The COVID-19 lockdown caused many people to put their moving plans on hold. In some ways, this was a good thing for storage companies as it meant that some customers stayed in contracts for longer. But it also meant that many customers hit pause on their plans to start a new contract.
Now, most companies are playing catch up. It isn’t possible to sell lost time, so self storage company owners must now look for ways to diversify their income.
Increase leads
It might sound like we’re stating the obvious here. If you have more prospects landing on your website, it follows that you’ll have more customers coming through your doors. But increasing traffic to your website should never be the end goal. Instead, you should focus on increasing leads. These are the high-intent individuals who are actively looking for what you offer.
Increasing leads requires an integrated approach that incorporates SEO, PPC, display ads, and social media. Every step of your marketing plan needs to work in harmony, so if you’re struggling to get your marketing plan off the ground, we recommend casting your eyes over here.
Increase conversion rates
If you’re already getting plenty of traffic to your website, but those visitors aren’t converting for some reason, now is a great time to ask why. Is there a glaring hole in your customer journey that is causing you to lose customers? If so, it’s time to find it and fix it.
Using user experience software like HotJar can help you to understand where users are going and what they are doing on your website. If there are issues with your UX, HotJar will weed them out. Something as simple as not making your mobile phone number clickable on your mobile website could be holding you back. So, leave no stone unturned in your search for the black hole in your leads.
We also shared some tips for increasing conversion rates here.
Add eCommerce
During the lockdown, many businesses that could no longer offer an in-store service pivoted to eCommerce. Adding eCommerce capabilities to your website doesn’t have to be complicated. But what can a self storage company sell, you might be wondering?
Packaging supplies are the obvious option. But if you’re not sure what you can offer that is unique, think about who your current customers are. Are they collectors? Would they benefit from highly niche storage furniture and accessories? Are they personal costumes? Would they benefit from being able to kit out their self storage unit with organisational furniture? Offering extra add ons at the check out is a great way to increase order volumes.
Upgrade business services
Many businesses use self storage to manage things like business stock. Some of these companies will operate from their kitchen table and travel back and forth to their unit to pick up items as they need them. So upgrading part of your self storage site to include a business suite could be a unique selling point. Offering access to wifi, printing services, desk space and hot drinks facilities for a monthly subscription could help to diversify your income and attract more business customers. You could also introduce a man and van service to help those without access to transport.
Be as accessible as possible
Self storage customers do not fit into a narrow demographic. They can be any age, with any level of technology literacy. So going down the high-tech route and only offering online booking could alienate some customers. While forcing your customers to pick up the phone and call you could alienate others.
Find the middle ground by making your business as accessible as possible. Customers should be able to book a storage unit online and access it using a pin code, without ever interacting with another human. But they should also be able to pick up the phone to book their space.
What methods have you found successful in increasing revenue in your self storage company? We’d love to hear your comments below!