SMS Marketing for Self-Storage Facilities
The UK self-storage sector is booming. Although there is currently no official register of UK self-storage facilities, The Self Storage Association UK (SSA) estimates that there are approximately 1500 sites now operating in the UK, providing over 42 million sq ft of self-storage space and creating a total turnover of around £550 million. As well as direct revenue, such locations also benefit the local and national economy through the contribution they make as employers.
However with an estimated 50% of the marketplace controlled by larger, established operators with multiple locations, the pressure is on for smaller and independent facilities to find new and effective ways to attract new customers and retain existing clients – and SMS Marketing is the ideal solution. So how can self-storage facilities use SMS Marketing? Here are some easy to implement ideas.
1. SMS Marketing for Introductory offers
Common offers for self-storage facilities typically feature something such as a free introductory period or a number of weeks at half price. There are, however, many other ways to attract new customers. As well as simple financial incentives, consider offering a larger space at a discounted price or even a referral scheme for your existing customers to benefit from recommending your facility to friends. All of these approaches and others lend themselves perfectly to SMS Marketing. Why not test the market with a message such as:
“Get your first month for free when you hire a Mini, Midi or Maxi self-storage unit at Space4U in Leeds. Call now on 0330 556 666 to find out more or visit us on the Whitehall Industrial Estate. More information / T&C’s at Space4U.co.uk…”
If you wish to automate the system even further, consider using a Virtual Mobile Number (VMN) to allow the customer to reply directly to the message, allowing you to manage the relationship in real-time without the customer needing to change channels. This has been proven to result in higher conversion rates.
2. Integrating SMS with Multi-channel marketing
If you are running a larger scale, multi-channel marketing campaign that involves online marketing, traditional print media or radio/television advertising, then setting up a shortcode can allow customers to respond directly to Calls To Action (CTAs) by SMS.
For example, you might include something such as the following on your adverts:
“Get two months storage for the price of one now! Text STOREME to 87007 to reserve your unit today”
Using SMS Marketing in this manner allows customers to engage immediately via their mobile phone, and does not even require a data connection, meaning they can take up your offer wherever they happen to be and whatever they happen to be doing at the time.
3. SMS Messaging for Account management
SMS Marketing is a very useful tool for account management. From the initial reservation process and the mandatory identification checks that go along with it to monthly payment due notifications and payment receipt confirmations, SMS messaging can be used to ensure that customers are fully informed every step of the way.
Depending on the nature of your registration/booking process, it may prove useful to let your customer know which step they are on at any given time and let them know as the process progresses.
Once an account has been successfully set up, SMS can also be used to provide details such as PIN numbers, entry codes and other related information that will help the customer to get the most out of their space.
4. Upsells and Cross-sells by SMS
From larger spaces and ground level access to van hire or packaging supplies, there is great scope for upsells and cross-sells within the self-storage industry and they can help to significantly contribute to increased turnover. SMS Marketing is the ideal way to make customers aware of relevant offers, and because it is highly personalised, offers can be tailored to the individual based on their current usage patterns and personal requirements.
Consider sending a message such as the following shortly after registration:
“Hi Bob, make the most of your new storage unit with our range of discounted storage supplies including boxes, tape and packaging materials all available to buy here on site at Space4U.”
If the customer is a regular user who might benefit from increased space, why not try something like:
“Hi Bob, need more space? As a loyal customer, we can offer you an upgrade to one of our maxi units for a very special price of just £8.99/mth extra.”
5. Using SMS Marketing for Storage tips and advice
Alongside direct marketing, blogs and social media accounts can be a highly effective way for companies to build their organic SEO, as well as providing added value to both existing and potential customers. If you are creating valuable content such as blog posts on how to store certain types of goods or how to maximise the effectiveness of your storage space, for example, then use SMS Marketing to share these articles with your SMS marketing list. Not only will this provide useful and informative content that your customers can directly benefit from, it will also increase their likelihood of recommending your company to friends and contacts by keeping your brand at the forefront of their mind.
To grow your self-storage business now with SMS Marketing, give our team of experts a call on 0800 954 5303 and we’ll get you set up in minutes.
Related Articles
Using SMS for Fundraising
What Political Parties Can Teach Us About Great SMS Campaigns
SMS marketing has come to be a crucial element of most businesses’ marketing strategies, and there is plenty of received wisdom within the marketing world as to how to get the most out of your SMS messages. So it might seem like there is not a lot that the world of politics can teach the world of business about SMS. But then again, there probably is.
10 Tips for Creating the Perfect Valentines Day SMS Campaign
If you run a florist or a restaurant, you may not think you need to run a Valentine's Day promotion beyond offering a special bouquet or a bottle of champagne with a meal. But any business can use SMS to add value to their marketing campaigns and to retain loyal customers, even those that don’t seem to be an obvious fit with the culture around Valentine’s Day.
SMS Messaging, Recruitment, and Millennials
Everyone wants a steady job with great pay and benefits right? Not so much for millennials. At least according to some research done in the last few years. It’s not that they want bad pay and poor benefits, just that those things aren’t necessarily the most important. But knowing what is important to them, just might make your SMS recruitment messages more successful.
How SMS Marketing Can Drive Profits in Used Car Dealerships
When it comes to buying a car there is one thing that the potential buyer places more importance on than anything else. Of course, the price, condition and specifications of the car are major deciding factors, but above this, it is ultimately trust that will make or break the sale. For the commercial dealer, word of mouth plays a key role in this, along with online ratings and reviews. Read this article to learn how SMS Messaging can also help to promote trust and transparency, helping dealerships to drive sales up and increase profits.
Why Finance Companies Should Excel at SMS Messaging
One of the most interesting use cases for SMS messaging is the financial industry. Just a couple weeks ago I wrote a blog on 7 ways the financial industry can use SMS messaging to communicate with customers. In this blog I'll expand on the topic from a different perspective: personalisation.
Love Him or Hate Him, You Can Learn from Trump’s SMS Fundraising Campaigns (Part 1)
There’s a lot to learn from the contentious US election. Don’t worry, this isn’t about politics. It’s about learning from Trump’s SMS fundraising efforts in the context good SMS marketing. So, whether you hate him, love him, or don’t care it doesn’t matter. Read the blog how successful SMS fundraising campaigns can work.
5 Ways the Travel Industry can Make Use of SMS Marketing
In order to appeal to new customers and interact with existing ones, businesses are always looking for new marketing methods. Whilst many companies are using traditional and online marketing techniques, these aren’t always effective. Email filtering, for example, means that many recipients may not even be aware that they’ve received contact from your company. As many email hosts provide in-built spam filters, it’s easy for email marketing content to be overlooked or ignored completely. SMS marketing, however, overcomes many of the obstacles associated with online and email marketing. Whilst potential customers may not see your company emails, SMS messages aren’t filtered in the same way. The delivery rate is, therefore, far higher for SMS messages in comparison to marketing emails.
5 SMS Marketing Lessons from the Six Nations Championship
What to do When Your SMS Campaign is Failing
Here's some ideas on what you can do to help your SMS campaigns to do better. Use the following checklist to see if you’re using all your possible channels.