in California and Devak in London, and while we were there, we learned how popular self-storage is among people,” Ameya Davda told the source. “It's a 60-year-old concept and almost a $40 billion industry. People are always on the lookout for additional storage space, more so in Mumbai.”

Sources:
Mid-Day.com, New Start-Up in Mumbai Offers Private, Lockable and Secure Self-Storage Units
Space Valet, Website

Self-storage properties are constantly changing hands, and Inside Self-Storage is regularly notified of these market transactions. Many are covered in detail on the ISS website and available for viewing on the “Acquisitions and Buying” topics page. Following are additional acquisitions and sales that weren’t covered.

Affordable Self Storage in Princeton, Minn., was sold for $295,000 to a local operator. The 0.69-acre property at 31503 125 1/2 St. N.W. comprises 6,625 rentable square feet of storage space. The seller was represented in the transaction by Tom Flannigan of KW Commercial, who’s a broker affiliate for the Argus Self Storage Sales Network.

American Self Storage in Gainesville, Fla., was sold to a private investor. The 5.49-acre property at 3728 N. Main St. comprises 77,220 rentable square feet of storage space in 462 units. The seller was represented in the transaction by Ryan Clark, director of investment sales for Skyview Advisors.

Ammex Mini Storage in Houston was sold to an out-of-state investment firm. The facility at 7723 Long Point Road comprises 48,810 square feet of storage space in 353 units. It also contains an office and manager’s residence. The buyer and the seller were represented in the transaction by Dave Knobler, first vice president of investments, and Charles LeClaire, executive managing director of investments, for Marcus & Millichap (M&M).

Budget Self Storage in Lansing, Mich., was sold for $3.8 million to an out-of-state buyer. The property at 6140 Pleasant Grove Road comprises 48,350 rentable square feet of storage space in 396 units, with room for expansion. The seller, Logan I-96 Self Storage, was represented in the transaction by Mark Floria, an investment broker with Pogoda Cos.

Crown Point Self Storage in Crown Point, Ind., was sold to a real estate investment and management company. The 2.8-acre property at 700 Madison St. comprises 28,100 rentable square feet of storage space in 239 units. The seller, an owner-operator, was represented in the transaction by Jesse Luke, managing partner of EquiCap Commercial.

Cubbyhole Mini Storage in Hattiesburg, Miss., was sold to a local buyer for $265,000. The 1.4-acre property at 21 Rawls Springs Road comprises 11,350 rentable square feet of storage space in 83 units. It also has two buildings containing office space. The seller was represented in the transaction by Argus broker affiliates Bill Barnhill and Shannon Barnhill of Omega Properties Inc. They also assisted the buyer.

A CubeSmart facility in Missouri City, Texas, was sold to a Houston-based buyer. The property at 6400 Highway 6 comprises 54,400 square feet of storage space in 434 units, with room for expansion. The buyer and the seller, Yellowstone Investments LLC, were represented in the transaction by John Arnold, Bill Bellomy and Michael Johnson, brokers with Bellomy & Co. CubeSmart will continue to manage the property.

The seven-property Lisotta’s Self Storage portfolio in Southeast Texas was sold to a limited liability company (LLC). The properties are at 6045 College St. and 210 Interstate 10 S. in Beaumont, 110 Tenney St. in Bridge City, 6111 Gulfway Drive in Groves, 2214 Spurlock and 2839 Highway 69 N. in Nederland, and 603 Foreman Road in Orange. Together, they comprise 389,386 rentable square feet of storage space in 2,627 units. The seller, an individual/personal trust, was represented in the transaction by Knobler and LeClaire.

Mason Mini Storage in Mason, Mich., was sold for $3.27 million to an out-of-state buyer. The mixed-use property at 566 N. Cedar St. comprises 52,160 rentable square feet of storage space in 353 units. The seller, N. Cedar LLC, was represented in the transaction by Floria.

MidAmerica Self Storage in Edmond, Okla., was sold to Merit Hill Capital. The 4.5-acre property at 3900 S. Broadway comprises 68,427 rentable square feet of storage space in 613 units. It also contains 70 vehicle-parking spaces. The seller was represented in the transaction by Clark.

MoreSpace Mesa in Mesa, Ariz., was sold for $7.25 million to a partnership. The property at 4550 E. Southern Ave. comprises 57,475 rentable square feet of storage space in 722 units, with room for expansion. The buyer and the seller, a partnership, were represented in the transaction by Devin Beasley, Luke Elliot and Michael A. Mele, investment specialists with M&M.

Oak Cliff Bargain Storage in Dallas was sold to a private investor. The five-building facility at 3316 Hansboro Ave. comprises 38,800 square feet of storage space in 297 units. It also has a manager’s residence. The property was built in 1973 and last renovated in 2015. The buyer and the seller, a national storage operator headquartered in the Pacific Northwest, were represented in the transaction by Brandon Karr, first vice president of investments, and Danny Cunningham, senior associate, with M&M.

The two property S&J Self Storage portfolio in Jackson and Jerome, Mich., was sold to a local LLC. The properties at 2537 Shirley Drive and 11793 E. Chicago Road respectively comprise 45,420 square feet of storage space in 305 units. The buyer and the seller, also an LLC, were represented in the transaction by Tom Berlin and Zach Munce, investment specialists with M&M.

Space Shop Self Storage in Roswell, Ga., was sold for $19.4 million to a regional self-storage operator. Constructed in 1995, the 6-acre property at 1240 Alpharetta St. contains four buildings with 1,174 storage units. The buyer and the seller, Stein Investment Group, were represented in the transaction by Stacey Gorman, first vice president of investments for M&M.

Store-All America RV & Self-Storage in Buckeye, Ariz., was sold for $10.8 million to a California-based buyer. The 9.1-acre property at 24901 W. Yuma Road comprises 107,130 rentable square feet of storage space in 638 drive-up units and 240 outdoor parking spaces. The buyer and the seller, Storage American, were represented in the transaction by Denise Nunez, senior vice president of NAI Horizon.

The Storage Place in Danville, Va., was sold to a Roanoke, Va.-based buyer. The facility at 465 Mt. Cross Road contains nine buildings comprising 29,055 rentable square feet of storage space in 232 units. The local seller was represented in the transaction by Arnold, Bellomy, Johnson and Albert Muller, associate director of real estate firm Stan Johnson Co. The buyer was represented in the transaction by Anne Williams, first vice president of investments for M&M.

Tombstone RV & Mini Storage in Tombstone, Ariz., was sold for $585,000 to a Minnesota-based buyer. The 1-acre property at 66 S. 11th St. contains 338 ­­drive-up units. The buyer was represented by Jeff Gorden, vice president, and Kyle Topper, associate, for Eagle Commercial Realty Services. Both are also Argus broker affiliates.

A five-property self-storage portfolio in Atkinson and Kewanee, Ill., was sold for $1.27 million to a regional operator. The properties at 1313 W. 6th St., 817 Lake St., 604 N. Tremont St., 514 N. Spring St. and 1103 N. Main St. comprise 47,000 square feet of storage space in 300 units. The seller was represented in the transaction by David Coupe, senior advisor for SVN Commercial Realty.

Argus is a Denver-based network of real estate brokers who specialize in storage properties. Formed in 1994, the company has 36 broker affiliates covering nearly 40 markets.

With offices in Atlanta, Houston, and Austin, Texas, Bellomy & Co. focuses on the sale of self-storage, industrial, office and retail properties nationwide.

Headquartered in Saint Charles, Ill., EquiCap is a boutique brokerage firm specializing in the self-storage industry. Its primary focus is in the mid-west and mid-south markets.

Founded in 1971, M&M is a commercial-property investment firm with more than 1,500 investment professionals in offices throughout Canada and the United States.

A member of NAI Global, NAI Horizon is a managed network of independently owned commercial real estate brokerage firms. It assists corporations with negotiating leases, sales, business brokerage, investments, relocation, site selection and development.

Based in Farmington Hills, Mich., Pogoda is a self-storage operator with approximately 2 million square feet of self-storage space in Michigan and Ohio. The firm also provides brokerage, consulting, investment and management services to the self-storage industry through Pogoda Group Inc. and Pogoda Management Co.

SkyView is a boutique firm specializing in self-storage acquisition, development, facility expansion and renovation, refinancing, and sales. Based in Tampa, Fla., the firm also has offices in Cleveland and Milwaukee.

SVN has broker representation in more than 100 markets across the United States. Its team specializes in the marketing, sale and disposition of self-storage properties nationwide.

Sources:
AZ Big Media, NAI Horizon sells Buckeye storage facility for $10.755M
Commercial Property Executive, Atlanta-Area Storage Facility Sells for $19M
Commercial Property Executive, EquiCap Facilitates IN Self-Storage Asset
Commercial Property Executive, Marcus & Millichap Arranges Sale of Texas Facility
Rebusiness Online, Karr Self-Storage Arranges Sale of 297-Unit Facility in South Dallas
Rebusiness Online, LeClaire Group Brokers Sale of 2,627-Unit Self-Storage Portfolio in Southeast Texas
Rebusiness Online, Marcus & Millichap Arranges $19.4M Sale of Self-Storage Property in Metro Atlanta
Rebusiness Online, NAI Horizon Negotiates $10.8M Sale of Self-Storage Facility in Metro Phoenix
The Real Deal, Madison Development Picks Up Pair of East New York Dev Sites

The Self Storage Association of Italy, known in the local language as the Associazione Imprese Selfstorage Italiane (AISI), hosted a conference earlier this month in Florence. Held at the Starhotels Michelangelo, the May 14 event drew 36 industry professionals representing 20 Italian storage companies, according to a press release. It also included four sponsors and four speakers.

In his opening remarks, Cesare Carcano, association president and CEO of Casaforte Self Depositi, said the conference allowed the “opportunity to gather operators from all over Italy: from Trento to Naples, from Milan to Rome. This second AISI conference represents a great occasion to learn, understand and discover something new of the self-storage world.”

The education sessions covered a range of industry topics. Paolo Musajo of Generali Italia spoke on the importance of insurance, while attorneys Mauro Battistella and Sara Porta addressed the legal aspects of lease agreements. Simone Marzola, a business consultant and member of the Italian Trainers Association, spoke to attendees about mobile marketing. Luigi Di Genua, a retail-marketing expert, discussed ways operators can increase sales.

The conference’s main sponsor was Steel Storage Europe Ltd., a building manufacturer and subsidiary of Janus International Group LLC, a manufacturer of self-storage roll-up doors and building components. Other sponsors included PTI Security Systems, a provider of access-control products; software company Store-It; and Universal Storage Containers, a manufacturer of portable storage containers.

AISI represents and supports Italian self-storage operators and suppliers. Acting as the voice of the Italian storage industry, it aims to promote the best practices and facilitate the development of the sector.

Author Jay Bonansinga, best known for writing “The Walking Dead” novels based on the Robert Kirkman comic-book series, is working on a movie adaptation of his supernatural thriller “Self Storage.” Bonansinga, who was a featured guest earlier this month during a “Heroes & Villains Fan Fest” event in Nashville, Tenn., revealed the news during an interview.

“I will be working with one of my favorite actors, Lew Temple. I thought of Lew, and I knew he would crush this,” Bonansinga told the source. “He often plays villains, psychopaths, convicts and outsiders.”

No additional details about the project were reported.

Released in 2016, the “Self Storage” story revolves around Johnny Fitzgerald, a lonely, divorced graphic illustrator with a heroin habit. When Johnny accidentally gets trapped inside a deserted self-storage facility with his 6-year-old son, he is forced to face demons both real and imagined.

The hardcover version of the novel was the first entertainment-specific product added to the Inside Self-Storage Store, an e-commerce website specializing in research and education products for industry professionals. “Self Storage” is 213 pages and priced at $24.95.

Bonansinga has authored about two-dozen novels, including the “The Black Mariah,” “Lucid,” “The Sinking of the Eastland” and “Shattered.”

Source:
Fan Fest, 5 Minute Sit-Down with ‘The Walking Dead’ Novelist, Jay Bonansinga

Lok’nStore Group PLC, which operates 26 self-storage and two records-storage facilities in the United Kingdom, has submitted an application to build a new facility in Bournemouth, England. The property is on Castle Lane East, one of the busiest roads in the city, and officials fear the development could lead to more traffic congestion, according to the source.

The existing site is adjacent to a Tesco wholesale store, with entry via a roundabout on Deansleigh Road. The storage company has no plans to this, according to a statement from Forum Architecture, the firm representing Lok’nStore in the proposal. “The site is accessible by bicycle and by foot. Long-term cycle parking for people working at the building is located within the storage units,” the statement said.

Deansleigh Road provides the main access to Royal Bournemouth Hospital. It also leads to Bournemouth Crown & County Court, Village Hotel Bournemouth and RIAS, an insurance company.

“This deserves a proper public hearing, and I am going to insist that it goes before the planning board. I am not going to let it just go through,” said Mayor Lawrence Williams, who’s also the ward’s councilor.

The plans call for white cladding and glass on the building’s front, with the remainder in bright orange and silver, the source stated. A landscaping plan has also been prepared.

Traffic congestion on Castle Lane East is common. A recent closure of a roundabout on Tuckton Road greatly affected the hospital staff and patients, the source reported.

A hospital spokesperson stated it’ll work with the council to avoid a disruption in traffic flow, but doesn’t anticipate the storage facility will generate an increase in vehicles to the area.

Source:
Daily Echo, Plans for New Lok'nStore Between Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Tesco on Castle Lane

In the world of self-storage, we’re fortunate to offer a physical, tangible product as opposed to virtual or digital products like many companies of our time. And, our properties lend themselves to great photographs! I’m talking about pictures of the buildings themselves as well as the management office, sample units, moving truck, RV-parking spots, specialty units for wine storage and more.

That said, as someone who regularly audits self-storage websites, I’m always surprised that images are so incredibly underutilized. For example, I was recently touring the website of one local facility, and there were only three images in its online photo gallery. Two of them were stock photos and not even of the facility itself!

This article is about to change everything. Get ready to take your self-storage digital marketing to the next level with the savvy use of website images.

Types of Images

Before we dive into specific implementation strategies, let’s cover four main image styles that can—and should—be found throughout your self-storage website:

• Facility photos: If you must prioritize, these are the most important, as they illustrate the beauty of your property, inside and out. Typically taken by a professional photographer, they capture your buildings, office, units and any other features you’d like to highlight.
• Team photos: These are a little more personal, highlighting your staff. Remember, part of the value of a storage facility is the team behind it. Don’t be afraid to feature these photos on your website, especially your blog. Just make sure everyone signs a marketing release authorizing use of their likeness online.
• Custom graphics: Created by a graphic artist, these can be fun images that help define your brand persona. For example, at Smart Self Storage, I leverage hometown-style graphics portraying neighborhood scenes.
• Stock photos: Unfortunately, many storage websites rely exclusively on stock photos—generic pictures that can be purchased online. I listed this one last for a reason. While stock photos can help fill in important gaps, especially while you’re in the process of creating your own images, they should never be viewed as your primary strategy. They’re impersonal and generic, after all.

Invest in Your Photo Gallery

Now that we’ve covered the four basic image types, let’s look at how they can be used on your website. Your photo gallery is the most fundamental.

These days, consumers are very busy. The want and deserve to know exactly what they’re going to experience at your facility before visiting. That’s why it’s so important to feature a gallery on your website that includes many images of your property. Here are some tips for developing one:

• When possible, strive to include 30 photos, in a choreographed order, for each property.
• Hire a professional photographer to take photos from all the right angles.
• Make sure images are of the highest possible quality (resolution).
• Assign each image an “alt tag,” which is the HTML code that goes behind the scenes and clearly describes the image in the text. Such tags are helpful for search engines and consumers with slower Internet connections.

Feature a ‘Homepage Hero’

When your customers arrive on your homepage, what’s the first thing they see? It should be a huge image of your facility, the absolute best photo from your gallery! When creating and choosing your “homepage hero,” be mindful of the following:

• Do a thorough, deep clean of the property before any photography. Consider staging the facility with fresh flowers and plants.
• I prefer taking photos on a bright, sunny day.
• The image must be of the absolute highest quality and resolution. It’s going to be really big!
• Consider using photo-editing software to remove any distractions within the image, such as temporary signage about specials.

In marketing, it’s all about that first impression. As prospective customers reach your website, it’s your homepage hero that will drive it. Draw consumers in with an inviting scene.

Leverage Infographics to Tell a Story

In terms of image strategies, this one is a little more advanced and costly. That said, the best things in commercial real estate and marketing always require a little extra effort.

Have you ever experienced an infographic? I’m talking about those long, fun graphics that are full of stats and value. At my company, we’ve created two: “Self Storage Rental Guide” and “Top 10 Fun Things to Do in Roseville, Calif.,” which our newest location. Infographics like these accomplish many goals:

• They create a real persona—a brand—behind your company.
• They’re entertaining and engaging. Consumers have many choices when it comes to renting self-storage. Charm them with your unique brand!
• They help consumers find your facility.

In the world of marketing, images have so much value. They show up in search engines and social media networks. They even get shared via e-mail! The infographic can truly “go viral.” In fact, I consider infographics a pillar of my content-driven marketing strategy.

Want to create an infographic? It’s a four-step process:

• Sketch out exactly what you want on paper. If done correctly, this process should take several hours. Especially focus on marketing copy and storytelling.
• Find a marketing agency with expertise in graphic design. Communicate exactly what you want from your project.
• View your agency’s preliminary work early, and invest in several rounds of feedback so you can build the perfect infographic for your business.
• Once it’s complete, upload it the infographic in a prominent location on your website. I prefer the homepage, toward the bottom.

Incorporate Images Throughout Your Content

A website isn’t just an image gallery, a hero image and an infographic. It’s a web of valuable content including pricing information, addresses and directions, topically relevant blog posts, frequently asked questions, how-to guides, and more. Images always draw the eye and add value. As such, I look for any opportunities to leverage them throughout my entire website. Here are a few tips to spark your creativity:

Go through every single page of your website and identify where images exist and are needed. Come up with a strategy to add them to pages that look like a barren sea of text. Don’t forget those alt tags! (Knowing it’s impossible to have a custom photo or graphic for all pages, this is where stock photos can come in handy.)

Identify pillar pieces of content on your website (typically, these are pages that are linked directly from your homage) and over-invest in them. For example, I recently revamped our “self-storage tips” article. Not only did we completely rewrite it, we commissioned five custom graphics, knowing it’s one of the most prominent pieces on our website.

Do you have a blog? If not, create one. Blogs are great places to showcase images that might not make as much sense elsewhere. For example, do you have a fun team photo from your last 5K race? Why not share the story and photo on your blog? This creates a personal connection with your readers and prospective customers.

Your website is no longer a dot.com destination. Now, it’s a distributed platform, available via a variety of venues including social media profiles. As an extension of your website, your social media sites should consistently feature breathtaking images!

Start With Baby Steps

While all this may seem intimidating at first, especially if you haven’t incorporated many images on your website, don’t get overwhelmed. The beauty of digital marketing is it’s all about incremental progress.

Invest some time in your marketing plan. Break down the complex sea of opportunity into simple, easy steps. Focus on one new strategy at a time, and realize that your website is a living, evolving entity that’ll experience new updates on a regular (weekly or monthly) basis. Looking a few years out, take comfort in the fact that your website will be filled with incredible photos and graphics, those that truly reward you and your perspective customers.

Ian Lopuch is a business and marketing executive and a general manager with deep roots in technology. He’s also an investor with a lifelong obsession for cash-flow. As a partner at Carlo Development LLC, the company behind Smart Self Storage, Lopuch’s responsibilities span marketing and growth, commercial real estate development, technology, and executive leadership. He previously held leadership positions at some of Silicon Valley’s fastest growing startups. To reach him, call 650.241.9124; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.smartselfstorage.com. 

When most people think of a self-storage unit, they think of it as a place to store belongings. Why not broaden your customers’ horizons and showcase other uses for the product? These might include ideas your prospects never even considered but will soon wonder how they ever lived without. Let’s look at some fresh ideas for storing more than just furniture and carboard boxes.

Office Space

Think about and address the challenges your potential customers might face if they own a small business. The most common issue is often lack of space for inventory, files, etc., however, they may not be able afford their own premises. Rent on real estate could affect their ability to turn a profit. The idea is to market to this problem. Promote your self-storage units as:

• A safe place to store the overflow from a home office, especially items they don’t need regularly.
• An actual office space. This can help cut costs when starting a business, as it will reduce overhead. A storage unit would be cheaper than renting an office for one person.
• A secure location. Security is paramount to keep businesses safe and operational. With so much important inventory, equipment and paperwork that needs to be protected, it’s the perfect opportunity to showcase your facility’s security measures.

Self-storage units are a brilliant resource for sole traders, or small or medium enterprises. They offer extra space, low overhead, added security and unmatched flexibility. Seriously, what more could a business customer want?

Workshop or Studio

So many people these days have “side hustles.” One example is Etsy, an online creative marketplace where people sell unique and creative goods. If your customers work with a lot of physical product, it can easily overcrowd their apartment or garage, never mind all the distractions that come with working from home. When thinking about potential tenants, consider crafters. They might have endless deliveries of stock, both coming and going. They could use a storage unit to keep the inventory until it’s needed. Storage can also be used to prepare items for shipment.

You can also market your units as a relaxing space for a workshop or studio, away from home or a busy office space. If you offer amenities such as free Wi-Fi, a kitchen and restroom, share this. Again, mention your facility’s security, adequate lighting and operating hours.

Gym

Many consumers don’t like paying fees for a gym membership, or the madness of peak hours and the fight for machines. And most don’t have the room for all the equipment in their home, or even want it there. If you have a unit that’s air-conditioned, spacious and well-lit, sell it as a perfect place to set up a personal gym, one they can access whenever it suits them.

Hobbies and Interests

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. There are millions of people out there with hobbies and interests that just aren’t practical to do or keep in the home. Here are some messages you can pass on to potential customers:

• Wine collection: Need to keep your expensive collection secure and in a climate-controlled environment? We got ya.
• Band practice: Drums too loud to play at home? Not a problem here.
• Art gallery: Nowhere to display your eclectic art pieces? Set there up in a storage unit and gaze until your heart’s content.
• Gamer: Want your own space to avidly play? We have you covered.
• Bunker: Worried about the end of the world? Stash your supplies with us.

Not all these “outside the box” ideas will work at your facility. The point is to think beyond the storage of old clothes, furniture, tools and other typical items. Consider what your business can offer that’s unique and will solve customers’ problems. It’s time to offer your tenants more than just space!

Fraser Sutherland is the marketing director for Storage Vault, which operates three facilities in Glasgow and Paisley, Scotland. He has a varied background, having worked in many digital roles. For more information, visit www.storagevault.com.