It’s officially summer, and for millions of people worldwide summer means self storage.
Nearly 40 million people relocate in the U.S. each year, and the majority of these people move between May and September.
It makes sense. Many people would prefer not to haul furniture and load up moving vans with a foot of snow on the ground. Plus, moving in summer gives kids time to settle in before the new school year begins.
With so many people moving and looking for storage in the summer months, now is a great time to give your facility a quick and easy face lift.
Check out our 5 quick tips for making your facility shine this summer:
- Secure Self Storage Part 1: Let Your Website Sell for You
Sprucing up your website can have a huge positive impact your business. You don’t need to spend months (and a ton of cash) to do a complete redesign, but making a few small changes can go a long way. Google is now giving priority to mobile friendly sites, so be sure you’re optimized for mobile searches. Find out how mobile friendly your website is here: https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly. Also, include information about your PTI access control and security system on your website as well as information about your FLIR video surveillance system. Each year, tens of thousands of your potential customers search for “secure self storage” when looking for self storage. Catch their eye quickly and easily by featuring security prominently on your site.
- Secure Self Storage Part 2: Display It
If you have a great security and video surveillance system, show it off! Large office monitors with video camera feeds go a long way in making potential customers feel safe and secure from the moment they walk in your office. Site Graphics are another great way to display your security system. Not only are they specific to your site, they also give you the opportunity to show off your site and give future renters a feel for the facility before they even leave the office. Site Graphics are a great way to highlight additional security features like door alarms as well.
- Doors: Rust, Cracks, Fading, Oh My!
If your facility needs a face lift, replacing doors is a great way to spruce up the look and feel of your site. Your doors account for a huge portion of your physical space and play such a big ‘roll’ in your curb appeal. By not replacing old or shabby doors, you could be costing yourself money in the long run. You only have one chance to make a good first impression. Consider the Door Replacement Program from Janus International™ to improve your curb appeal this summer!
- We’ve Covered Sights, on to Sounds and Smells.
Your storage site can feel a bit big and empty (and yes, even a little creepy) to your customers. Spruce it up by playing music (or even better, giving your customers the ability to play their own music with strategically placed Bluetooth speakers). Scent is the strongest sense tied to memory. You don’t want your customers remembering your site for musty smells. Make sure your site smells fresh and clean. Consider aromatherapy for your site (and deodorizing vacant units) before you give a tour to interested potential customers. The little things go a long way, especially when you’re looking for a competitive edge.
When staging houses, experts like Dave Ramsey say to bake cookies or drip vanilla extract on a warm oven. There’s a reason for staging: people respond to both good and bad smells and smells can have a huge impact in our purchasing decisions. If a facility smells bad, potential customers are more likely to think the site is unclean, be willing to pay less to store there, and ultimately will be less likely to chose that facility over the one down the road. A pleasant-smelling facility that feels more homey and less like a large, open building with steel roll up doors and little more, is more likely to see new business and customer loyalty.
- Go mobile!
When searching for “storage units near me,” 81% of your customers use their mobile device at some point during the research or rental process. They use this specific search term because they are looking for a convenient storage option. You can give your customers this convenience and mobile access with EasyCode from PTI. EasyCode is a mobile gate entry app for self storage that keeps your customers from having to remember their code or leave their vehicle to enter the code at the gate. Coming soon: EasyCode 2.0.
Learn more at www.ptisecurity.com.
Have questions about sprucing up your facility or upgrading your access control system? We’re here to help! Give us a call at 770-691-2110 or shoot us a note at sales@ptisecurity.com.