Successfully running a self storage unit demands effective management of your marketing message; but things have undoubtedly changed in the marketing world. Drive-bys and phone book listings have been replaced by online and mobile searches. The good news is, the self storage business is booming; but with every drop of information at your fingertips on the web, grabbing your share of the pie can be difficult. It’s not just the self storage facility down the street or the one across town that’s your competition any more. You have an even bigger competitor on your hands: self storage aggregator sites.
What is an Aggregator Site?
From a digital technology standpoint, an aggregator is a web-based application that aggregates frequently updated information from a variety of sites for viewing in one central location. As applied to the self storage industry, an aggregator site provides customers with an ever evolving picture of unit availability, prices, and self storage companies across a wide swath of geographic territory.
For self storage facilities associated with an aggregator site, this higher profile translates into more customer interest, leads, and rental agreements. Although that association comes at a price, typically in the form of conversion fees, increased occupancy rates and sales numbers should yield a quick return on your investment.
Sparefoot.com vs. Publicstorage.com
These are probably two of the most well known storage aggregator sites. Public Storage built their first storage facility in 1972. In the more than four decades, they have grown into a respected S&P 500 company that demands respect throughout the industry.
With more than 2,200 company owned locations, equating to more than 142 million rentable square feet of available space, Public Storage has a dominant presence across the storage industry.
By comparison, Austin, Texas-based startup, Sparefoot.com, was founded in 2008 and describes themselves as the Hotel.com of the storage world. While Sparfoot.com neither owns nor operates any storage facilities of their own, they provide detailed updates about the current available storage conditions of the vast network of facilities that they are tapped into, which has made them the largest web-based supplier of real time information regarding prices and availability.
So What’s Exactly the Downside to Aggregators?
At first that pie seems enticing, but once you find out what it will cost you, it won’t be so appealing. What small self storage operators need to understand is the role aggregator sites play. Yes, they are partner sites. Yes, they raise your profile beyond billboards and bus benches and help you get found online. But they’ll also take a nice slice out of your facility’s potential for online growth. Your fortune is not likely to last.
Think of an aggregator as a frenemy to your small self storage operation. They’re not exactly your friend, but then they’re not really an enemy, either. There is value in having them on your side; yet it’s easy for them to control your online presence. They are fighting for the same search terms as you; they’re fighting to get to your customers first. Rather than letting self storage aggregators devour your piece of the pie, take the money you would normally invest in aggregators and put it toward your own online presence.
What Can You Do to Compete?
You have a story to share! Educate your customers with relevant, original blogs on storage tips and storage solutions. Engage with them on social media platforms. Doing this will help you build trust with people and help convert web visitors to leads to customers. Visitors will appreciate the fact they are renting from an actual facility and people rather than a faceless, digital database.
If you feel lost, contact a professional online marketing agency. They will be able to point you in the right direction and guide you. They can help you figure out your target clients, or your buyer insights/buyer personas as well as manage your website, content creation and mobile optimization.
Questions and Final Thoughts
What are you doing to raise your small self storage facility’s profile? What method are you using to clinch renters, increase occupancy rates and revenue?
