COMPETE WITH THE REITS
competition. Your unique value proposition will let prospective renters know why they should choose your facility over other play- ers in the market.
3.Find Your Audience Before you develop your brand, you should identify and cultivate your target audience, or personas. Persona development includes demographics such as location and income level, as well as psycho- graphics such as interests, values, and activities. These fictionalized definitions of your target audience help you to accurately relate and market to them, creating a brand that resonates with them.
4.Establish Your Brand Now that you understand the competition, your unique value propo- sition, and your personas, it’s time to establish your brand. Your brand should be able to conjure an emotion and lay the foundation for the rest of your marketing strategy, driving messaging, commu- nicating your unique value proposition, and defining your place in the local market.
Design will play a large part in establishing your brand. This in-
cludes your facility signage, website, advertising, and marketing materials. Because, on average, it takes five to seven impressions
5.Leverage Another Brand Some small storage owners may feel ill-equipped to es- tablish self-storage branding or come up with self-storage logo ideas. They may lack marketing knowledge or the time and money needed to invest into brand develop- ment. That’s completely understandable. Not everyone is a marketing guru (or has one on speed dial). That’s when joining a small storage cooperative can help.
A self-storage cooperative requires membership from
independent self-storage operators. By becoming a mem- ber, they gain access to the co-op’s products, services, and members. Services that can help with self-storage marketing and branding include gaining access to free videos to post on your website, reputation management software for monitoring online reviews, eye-catching digital signage, search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) strategies, and more. The network of members in the co-op are also always willing to share their experiences and successes with branding. Who knows, they may have some great self-storage logo ideas, messaging concepts, or other helpful marketing advice.
••••••••••••••••••••••• •• ••••••••• Anne Mari DeCoster is the COO of Storeocal, a co-op owned by self-storage operators that provides the solu- tions members need to compete on a larger scale.
before someone will remember your brand, make sure it’s consistent across all online and offline elements to reach those impressions quickly. Consistent branding also conveys a sense of trustworthiness and is less likely to confuse consumers. Consistent branding has also been shown to increase revenue by an average of 23 percent, so make sure everything works together in harmony.
Lastly, be sure to communicate your brand’s unique
value proposition on your website (keep it “above the fold,” so it’s clearly visible to users without having to scroll) and choose colors and design elements that speak to your personas. Keep your text concise and to the point; focus more on what you can do for customers and less on the business itself. And while imagery and video are great for capturing attention, don’t clutter your site with too much information that will confuse visitors. Remember, your goal is to get them to move deeper through your website and convert them from prospects to tenants, so use “conversion-focused design.”
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October 2021
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