Internet Marketing Tips All Self Storage Operators Need To Know To Get Started on The Right Foot

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