One of the key lessons self-storage professionals have learned in the wake of social media is that superior informational content is among the best ways to reach a target audience and position a company as a market leader. Quality content drives engagement, say the experts at Arbor Creative. “There needs to be a focus on brands and businesses understanding their audience and producing content that will cause more people to advocate their brand and drive engagement to reach a wider audience,” the company published in blog post.

If you’re a self-storage operator, social media probably tops the list of ways to deliver distinguishing content to your audience, such as moving and packing tips, guidelines for choosing a storage unit, community news and other local announcements. Additional vehicles include those that “touch” the consumer, such as e-mail newsletters, direct mail and blogs.

If you’re a self-storage supplier, you have even more communication avenues, including industry trade magazines, events (conferences, tradeshows, association membership meetings), reports, whitepapers and other publications. By sharing your expertise via these platforms, you demonstrate aptitude, transparency and goodwill, not only to your customers but to the industry at large. It’s in every storage company’s best interest to showcase the intelligence of its people.

In the storage business, one of the best places for specialists to show off their skillzzz is the Inside Self-Storage World Expo in Las Vegas. I’m biased, of course, but the numbers don’t lie. This event is indisputably the largest gathering of industry professionals that occurs throughout the year, drawing thousands of attendees.

This year’s educational program featured five intensive workshops and more than 30 seminars. In all, nearly 80 industry experts shared their insight and experiences with our audience through in-depth presentations, practicums and panel discussions. What an amazing way to share content! These speakers positioned themselves as authorities in the self-storage field and no doubt earned some peer respect, new business and brand loyalty along the way.

Now we’ve set our sights on ISS Expo 2015, which will take place April 7-9 at the Paris Hotel & Resort. We’re looking to build an even more robust agenda, and we need high-quality presenters to help us deliver it. If you’re interested in sharing your knowledge and earning some street cred, now’s your chance to submit a proposal for an expo speaking slot.

We’re looking for fresh, insightful presentations on a wide range of industry topics. (For a list of suggestions, visit the call-for-speakers page.) Seminars should be educational and non-promotional in nature. Each proposal will be evaluated on a number of factors including relevance to the industry, originality and credentials of the presenter. Facility managers, owners, investors and suppliers are encouraged to apply!

The submission deadline is June 20th, so don’t delay. The online process is very simple, but you’ll be asked to provide detailed information about the presenter, the proposed topic and what attendees can expect to learn if we include your seminar in our program. All potential speakers, even those who have presented with us in the past, are subject to review. No one will muscle their way onto this program; it is based on merit!

Feel free to peruse the 2014 agenda our even purchase copies of past expo seminars in the ISS Store. Any questions can be directed to ISS Expo Education Manager Shilo Lusson at [email protected].

If you have suggestions for topics you’d like to see covered at the 2015 event, please post them in the comments section below. We’d love to hear your thoughts!