Internet marketing is quickly becoming a major part of all
self storage operations. And rightly so; there are hundreds
of thousands of potential renters that 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.
You may or may not 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 like:
pictures, maps, unit sizes, prices, and specials. In fact,
you can even give customers the ability to rent instantly
(if this feature is 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 these people take
can all be tracked and monitored - making it easy for you
to evaluate its effectiveness.
Because this topic is still new to some of you in the
industry, I wanted to share the terms most commonly used
when talking about Internet marketing:
1. URL - the website address you type into your browser to
go to a webpage.
2. 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.
3. SEO - the acronym for 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 into a search engine. The websites you see on
the first page when you search for something are well
optimized and are receiving most of the traffic.
4. PPC - the acronym for 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.
5. CTR - the acronym for 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.
6. CPC - the acronym for Cost Per Click. This is how much
you pay each time somebody clicks on your ad. In the self
storage industry this is usually between $1.50 and $3.00.
7. Impressions - the number of times your ad was seen by a
searcher on a search engine.
8. Conversion Rate - the number of actual renters out of
all your inquiries. You want this number to be high as
well.
9. CPA - the acronym for Cost Per Acquisition. This is how
much it costs you to acquire a new customer.
10. ROI - the acronym for Return on Investment. This is 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.
Your goal for Internet marketing should involve capturing
as many tenants as possible through the Internet at the
lowest possible cost (lowest CPA). Because the Internet
allows you to display so much information to potential
renters, often times 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:
1. Call. Many people use the Internet as a research tool
and then proceed to pick up the phone to call.
2. Walk-in. Also, many people, after researching you on the
Internet will choose to walk in to your facility.
3. Email. Many types of Internet marketing allow customers
to contact you via email, either through a form or in a
standard email.
4. Rent online. If you give them the option through your
website many will take advantage of it.
Many owner/operators think the Internet is a mysterious
monster that will not be effective in their local market.
In fact the Internet is a very effective advertising medium
that will generate a nice flow of new tenants if you use it
right. The Kelsey Group found that more than 43% of
consumers search the Internet to find a local product or
service!
Let's talk about your website. Many of you probably have a
website. 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.
80% of Internet users start at a search engine. If your
website is not found on the search engines (specifically
the first or second page) you will be missing out on 80% of
these potential renters.
You can have the coolest, flashiest and most expensive
website on the net 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:
1. 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 up top. They're usually
labeled "Sponsored Links." These campaigns are fairly
quick to setup and results can be instant. Expect to pay
$1.50 - $5.00 per click (every time somebody 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 a book called "The Ultimate
Guide to Google AdWords" by Perry Marshall.
2. 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 they can help you. Be
cautious when proceeding with an organic campaign in this
industry. 1st 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 1st
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.
3. Online Directories. Online directories are created for
consumers looking for a specific product or service. Our
website, USstoragesearch.com, is an online directory that
targets searchers looking for self and mobile storage. We
keep our website highly optimized organically and do
extensive Pay Per Click advertising so that it shows up on
the first page of all major search engines locally and
nationally for a variety of self storage related keywords.
You will see us on the search engines for keywords such as
"self storage,' 'storage unit,' and for a variety of local
keywords such as 'San Diego self storage.' Because of this
we see more than 70,000 visitors each month on our website
and are able to direct them to our facility members. If you
are an operator that is 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 self storage industry. Shop carefully and
ask a lot of questions. The most important thing to ask
about a directory is how they are qualifying the potential
customers they are sending your way. You want to be sure
the directory is able to send quality prospects your way.
Those are the three fundamental ways to drive traffic to
your website. With the affordability of Internet marketing
and the number of people using the Internet to find
storage, I recommend you test all three methods and see
what works for you.
Now that you know all about the basics of Internet
marketing and the three most effective ways to drive
traffic to your website I encourage you to seriously
evaluate how you are advertising online. It's very
inexpensive and easy to track - there's no reason not to.
There are hundreds of thousands of people using the
Internet to search for storage each month. Can they find
your facility or are they renting with your more
Internet-savvy competition?
----------------------------------------------------
Megan Eckert is Executive Vice President for
USstoragesearch.com, an online storage directory providing
service to more than 9,000 self & mobile storage facilities
in the U.S. Their unique online marketing program allows
operators to instantly put their facilities in front of
customers searching the Internet for storage in their local
area for a very reasonable fee. For more information call
866.880.0742 or visit http://www.usstoragesearch.com .
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