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Archive for 2010
State-run Self Storage: Bad for Private Business?
A self storage business in Idaho has the attention of the self storage industry nationwide.
Affordable Self Storage is a state-run operation set up as an endowment to support public schools. Idaho paid $2.7 million in August for the business, a 400-plus-unit facility in a suburb southwest of Boise.
Author: CJ Moore
Nov 12, 2010 | 2 comments | View Post
Filed Under: Current & Commentary
Industry Issues Self Storage Trends
Nov 12, 2010 | 2 comments | View Post
Filed Under: Current & Commentary
Industry Issues Self Storage Trends
How to Hire Your Next Facility Manager
For starters, you must realize that a facility manager will be the face of your company. The manager is whom the customer turns to, is the one to handle day-to-day problems and tasks, and who will get your facility through the day.
Author: Mia Iverson
Oct 18, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
Filed Under: Ideas & Problem Solvers Resources for Operators Traditional Marketing
Oct 18, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
Filed Under: Ideas & Problem Solvers
Resources for Operators Traditional Marketing
Set Up Your Local Listings (Google, Yelp, CitySearch, MerchantCircle)
Don’t know a lot about local business listings? You are not alone. The web’s local marketing landscape is rapidly changing, what with search engine and listing giants like Google, Bing and Yelp all vying for local ad dollars. In the midst of all that evolution, it can be difficult to figure out where, what and how to market your business effectively.
Author: Steve Lam
Oct 16, 2010 | 3 comments | View Post
Filed Under: SEO (Optimization) Web Marketing
Oct 16, 2010 | 3 comments | View Post
Filed Under: SEO (Optimization)
Web Marketing
Political & Cultural Ideas Should Be Left Out of Marketing… Or Should They?
Russell G. Baker inadvertently shares a bit of marketing advice with the self storage world: avoid tactics that may cost you customers. Baker owns Baker’s Auto Body and Self Storage in Palmer, Mass., and he has a sign outside of his store that reads: “Muslims are destroying us from within.” Meanwhile, angry callers are buzzing the Palmer police department.
Author: CJ Moore
Oct 06, 2010 | 2 comments | View Post
Filed Under: Branding & Image The Way I See It
Oct 06, 2010 | 2 comments | View Post
Filed Under: Branding & Image
The Way I See It
StorageFront Subscribers FAQ
A nightmare interrupted my peaceful slumber a few nights ago. In my sleeping mind, StorageFront subscribers were calling with the most bizarre troubleshooting questions, and I did not have any answers. In the daylight hours things are less, er, scary. Sure, there are certain questions that I encounter over and over again, but they’re a lot easier to solve!
White Hat, Black Hat, Gray Hat, Blue Hat. Is this SEO or Dr. Seuss?!
Last month a tweeter (@TheStorageFrog) caught one of our daily SEO Tips and asked us to elaborate on the difference between White Hat and Black Hat search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. Seems like a good topic to cover on this partially-cloudy Sunday afternoon over a delicious chilled beermosa.
FourSquare: Is the Geo-Social Network a Good Idea for Self Storage?
More than 15,000 businesses now partner with a trendy social networking application called Foursquare to attract new clientele and reward loyal customers through a feature called “Special Offers.” Public Storage is one of those businesses. In fact, I see tweeters mention Public Storage all the time when announcing their FourSquare status, “I just became the mayor of Public Storage on Main Street.” But is geo-social networking effective for increasing web visibility for self storage?
Author: CJ Moore
Sep 10, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
Filed Under: Advertising Promotions SEO (Optimization) Social Web Web Marketing
Sep 10, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
Filed Under: Advertising
Promotions SEO (Optimization) Social Web Web Marketing
Google Instant: How Does It Impact Self Storage and Movers?
Google unveiled a new usability feature called “Google Instant” during the company’s press conference today. The technology is said to shave seconds off of a user’s search query by displaying “results as you type.” Google says the feature works “faster than the speed of type” by suggesting results to users before they’re even done typing. That’s all fine and dandy for web usability geeks, but how does Google Instant impact local business sites?
Why “Name Your Own Price” is a Poor Fit for Self Storage and Movers
A few marketing websites on the self storage scene have been experimenting with a unique model that strikes me as an odd fit for the industry: the Priceline-like “name your own price” system. Close inspection of the bid model reveals a plethora of problems for both the prospective renter and the operator—not the least of which is further commoditizing self storage space industry-wide.
Author: Carrie Royce
Sep 05, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
Filed Under: Lead Generation Self Storage Trends The Way I See It Web Marketing
Sep 05, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
Filed Under: Lead Generation
Self Storage Trends The Way I See It Web Marketing
The Seven Deadly Sins of Linkbuilding (and Why to Avoid Them)
Linkbuilding is one of the most critical elements of search engine optimization (SEO). It is not easy or fast, but it is necessary for good visibility on Google. You need as many high quality, relevant inbound links that you can get. How Google values links is constantly changing, but there are still certain no-no’s that won’t be changing anytime soon.
Q & A with Online Hispanic Marketing Expert Carla Briceno
Hispanics are the fastest-growing population in the United States. And according to a report in comScore, the Hispanic online demographic is growing 50 percent faster than the overall U.S. online population. Bilingual services enable companies to overcome cultural barriers and ensure that their products and services reach a larger target audience. With this in mind, I interviewed Carla Briceno, the cofounder of Bixal, a company that provides strategic communications and marketing for organizations targeting the online Hispanic market.
Author: CJ Moore
Aug 31, 2010 | 1 comment | View Post
Filed Under: Interviews and Q & A Web Marketing
Aug 31, 2010 | 1 comment | View Post
Filed Under: Interviews and Q & A
Web Marketing
Why Web Visibility is Critical to Self Storage Success
Nearly 70% of consumers are turning to the Internet as their primary resource for finding a local product or service, according to an annual TMP & Comscore study of local search intent. For good reason: information on the web is perceived to be more timely and accessible than in print. Do you willingly exclude yourself as a candidate for their business?
Author: Steve Lam
Aug 31, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
Filed Under: Resources for Operators StorageFront Web Marketing
Aug 31, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
Filed Under: Resources for Operators
StorageFront Web Marketing
Vue Video Feed: An Affordable Way to Monitor Your Manager
When you decide it’s time to take a peek at what’s happening at the shop, here’s a product you should take a look at. For about the price of a mobile phone, this wireless, self-installable video system will send self storage operators a video feed of anything from the front entry to the back office to the coffee maker.
Author: Carrie Royce
Aug 24, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
Filed Under: Ideas & Problem Solvers Resources for Operators Technology
Aug 24, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
Filed Under: Ideas & Problem Solvers
Resources for Operators Technology
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Idaho Official Responds to State-run Self Storage Debate
In August, the state of Idaho purchased Affordable Self Storage in Boise to help fund public schools, and the purchase was concerning enough to the National Self Storage Association that president Michael Scanlon wrote a letter to the Idaho Department of Lands expressing his displeasure (read our previous blog entry about the purchase).
Nov 29, 2010 | 2 comments | View Post
Filed Under: Current & Commentary