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ISS BLOG - ‘Tis the Season to Market Your Self-Storage Business to Customers Who Need to Clear the ClutterISS BLOG - ‘Tis the Season to Market Your Self-Storage Business to Customers Who Need to Clear the Clutter
This is the time of year when many people realize just how much holiday stuff they’re storing in their homes—and just how much they might like to reclaim that valuable space. ISS Associate Editor Ron Matejko is very in touch with this challenge right now and offers advice to self-storage operators about seizing the opportunity to promote their wares. This is your chance to snag year-end/new-year business!
3 Min Read
Each year, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, it’s a tradition in my home to bring down all of the Christmas decorations from the attic. For years, I was the one to climb into the space, which is just tall enough for an adult to navigate on their hands and knees. That duty got passed down to my daughter 10 year ago when she was eight years old, as she had the combined advantages of being small enough to stand up without hitting her head and being freakishly strong enough to lift or slide the boxes to the edge of the hatch.
My daughter is now 18, and her ability to stand up in the attic disappeared with her growth spurt a couple of years ago. Faced with the reality of my having to resume this arduous holiday task, I realized it wasn’t something I was looking forward to. We’ve accumulated so many decorations over the years that they’ve also started to consume space into our backyard shed.
As my house has been experiencing “Christmas creep,” my oldest son has been buying retired police cars from auctions, then fixing and reselling them. That project is dominating space in my shed and garage, with various tools and car parts accumulating over the years. My yard doesn’t quite resemble the set of “Sanford and Son” yet, but I do find myself occasionally whistling its iconic theme song when I try to squeeze through a stack of leather Chevy Tahoe back seats.
My storage areas used to be spotless and well-organized. If I needed an item to make a repair, I could find it quickly, and it was always put back where I got it. This is in stark contrast to the system my son uses, which involves making piles of stuff until it falls over. We’ve tolerated the mess because a cluttered space felt like a reasonable tradeoff for keeping the kid entertained rather than bored, wandering the streets and getting into trouble. Instead, he’s typically at the house with friends working on his cars.
The Takeaway for Self-Storage Operators
These two anecdotes are my long way of saying, “I need more space.” Unpacking holiday decorations from the attic this year served as a reminder of that, and will again when it’s time to pack them away after we start the new year. I’m sure I’m not alone. Lots of people will be feeling this pain.
That’s where self-storage enters the picture. I’ve never seriously considered renting space before, but that may soon change, as one of my goals for 2025 is to reorganize these parts at my house. Understanding that, this is a perfect time of year for you self-storage operators out there to roll out a home-decluttering promotion and target the many folks who are in the same disorganized boat as me.
Here are just a few ideas to help you market your facility this holiday season:
Offer holiday discounts for “elf storage” that allows parents to hide gifts away from young, prying eyes.
Create holiday-themed social media campaigns.
Establish a partnership with some of your local businesses so you can give out gift cards for their products and services to new renters.
Host a holiday event or workshop for your community.
Offer gift-wrapping services to new renters during the month of December.
Create some email marketing with holiday tips and offers.
Sponsor a holiday giveaway, parade or charity drive.
Have your office serve as a drop-off location for toy donations or a mail service.
Remember, your current self-storage customers can also bring you new business through referrals. This is a great time of year to express appreciation to them with a holiday-themed email or card in the mail. For more strategies and inspiration, read this this article on organic and guerrilla marketing tactics from Garrett Byrd of Storage Authority.
I’ll “wrap-up” this blog by reminding you that the winter holidays present the ideal opportunity to help people like me clear the clutter and find peace of mind. In this sense, self-storage can be the gift that keeps on giving all year long.
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