By Dallas Dogger

More than 250 self-storage facilities were represented at Storage Expo 2012, June 14 in Sydney, Australia. The expo was sponsored by SMD Software Inc., provider of SiteLink management software for self-storage and portable-storage operations, and is the brainchild of Centreforce Technology Group, a Brisbane, Australia-based installer of self-storage access-control, CCTV and door-alarm systems throughout Australasia.

Attendees traveled from all over Australia to hear industry speakers cover a diverse range of topics like the Power of Software, The Top 10 Ways to Make More Money in Self-Storage, The Reporting Goldmine, and much more.

Dr. Ross Lampe, president of SMD, attended and presented a number of interesting topics, focusing on SiteLink Web edition. SiteLink has been a standout success in Australasia with many groups and operators converting from other software brands.

The theme of the expo was the connected self-storage facility. As CEO of Centreforce, I presented the keynote presentation with Ross Lampe on the importance of self-storage facilities being connected to the Internet, their customers, staff and communities.

With the Yellow Pages now a distant memory, self-storage facilities have little choice but to market themselves in a completely different way than before. Web-based software combined with online move-in technology and a fully functional optimized website, gives self-storage operators a greater chance to engage with the modern customer.

Michael Dogger, operations manager for Centreforce, presented a number of sessions, showing operators how the Internet can work for them, and why good search-engine optimization (SEO) and search-engine marketing strategies are vital. He also showed operators what to avoid when building or updating a self-storage website.

Storage Expo was all about modern content, and was designed to update self-storage operators on whats really required to compete in the current market. With larger operators spending big money on Google ad words and SEO, smaller operators may not be able to keep up. The fact remains that they can compete, but they have to be committed to the process and need to be flexible.

Dallas Dogger is CEO of Centreforce Technology Group, which has been trading in Australia for more than 10 years. The company specializes in self-storage software, websites and security, and also produced a third-party application called RapidStor, which has been responsible for more than 500 online move-ins. Centreforce represents SiteLink Web Edition in Australasia and is the developer of AccessEzy, a digital access-control system. Dogger is a moderator on SelfStorageTalk.com and a contributor to Inside Self-Storage International.