There was a time when the word “eco-friendly” was synonymous with hippies and tree-huggers. Today, green is mainstream. People tote groceries home in canvas bags, hybrid cars cruise alongside gas-powered vehicles, and recycling is at an all-time high. Even the Oscars were earth-friendly this year.

Everyone wants to be green. More than just ethically the right thing to do, becoming eco-friendly can be good for your health and your business.

Light the Way

One of the easiest ways to be green is changing your light bulbs. The groovy-looking, spiral compact fluorescent light bulb, or CFL, is a type of fluorescent lamp that can replace an incandescent lamp and fit a multitude of light fixtures. The CFL gives off the same amount of light compared to regular light bulbs, but uses less power, has a longer life and saves greenhouse gases—an estimated 2,000 times its own weight. While CFLs cost more than your typical 100-watt bulb, the money you’ll save on your energy bill and in replacement costs more than makes up for it.

The Paper Trail

While you may not ever reach “paperless” status, there are a number of ways to cut back. First, make it a habit to print on both sides of the paper—that means double-sided contracts. There are also fax machines that do double-sided duty. Avoid color printing whenever possible, and purchase chlorine-free paper with a higher percentage of post-consumer recycled content. You may also consider switching to paper made from lighter stock such as bamboo, hemp, organic cotton or kenaf.

Also, take a look at where you can omit paper usage, such as posting employee info online or via e-mail. Collect e-mail addresses from your tenants so you can contact them via the computer rather than by mail. Review documents onscreen instead of printing them out.

Have a bin specially marked for recycled paper, even shredded sheets. This includes magazines, catalogs, newspaper and junk mail. Plus, recycling your toner and ink cartridges keeps metal, plastic and oil out of landfills.

Remodel, Rebuild

If you’re looking to remodel your facility or add on, consider using sustainable products. There are green products for nearly every inch of a building—low-VOC paint, low-flow toilets, CFL lighting, earth-friendly flooring and more. Reuse materials whenever possible; recycle what you can’t. If you need to replace furniture or computers, look for ones that use sustainable materials.

Landscaping Basics

Yes, plants are good for the environment. But if you’re constantly watering or using a lot of pesticides it defeats the purpose. Instead of row upon row of semi-annual blossoms, consider planting drought-tolerant native perennials. Not only will these plants require less maintenance, they can also be beauties, blooming at various times each year. To add a splash of color, plant annuals like petunias, daisies and snapdragons in decorative pots in the spring.

While grass is pretty, it needs major upkeep, so keep grass to a minimum. Instead, install rock landscapes, which can also be eye-catching when you use a variety of rock colors and styles. If a fountain feature is desired, explore self-contained systems that recycle the water.

Indoor Pollution

While outdoor pollution is often hyped, few consider indoor pollution—mold, dust, furniture, carpets, plant pollen and various chemicals. Proper ventilation is one way to quash these pollutants. Clean your filters and vents often, and keep air circulating in small, enclosed spaces, such as offices and hallways. If you have windows with screens, open them. Consider propping your door open during nice weather.

Cleaning is your other best defense against indoor pollution. Choose green products to cut back on these toxins because citrus and pine-based solvents can react with the ozone to create formaldehyde. Also, keep the use of pesticides to a minimum and away from any walking areas as they can attach to shoes and clothing.

The Hybrid Advantage

If records storage is part of your business, consider switching your pickup and delivery vehicle to a hybrid. There are a number of affordable hybrids on the market, from small compacts to SUVs. Hybrids combine a battery-powered electric motor, which takes some of the work off the combustion engine, with traditional gas power. Not only will you save big on today’s out-of-control gas prices, hybrids emit less greenhouse gases.

If you regularly use a golf cart, consider investing in a quality bicycle or even a bicycle cart—a bicycle that has built-in storage capacity—to carry general maintenance tools. Or switch to a golf cart that uses batteries instead of gas.

Seal the Deal

Heat and cooling often escape through cracks in the sealing around windows and doors. To repair cracked seals, use a high-quality sealant. There are also specialty sealants and coatings for rooftops. Check the Inside Self-Storage archives for more on this topic. In addition, include extra insulation whenever possible, and install energy-efficient windows. Also, look for tears in screens. Holes are easy access points for bugs.

Be a Computer Saver

Computers are a necessity in this industry, but they can also be energy-suckers. Make it a habit to keep them in tip-top shape with regular dusting and making any repairs in a timely manner. Another way to save is turning off computers and corresponding power strips when you’re done for the day. Give your computer a rest whenever possible by setting it to go to sleep automatically during short breaks. There are also a number of energy-saving computers, printers and monitors on the market today. When you do upgrade, be sure to recycle your old equipment. You may even get a tax deduction.

You are the security expert. Your fence, gate and cameras are in place. But your job has just begun. You don’t sell technology; you sell security, and that means an active visible manager and a low-tech, high-security barrier at your unit door.

When you formulate your security plan, put yourself in your renter’s shoes. Look at your facility from outside in. Are sight lines through the property open to expose illegal activity to passers-by and the police? Are your gate-access codes assigned or do they at least require letters and numbers to make them difficult to guess? Do you require an access and exit log-in to keep a record of how long each person is on the site?

Jim DelSordo of Automated Security Corp. consults and installs electronic security systems, gates, access control, cameras and door alarms. He points out that the higher the level of security you can demonstrate to prospective tenants, the easier it will be to rent units and attract better-quality customers.

John Fogg of Sentinel Systems Corp. markets a comprehensive access-control and property-management system. He acknowledges that you can make a considerable investment in technology; but when you make that investment, you must broadcast and demonstrate it to your prospects.

When Fogg was a sales rep for a facility, he often “forgot” to disable the door alarm when showing a unit, allowing him to give the potential renter a demonstration when he opened the door. Let them experience your security. A commercial customer or private customer with quality goods to store will pay a premium for security features, and these same features may deter a thief.

But don’t be too dazzled by all the high-tech security bells and whistles. DelSordo sells high-tech, but he points out that it is also critical to have a lock program. High-tech may get a prospect in the gate, but you have to sell him right down to the door, your last line of defense. Don’t neglect the low-tech final step—high-quality, high-security door locks.

Think of security as a chain. Your system is only as strong as its weakest link. In your security program, protect your facility at every entry point and, in your sales presentation, highlight each link, from curb to door.

Jim Chiswell of Chiswell & Associates LLC, has consulted on hundreds of self-storage startups in the last 20 years. When it comes to security, he reminds us that numbers and technology can dazzle people—both customers and operators. You can have access control and a dozen cameras, but it’s the total security program that protects your site, and it is the manager whose diligence in observing the site and making lock checks who deters the criminal.

Equally important, it is your trained manager who demonstrates and sells your security features. Let the information your manager provides separate you from the competition. You are the security expert.

Stop Them at the Door

Many thieves get into facilities by renting a small unit. Your site could rely on a camera to record activity at your site, but it does not prevent a break-in. Alarms can sound, but they still leave a window for a thief, and they can be disabled.

A mass-market, hardware-store lock will not stop a bolt cutter, and neither will a mass-market disk lock if a thief takes a bolt cutter to a slide bolt, which more of them are doing.

When you invest in technology, match that investment with a cylinder lock that inserts right in the door. For a few dollars a door, using more than a conventional lock, you can demonstrate to your renter that your facility provides stronger security than the competition. Use a sample lock and latch system on your counter to demonstrate how your door security surpasses the competition.

This interactive sales approach may require your manager to be less of a landscaper and more of a sales representative. The choice is yours. In a competitive market, with more women renting, and crime and safety more of an issue, can you expect to succeed with a passive approach to security?

Bill Green of Double J Court Self Storage in Wickenburg, Ariz., considers security to be a key component to separating him from his competition. He markets his security on the phone, in the Yellow Pages and on his website, and he continues marketing after he makes the sale as well.

According to Double J’s website, the company spent $10,000 on a new lock-and-latch system by L.A.I. The system, featuring a locking cylinder that is inserted into the door so the lock and latch are nearly flush-mounted, “will provide much higher security. It also means that you do not need to buy a lock.”

As Green says, “We want an informed customer.” He wants his customers to feel secure, and to remind their neighbors that security, more than convenience or even price, is the reason to choose a self-storage facility.

Another security-focused operator, Norm Kotoch of Highland Heights, Ohio, broadcasts his message in the facility name: Security Self Storage. Kotoch is an attorney aware of the danger of promising security if he can't deliver it. He lists the security features of his five facilities: access-controlled gates, cameras, door alarms, and the same type of high-security cylinder lock system Green builds his security and message around. As Kotoch’s website says, “We constantly strive to offer state-of-the-art features like our individual door alarms, 24-hour DVR surveillance and recessed cylinder locks.”

Like Green, Kotoch considers his site managers “sales managers” whose job is to sell features. They broadcast security to attract the right customers and deter the dangerous ones.

To ensure the highest level of security and to meet the concerns of local fire and police, Kotoch installed high-security, master-keyed systems in three of his facilities. As an attorney, he is aware of liability concerns, but as a business operator, he knows how to deal with those concerns. Access to the master key is limited to management. Every renter is made aware of the master-key system, and signs an acknowledgement waiver along with the rental application. Knowing that the facility provides fast, safe access to fire, environmental and law enforcement personnel attracts and reassures commercial and private customers.

Kotoch and Green have rented to thousands of customers in the last 10 years, and Kotoch reports only one prospect declined to rent after hearing about the system. Kotoch was happy to see him leave.

Presented properly, security sells and repels. It sells the customers you want, the commercial accounts and private renters who value their goods and property; it repels the ones you don’t want, the crooks who want to set up shop in a low-cost, low-security facility where the renter with the cheap lock is the “security expert.” In a competitive rental market, you get the edge when you market your security features, not your price.

Rich Morahan is a marketing consultant for Lock America International. He frequently writes and conducts seminars on self-storage marketing and security. To reach him, call 617.240.0372; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.laigroup.com.

Buchanan Street Partners, a national real estate investment manager and advisor, raised $150,000 for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation during its second annual “Encore for Education” charity concert, held June 12 at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. The fundraiser featured an exclusive performance by Crosby, Stills & Nash, and a guitar signed by the band was auctioned off for $10,500. All proceeds will benefit music programs at five schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District and provide more than 3,000 children with musical instruments.

Attended by more than 1,000 real estate professionals, the event was sponsored by Arden Realty, Bixby Land Co., Buchanan Street Partners and The TCW Group. Each sponsor received an additional guitar signed by the band.

CSN plays at at fundraising concert hosted by
Buchanan Children's Charities.
 
The concert was hosted by Buchanan Children’s Charities, the company’s 501(c)(3) charity launched in 2007. The organization was created to increase funding for local aid organizations and improve educational opportunities for kids. In addition to Encore for Education, the group hosts Challenge for Children, an annual beach-sports competition benefiting several causes. This year’s event will take place on Sept. 12.
 
Last year’s charity concert raised $100,000 and featured a performance by The Goo Goo Dolls. Proceeds funded L.A. music programs including those of the 32nd Street/USC Magnet School for the Visual & Performing Arts, Hooper Elementary School and the Balboa Gifted/High Achieving Magnet.
 
Buchanan Street Partners, a subsidiary of The TCW Group, is headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif., with offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The company manages equity funds on behalf of institutional and private investors, including those for self-storage. For more information, visit www.buchananstreet.com.

Internet marketing is quickly becoming a major part of all self-storage operations. And rightly so: Hundreds of thousands of potential renters use the Internet each month to find storage. The storage industry is not the only industry where the Internet plays a huge role. Almost any industry today must consider the Internet as an essential source of new business. In just a few years, we’ll probably be considering it our main source of new business.

Did you know that Internet marketing is available for a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing? In addition, the Internet allows you to display a plethora of information to potential renters, such as pictures, maps, unit sizes, prices and specials. In fact, you can even give customers the ability to rent instantly if you make this feature available on your website.

Internet marketing is flexible, meaning you can quickly and easily change your ads throughout the year. And arguably the best aspect of Internet marketing is that traffic, consumer patterns and behaviors, and the actions people take can all be tracked and monitored, making it easy for you to evaluate its effectiveness.

Internet Lingo

Because this topic is still likely new to some of you in the industry, I wanted to share common terminology of Internet marketing:

URL—the website address you type into your browser to go to a webpage.

Search Engine—I’ll just say Google. Google is the most widely used search engine. Some other popular search engines include Yahoo, AOL and MSN.

SEO—Search-engine-optimization. This process helps your website move higher and higher in the search-engine rankings when people type in specific words or phrases. The websites you see on the first page when you search for something are well optimized and are receiving most of the traffic.

PPC—Pay per click. This is a form of Internet advertising (and a major source of Google’s revenue) that allows you to only pay when people click on your ad and are taken to your website.

CTR—Click thru rate. This is the percentage of people who click on your ad out of all those who see it. The higher this percentage, the better.

CPC—Cost per click. This is how much you pay each time somebody clicks on your ad. In the self-storage industry it’s usually between $1.50 and $3.

Impressions—the number of times your ad was seen by a searcher on a search engine.

Conversion Rate—the number of actual renters out of all your inquiries. You want this number to be high as well.

CPA—Cost per acquisition. This is how much it costs you to acquire a new customer.

ROI—return on investment. The ratio of money gained or lost on an investment. In terms of marketing it is how much profit you’re making for each marketing dollar you spend.

Attracting Tenants

Your goal for Internet marketing should involve capturing as many tenants as possible through the Internet at the lowest possible cost (the CPA). Because the Internet allows you to display so much information to potential renters, oftentimes these potential renters come to you already knowing where you’re located, your office hours, unit sizes and specials, and therefore, are ready to rent a unit.

People using the Internet will contact you in one of four ways:

• Call. Many people use the Internet as a research tool and then proceed to pick up the phone to call.
• Walk in. Also, many people, after researching you on the Internet, will choose to visit your facility.
• E-mail. Many types of Internet marketing allow customers to contact you via e-mail, either through a form or standard e-mail.
• Rent online. If you give them this option through your website, many customers will take advantage of it.

Many owner/operators still think the Internet is a mysterious monster that will not be effective in local markets. In fact the Internet is a very effective advertising medium that will generate a nice flow of new tenants if you use it correctly. In a recent study, the Kelsey Group found that more than 43 percent of consumers search the Internet to find a local product or service.

Grabbing Web Hits

Let’s talk about your website. Many of you probably already have one. That is typically the first step most owners take when starting to advertise online. One of the most important things to remember about your website is that you must attract people to it in order to gain monetary value.

Eighty percent of Internet users start at a search engine. If your website is not found on the search engines (specifically on the first or second page) you will be missing out on 80 percent of these potential renters. You can have the coolest, flashiest and most expensive website on the Internet but if you don’t have people visiting and taking action to rent from you, it won’t result in any new tenants.

There are three basic methods to ensure your website appears on the search engines:

Pay-per-click advertising (PPC). If you use Google, MSN or Yahoo to do a search, these ads are along the right side of the results page and sometimes found on top. They’re usually labeled “Sponsored Links.” These campaigns are fairly quick to set up and results can be instant. Expect to pay $1.⁵⁰ to $5 per click (every time some-body clicks on your ad to go to your website). This can get very expensive if you don’t know what you’re doing; however, if done right it can prove to be a very cost-effective way to gain new tenants. If you’re going to attempt a PPC campaign by yourself, I highly recommend you read The Ultimate Guide to GoogleAdWords by Perry Marshall.

Organic/natural search-engine optimization (SEO). These are the non-PPC results you see when you do a search. The main difference between this and PPC is that you do not pay per click. Getting your website ranked organically usually takes more time and expertise, but once you establish this ranking, the traffic is usually heavier and less expensive.

I recommend discussing an organic SEO campaign with your Web programmer to see if he can help you. Be cautious when proceeding with an organic campaign in this industry. First-page rankings are very competitive and might not be achieved without time and a heavy investment. Also, beware of any SEO companies that promise or guarantee first-page rankings. When talking about SEO, no one can guarantee rankings of any sort. If they make this guarantee, they are generally trying to trick you to get your business.

Online directories. If you’re not currently advertising online, a directory is the fastest way to get started without any SEO or PPC knowledge. There are a few good online directories out there for the storage industry. Shop carefully and ask a lot of questions. The most important thing to ask is how the company qualifies the potential customers it sends your way. You want to be sure the directory is able to send you quality prospects.

With the affordability of Internet marketing and the number of people using the Internet to find storage, I recommend you test all three of the above methods and see what drives traffic to your website.

Now that you know all about the basics of Internet marketing and the three most effective ways to bring users to your website, I encourage you to seriously evaluate how you advertise online. It’s very inexpensive and easy to track. Thousands of people use the Internet to search for storage each month. Can customers find your facility or are they renting with your more Internet-savvy competition?

Megan Eckert is the executive vice president of USStoragesearch.com, which helps more than 12,000 facilities nationwide increase occupancy through affordable Internet marketing. For complimentary Internet marketing tips, call 866.880.0742; visit www.usstoragesearch.com.

InStorage Real Estate Investment Trust, Canada’s only self-storage REIT, opened two new facilities, one in Vancouver, B.C., and the other in Collingwood, Ontario. The new centers, consisting of 83,000 and 50,000 square feet respectively, are the third and fourth new locations added by the company this year, raising its total holdings to 3.7 million square feet. The properties were developed in a joint venture with InScotia Developments LP and Talus Capital Corp., under which InStorage provides financing and manages the properties until purchasing them in 2011. For more information, visit www.instoragereit.ca.