Liberty Investment Properties Inc., which specializes in the development and operation of commercial real estate, has named Mark Poole as director of operations for self-storage. Poole has been with the company since 2012 and was promoted from his position as regional manager.

“Over his term, Mark has brought fresh perspective and enthusiasm to operations, development and his management team,” company officials said in a press release. “Mark is an incredible asset for our organization, and we’re excited for his new role as we continue to develop our operations in both self-storage and hospitality operations,” added Adam Mikkelson, president of Liberty.

Poole serves as chair of the Young Leaders Group within the national Self Storage Association and is president-elect of the Florida Self Storage Association, which he’ll lead next year.

“I’m honored to be a part of the incredible team here at Liberty,” Poole said. “The culture and atmosphere of our organization is focused on building long-term relationships, while allowing for innovation and creative thinking. It’s a privilege to serve alongside our seasoned team.”

Based in Orlando, Fla., Liberty focuses on income-producing assets and related equity and debt investments on behalf of individual and institutional investors. The company was founded by husband and wife Mike and Melissa Mikkelson, who built their first self-storage facility in 1988. It has diversified to offer a range of investment, asset-management and development ventures in the self-storage and hospitality industries.

Inside Self-Storage (ISS) and PTI Security Systems have released a new publication titled, “Self Storage 2.0: Leveraging Security, Access Control and Mobile Technology.” The free downloadable PDF examines how Pacific Highway Storage (PHS) in San Diego is incorporating industry technology into its operation to enhance facility security and the customer experience.

The study provides an overview of the new security products and services available to self-storage operators today, including keypads, door alarms, controllers and mobile apps. It also explores the challenges PHS faced during implementation, including a competitive market, and the role technology has played in the company’s success. Finally, it demonstrates how integrated security solutions can benefit any facility.

The PDF can be downloaded from the Whitepapers page of the ISS Resource Center. An earlier PTI case study focused on the company’s EasyCode mobile app can also be downloaded from the same location.

Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., PTI provides access-control and security solutions for the self-storage industry. To date, it has installed more than 30,000 systems in 30-plus countries.

For more than 26 years, ISS has provided informational resources for the self-storage industry. Its educational offerings include ISS magazine, the annual ISS World Expo, an extensive website, the ISS Store, and Self-Storage Talk, the industry’s largest online community.

Update 9/5/17 – Connecticut-based Westy Self Storage and online storage marketplace SpareFoot have also announced programs to assist victims of Hurricane Harvey.

All Westy storage facilities have been designated as drop-off locations for baby products, cleaning supplies, non-perishable food items and personal-hygiene products. The company will provide temporary storage for donated items and deliver them to Feeding America, a nonprofit network of more than 200 food banks. The organization will then deliver collected products to the most affected areas in Texas, according to the source.

SpareFoot has offered to compensate Harvey sufferers for a full month of self-storage by issuing reimbursement gift cards from Amazon.com. Victims who reserve a storage unit through the SpareFoot.com website are eligible to receive the free gift. The company is also helping hurricane victims find offers for free self-storage move-ins through its online platform by highlighting those listings in green in user search results.

Founded in 1990, Westy Self Storage is headquartered in Stamford, Conn. The company's portfolio of 15 facilities spans the tri-state area of Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.

SpareFoot.com helps consumers find and reserve self-storage units, with comparison shopping tools that show real-time availability and exclusive deals. With a network of more than 12,000 storage facilities ranging from mom-and-pop operations to real estate investment trusts, the company reaches prospective storage renters though partnerships with brands including SelfStorage.com and Penske Truck Rental.

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8/31/17 – Lockaway Storage, Metro Storage LLC and U-Haul International Inc. are among the self-storage operators offering assistance to businesses and residents impacted by Hurricane Harvey. All three have designated facilities to provide at least 30 days of free self-storage, as well as other services, to those affected.

The storm has caused widespread flooding and damage throughout Southeast Texas, with some areas receiving more than 50 inches of rain. The weather system has dumped an estimated 24.5 trillion gallons of water across Louisiana and Texas, killing at least 31 people and causing thousands to evacuate. As many as 40,000 homes in the Houston area have been destroyed by floodwaters, with 32,000 residents registered in Texas shelters. In all, 325,000 people had registered for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency as of Thursday, according to ABC News.

On Monday, Lockaway officials announced the company would provide a free month of storage to Texas storm victims at any of its 29 facilities in the San Antonio metro area. The operator has also partnered with UNITS Moving and Portable Storage to provide free use of mobile-storage units.

“Our professional self-storage property managers are prepared to help [victims] figure out the proper size of storage unit to protect [their] belongings after the storm,” Lockaway officials said in a blog post on the company website.

Portable storage from UNITS is available for use as onsite storage and temporary office space, according to the blog. The company is catering to construction businesses that may need to use the containers onsite at properties undergoing repairs and renovations.

Metro Storage announced today that it will offer two months of free rent at six of its facilities in the Houston area. Four of the locations are within the city border, while the other facilities are in Kingwood and La Marque. None sustained damage during the storm, according to a press release.

"People that have damage and are beginning the recovery and cleanup process are looking for a safe, dry place to store their belongings," said Blair Nagel, CEO of Metro Storage. "We're fortunate to be in a position where we can offer assistance to residents in this time of need."

Prior to the Category 4 hurricane making landfall along the Gulf Coast, six U-Haul companies announced that 41 facilities across eight Texas cities would offer a month of free storage to those affected. The U-Haul Cos. of Corpus Christi, Gulf Coast Texas, East Houston, West Houston, San Antonio East and San Antonio West operate participating facilities in Corpus Christi, Houston, Kingwood, League City, Pasadena, San Antonio, Spring and Webster.

As Harvey was downgraded to a tropical storm but veered toward Louisiana earlier this week, weather forecasters predicted continued rainfall in parts of Kentucky, Louisiana and Texas to reach 3 to 6 inches by Friday, with some areas receiving up to 10 inches, according to “Business Insider.”

On Tuesday, the U-Haul Cos. of Northern Louisiana and Southern Louisiana announced 12 facilities in nine cities across the state would offer 30 days of free storage to residents impacted by the storm. Participating facilities are in Gretna, Harvey, Kenner, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Leesville, Marrero, New Orleans and Slidell.

In addition to providing self-storage, participating U-Haul facilities are also offering supplies to help with storm recovery, including boxes, tarps, propane and propane tanks. U-Haul is an official American Red Cross Disaster Responder, according to a press release.

Lockaway operates more than 40 self-storage properties in Texas, with locations in Boerne, Converse, Leon Valley, San Antonio, Schertz and Texarkana.

Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., Metro Storage operates the Metro Self Storage brand. The privately owned, fully integrated real estate specializes in the acquisition, development and management of self-storage facilities nationwide. It operates 130 locations in 13 states comprising more than 8.1 million square feet of storage space.

Established in 1945, U-Haul owns and manages more than 52 million square feet of storage space throughout North America.

The grand opening for Little Orchard Self Storage in San Jose, Calif., which was celebrated on Aug. 30, included the unveiling of a tribute to the city’s Vietnam War Veterans. The memorial at 1833 Little Orchard St. features a one-ton stone marker and a flagpole displaying the U.S. and POW/MIA flags, all intended to honor the 142 San Jose residents who lost their lives during the war, according to the source.

The storage facility was developed by business partners Bill Kenney and Chuck Toeniskoetter, who are both veterans. “We owe a debt to the men and women who valiantly served, and that debt can never be repaid,” said Kenney. “So, today, we honor them with this flagpole and flag, which we dedicate to their memory.”

The event was attended by Dennis Fernandez and Mike Salas of the San Jose Vietnam War Memorial Foundation and San Jose City Councilmember Tam Nguyen. “I am the living proof of their sacrifice because I was a refugee from Vietnam,” Nguyen said during the dedication. “I survived thanks to those sacrifices. Not only for my freedom, my life, my future here, and what I’m saying now is my deep gratitude for that sacrifice.”

The storage owners consider the tribute an extension of the Sons of San Jose Vietnam War Memorial, a monument in downtown San Jose that bears the names of resident veterans who died overseas, the source reported. The black-granite statue on West Santa Clara Street was paid for by private donations and is maintained by the foundation.

Kenney and Toeniskoetter also developed and own Cochrane Road Self Storage in Morgan Hill, Calif. Kenney, who is an attorney, is a managing general partner of All American Self Storage in San Mateo, Calif. Toeniskoetter is chairman of Toeniskoetter Development Inc. and Toeniskoetter Construction Inc.

Little Orchard Self Storage is locally owned and operated. It serves the communities of Campbell, Los Gatos, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga and Willow Glen, Calif.

Update 9/5/17 – In addition to its new facility in Millsboro, DEStorage.com also completed an expansion of its facility at 1685 S. State St. in Dover, Del. Completed last month, the addition includes two single-story, climate-controlled buildings comprising 22,000 square feet of storage space. The site also offers Penske truck rentals.

“We are extremely excited to have completed our climate-controlled expansion and continue accommodating the needs of our storage customers in the greater Dover area,” Winther said.

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8/30/17 – DEStorage.com recently opened a new self-storage facility in Millsboro, Del., its fifth location in the state. The property at 28862 Dupont Highway includes 14 storage buildings containing a variety of unit sizes as well as outdoor vehicle parking. Penske truck rentals will also be available.

"We are extremely excited to open our fifth location, in Millsboro, and serve the needs of our storage customers in the Delaware resort areas," said Krissy Winther, director of storage operations.

DEStorage.com operates five facilities in Dover, Milford, Millsboro, Rehoboth and Smyrna, Del. It’s a subsidiary of Investors Realty Inc., a property-management and real estate firm founded in 1974. In addition to self-storage, the company owns several residential and resort communities in Delaware.

Self-storage marketing has changed greatly during the last 10 years. Printing costs have increased, resulting in higher advertising rates. Social media has provided additional opportunities. Fewer people are reading printed magazines and newspapers, having switched to digital versions. Mobile-friendly ads are necessary for customers using smartphones. Increased media competition has provided more advertising channels.

When formulating your marketing budget, one trap to avoid is planning to get a specific dollar-for-dollar return. It isn’t wise to say, “Well, if I spend $300 on this magazine ad, then within two weeks I should have 2 percent of its subscribers rent a storage unit.” Advertising doesn’t work that way. Specific returns on investment are difficult to quantify.

If you ask people how they heard about your business, many may not be able to tell you. They may say they found you online, but where? On your website? Your Facebook page? On the local newspaper website where you purchased a digital ad? In many cases, it’s difficult to determine where a customer saw information about your business.

The Need for Smart Choices

Online advertising is now the dominant marketing medium for many U.S. businesses. Ad placements, search engine optimization, digital ads, mobile ads and social media are leading the advertising choices in the marketplace, while traditional media, such as print, radio and television, are declining.

Multiple small ads spread over time tend to be more effective than a one-time, large, expensive placement. Also, consider the ad’s shelf life. One recommendation is to run an ad every other day in a daily publication or every other week in a weekly publication. This refreshes the memory of the reader and requires less financial commitment. Many publications will offer a multi-ad discount to entice you to advertise more during the year. They may also offer a package that enables you to use a traditional ad in print and a digital ad online that links back to your website.

The goal for marketing and advertising is to create visibility and have potential tenants think of your property first, before researching online or looking elsewhere to find a unit. When large real estate investment trusts and other national self-storage companies are in a market, they’ll pour lots of money into online ads to ensure their brand name and facilities rank first in online searches. Most independent self-storage owners can’t compete against the marketing budgets of much larger operators, so marketing campaigns and advertising placements must be more selective.

Deciding Where and How Much to Spend

The more limited your marketing dollars, the more wisely they must be spent. Several factors can help determine where and how much to invest, for example:

• Is this a new property or an established one?
• Is it a highly competitive market, or is your facility the only one in town?
• What are the demographics in your area?
• Are there times of the year when you see more rentals than others?
• Which features at your facility are different or better than the competition?

In a highly competitive market or when promoting a brand-new property, advertising will be more important and require additional budget. For established properties or in markets with little competition, advertising can be reduced but should never be eliminated.

Some experts recommend budgeting a minimum of 2 percent of gross revenue, while others suggest at least 5 percent to grow your business. In highly competitive markets and industries, marketing budgets can creep up to 20 percent or more of gross revenue. The Small Business Administration recommends allotting 7 percent or 8 percent if sales are less than $5 million and gross profit after expenses is in the range of 10 percent to 12 percent.

Committing marketing dollars depends greatly on your revenue and business goals. Self-storage owners must determine if they want to grow or stay even in sales from year to year. The old adage “You have to spend money to make money” is true when it comes to marketing. Without a viable plan, potential customers may not know your business exists.

Knowing age demographics can also assist decision-making on where to spend your advertising money. In many cases, older prospects in their 50s, 60s or 70s will research storage in their area differently than those in their 20s, 30s or 40s. A younger demographic is more driven to make buying decisions after researching online. This group is also more likely to rent online and respond to social and digital media. Older prospects may research online but still also use the Yellow Pages and local print media, and get recommendations from peers before visiting the facility to see it for themselves.

The timing of an ad can also create interest. If your site is busy in the late spring and summer, marketing can help increase rentals during off-peak times. Run an ad in December or January that encourages the storage of holiday decorations. Promote the storage of outdoor sporting equipment such as boats, kayaks or camping gear during the fall or winter as a way for customers to free up garage space. These kinds of messages can help spur off-season rentals.

Carving a Community Niche

While a large national self-storage operator may not advertise in local publications or host community events, smaller operators can readily adapt to their markets and target their marketing dollars to reach local customers. The big chains are often focused on Internet advertising designed to drive customers to their websites, while local or regional operators can use their involvement with charitable and community causes to increase their market exposure. For example, collection drives for toys, canned food and school supplies can be effective ways to entice customers to visit your site.

When hosting events, let your customers and prospects know. Also, share information about any special offers and referral discounts available to them. This type of outreach should include dispersing fliers on community-interest boards and posting to social media pages and community-information pages. Consider writing a blog with content about your area, decorating and organizing tips, and helpful information about self-storage. Submit articles on storage to local newspapers or magazines.

Free = Good for Your Budget

Free promotional opportunities can be an important part of any marketing plan, especially if your budget is limited. Inexpensive options include meeting with apartment managers, business leaders, construction companies, realtors and other individuals who can refer customers to your facility. Offering a referral program can entice other business managers to send customers your way. For example, consider partnering with a local real estate office. Strike a bargain in which you send the business a gift card to a local restaurant for every referral it sends you.

Becoming the community expert on self-storage also provides free publicity. Creating social media pages on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms can help spread the word about your business for little to no cost.

Commit and Track

Marketing has many purposes. It helps create consumer interest in your product, increase occupancy and revenue, promote services to the community, and enable your facility to be top of mind when the need for self-storage arises.

You wouldn’t skip carrying insurance because you may never file a claim. By the same token, you shouldn’t avoid setting a marketing budget because it’s difficult to quantify the return. Track everything you can. If you run Internet ads for four months and then stop, do your Web inquiries decrease? Does your site receive fewer phone calls? If so, that would indicate the ads were providing exposure to potential customers. Did move-ins decline when they were expected to increase? If so, those ads were driving customers to your facility during the campaign. Without running the ads, you wouldn’t have seen a change in your business.

There are lots of opportunities to market and advertise your storage facility; the key is to determine the best path for your site. This is often discovered through trial and error, and sometimes a strong marketing representative can point you in the right direction.

Donna Edwards is a manager at Plantation Self Storage in Bluffton, S.C., which is operated by Southeast Management Co. She joined the company in 2013 and has more than 10 years of experience in property management. Her marketing experience includes setting budgets, designing yearly marketing plans, and creating and writing all types of advertising. For more information, call 843.815.8000; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.southeastmanagementcompany.com.

As the self-storage industry continues to grow and evolve, operators are constantly looking for new ways to stand out in their markets. If you’ve already tried adding retail space, RV storage or valet storage to your offerings but are still searching for a way to differentiate your business and attract new tenants, you might consider wine storage.

Wine storage can be a profitable addition to your service mix if you operate near a vineyard or are lucky enough to be in wine country. Don’t discount it as an option, though, if you live in Chicago instead of Napa Valley. While wine storage is typically more prevalent in vino-centric communities, you can still provide an untapped service to an underserved market. You’ll want to conduct research to determine if there’s sufficient demand in your area—affluent neighborhoods or those where homes lack basements are good indicators—and then consider the following.

Climate

If your storage facility already offers climate-controlled units, you might be tempted to think you’re all set to start courting the business of wine lovers. Well, not so fast.

Wine storage differs from typical climate control when it comes to temperature and humidity. In general, it requires a temperature of 55 degrees and humidity of about 65 percent, though certain wine varieties require higher or lower conditions. According to researchers at the University of California, Davis, the aging rate for wine doubles every 10 degrees, so bottles kept in a household (or storage unit) at 75 degrees will age four times faster than it’s supposed to. When it comes to humidity, anything above 70 percent will negatively affect labels and corks. Low humidity will actually dry out corks, which is why a typical air-cooled unit won’t be sufficient.

For these reasons, wine storage must be well-insulated and totally sealed. Build units with steel and concrete to prevent any excess air moisture. You must also install backup generators to negate the effects from power outages, since even a few hours above or below 55 degrees could spell disaster for a rare bottle of wine.

Unit Size

Tenants seeking wine storage will typically fall into two categories: commercial tenants and private collectors. You’ll want to build units in a variety of sizes to accommodate both. Small lockers should typically appeal to private collectors, while units as large as 10-by-10 feet should be considered for commercial tenants.

When planning units, think of the space in terms of how many cases of wine they can hold. A case of wine typically holds 12 bottles and is about 10-by-10-by-12 inches. These details are important for your marketing, since potential tenants will be more focused on a unit’s case capacity than its square footage. Consider visually representing this storage capacity on your website with photos or graphics.

Staff Training

You wouldn’t bring your truck to a mechanic who doesn’t know anything about cars, so why would someone store his wine collection with a facility that doesn’t know anything about wine? You don’t have to become a sommelier, but it helps to learn the basics. Read up on wine varietals, vineyards in your region and related topics. Communicate this information to your staff through training. Your goal should be to ensure that every member of your team can effectively explain the basics of wine storage to interested customers.

Marketing

Once you’ve added wine storage to your facility, it’s time to let the world know. Approach your marketing strategy for this market as you would for any other demographic.

First, incorporate wine-storage content into your digital presence. This means adding information about your wine-storage service to your website as well as advertising it on social media. If your facility has a blog, you may also want to push out wine-specific content. If you don’t have a blog, you can still share articles about wine and wine storage through your Facebook page.

Another way to create buzz around your service is to develop relationships with wine vendors, vineyards and liquor stores in your community. Introduce yourself to these business owners and ask if you can leave fliers or business cards with them.

Other Features

If you’ve ever added a little detail or obscure amenity to your facility and thought, “None of my tenants will notice or appreciate this,” then you’ve never catered to wine connoisseurs. With wine-storage users, the small details count. This positively impacts to your day-to-day operation in several ways.

For example, you may want to renew your focus on facility curb appeal. Flowers, updated signage and exceptionally clean grounds will all be appreciated. You may even want to replicate the look of a wine cellar in your wine-storage area or create a lounge for these tenants.

You’ll also want to focus strongly on security. These customers will pay close attention to things like individually alarmed units, hallway lighting and the placement of surveillance cameras.

You can also add wine-related items to your retail space, host tastings, accept shipments for commercial tenants and add a forklift to help customers move full pallets of product.

When considering wine storage, approach the decision the way a vintner approaches his wine: If you invest time and patience into the process, you can create something exceptional.

Krista Diamond is a staff writer for StorageFront, which allows customers to custom search and compare thousands of self-storage facilities. She’s a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and lives in Las Vegas. When she isn't writing about storage, she’s climbing mountains in the desert. For more information, visit www.storagefront.com.