Twitter and Facebook exploded to new heights in 2009. What will 2010 bring in the world of social media, at least as it relates to your business and the self-storage industry?

Some would answer, “Absolutely nothing.” A contingent of social media naysayers exists, arguing that Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and others are just fads. They contend social media absorbs businesses’ time while contributing little, if any, to bottom lines. If you’re among these naysayers—or the undecided—you should definitely attend Derek Naylor’s social media session at the Inside Self-Storage World Expo, March 1-3 in Las Vegas. Derek will explore how—and why—self-storage operators should use social media to attract new tenants. 

To be honest, I’m not sure what Twitter and Facebook will generate for self-storage businesses’ bottom lines, and I can’t look into a crystal ball and tell you if these social media avenues will stay hot in 2010 and beyond. But regardless of what the year holds for Twitter and Facebook, one form of social media that has some staying power is the online forum, such as Self-Storage Talk.

Yes, forums are social media. I joined my first online forum in 2003, and I was actually a late adopter. That forum, which serves as a messageboard for Ohio sports fans, continues to grow in website traffic and number of registered users. It’s been around for nearly a decade, and it’s predated by numerous forums that got started in the ’90s.

Forums didn’t blow up in one year; they’ve grown slowly over time, and I’m confident they’re here to stay. Plus, self-storage operators can benefit from joining forums. I’ve even observed consumers inquiring about self-storage facilities via forums. For example, read this City Data thread, which enables users to get up-to-date census information about any town or city in the United States.

In the case of Self-Storage Talk, the forum isn’t designed to earn its users legions of new tenants and customers—not directly, anyway. But it's designed to help them run facilities more efficiently and creatively. The knowledge of your peers is at your fingertips, as if you’re part of a nonstop Q-and-A session, constantly sharing ideas and tackling challenges. That kind of dialogue is what can ultimately lead to more rentals, better operations and overall industry growth.

It’s not that I have anything against Tweets and Facebook status updates. By all means, keep using those. Follow ISS on Twitter  and become a fan on Facebook. But the next time you have something storage-related to share to the online world, don’t forget about the forum. And if you’re a late adopter like me, you can register here.