First impressions matter in business. With over 55,000 self-storage facilities in the United States, consumers have options. And people usually remember how a business looks and feels from their first impression. Maintaining and updating your facility can help attract new customers and keep your current customers happy. For example, be sure your facility is up-to-date, safe, clean, and accessible. In addition, it’s important to know your customers and market to them creatively. With a little focus on making a solid first impression, you can increase your revenue stream.
In this post, we’ll dig into what it takes to make sure your facility makes a good first impression in the storage industry. Consider what it’s like for a customer when they approach and enter your facility. Does it feel welcoming, for example? With so many storage facility choices, you’ll want to win over your competition with a friendly and secure atmosphere. Here are some simple ways to upgrade, maintain, and market your facility to achieve the best first impression you can:
DOORS: Replace old, unattractive, and poor functioning doors, which are hard for people to open. It’s easy to do a color match on roll-up doors for a seamless look. Choose from 20+ paint colors to complement your existing color scheme and logo and complete the look of your facility.
ROOFS: Older facilities may have leaking, rusting roofs. Choose Boxwell units with corrugated steel roofs. These roofs are seamless and designed to protect against the elements and prevent water from pooling or leaking.
LIGHTS: Be sure your site is well-lit and check your bulbs and fixtures. This is such a simple way to ensure that your customers feel safe on your site in the darker hours.
TECHNOLOGY: Upgrade to new wireless entry and locking systems. You can keep your gates secure and give easy, (and touchless) access to your customers. Also consider installing security cameras with live streaming monitoring.
FENCING: Replace any outdated fencing around your perimeter. If a customer sees broken, dilapidated fencing, chances are they’ll move onto the next facility.
LOCATION: Ideally, your facility will be easy to find and easy to enter. Clear signage is important for customers to locate you. Be sure to indicate your facility’s current vacancy status.
FLOW: Once through the gate, cars should fit within driveways and there should be parking available. Clear the walkways for pedestrians.
ADA COMPLIANT: Be sure your facility is compliant with ADA regulations for customers and employees with disabilities. Check out our blog on how to do that.
WASH: Power wash the walls, doors, and curbs. Regularly clean your lot and the exterior of your buildings. Also, for the interior of your available units, go through with a shop vac and sanitize the entryways.
PAINT: Repaint where necessary. Chipping paint is not a good look. Also, if you have a parking lot, be sure to keep the stripes painted.
DECLUTTER: Remove trash and unnecessary items from your site. Remember that people are storing their items here to remove clutter from their own homes and businesses!
PEST CONTROL: Look for signs of pests and take measures to mediate. Choose from a manufacturer like Boxwell who produces storage units that are seamless, so your customer’s items are safe from the water, wind, dust, and rodents.
GROUNDS: If you have room for landscaping, keep bushes, trees and lawn trimmed. Plus, if you have an office, keep it clean and warm with a pot of coffee at the ready.
In business, change and revision are necessary. And we’ve all seen a lot of change over the past few years. From new products and features to changes in freight and lead times, the storage industry is evolving now more than ever. And the ways consumers choose a brand is also changing. They have more options to consider, and a lot of purchasing is done online. And, deliveries are taking longer. Keeping customers happy is harder (and more important) than ever.
Never assume that a customer will stay with you. Once you are in business together, you must work to keep your clients. Something that is good one day may soon need improvements. Or, as we have seen, unpredictable world events have lasting effects on the economy and supply chain. It’s important to stay in tune with your customers and ask questions like, “Is this still working for you?” “What else can we be doing?” and “What can we do better?” Always check in with the understanding that things evolve. In addition, go over what you are doing together and discuss what can change.
Whatever your product or the size of your business, you need to market it. How else will people find you, connect with you, and ultimately become paying customers? Whether you are a self-storage facility offering multiple sized units or a portable storage business with containers for use in a variety of settings, you don’t need a huge marketing budget to consider some effective marketing tools. For instance, marketing online is an affordable, creative method that works!
In fact, being a smaller company has its advantages. With a lean and mean operation, it can be less complicated to get your brand out there. Plus, you’re more likely to be available for your customers (you will pick up the phone!) and be able to out-service your competition. Some of the basics that businesses should be implementing online include using your website, social media, online advertisements, e-newsletters, blogs, podcasts, videos, and online demos. We will discuss these basic marketing tools in our next week’s blog here at Boxwell.
At the core, Boxwell uses a hands-on approach to business that is carried throughout everything we do. When we need to talk, we pick up the phone. If there are questions, we demo our product. And when we’re intrigued with something new, we give it a try. If a team member needs help, we offer it. When our community needs support, we lend our resources. With compassion and innovative ways of “thinking outside of the box,” anything is possible. That’s our culture.
When building Boxwell, Rod Bolls set out to create a company that prioritizes a balance between working hard and playing hard. He aligns a strong business model with a strong team and a sustainable work environment. To achieve an ideal company culture, Rod nurtures every relationship. For example. this includes customers, partners, vendors, local non-profits, neighborhood sports teams, and museums.
Over the past seven years, the Boxwell team has grown into a group of talented and passionate people. As individuals, we value our work, family, friends, and local community. And as a team, we strengthen our relationships by engaging with them on a regular basis. Boxwell’s mission is to help customers succeed by providing a streamlined storage solution that is Built for Your Success.
Our products include drive-up self-storage units, relocatable self-storage units, portable storage containers, moving containers, and restoration containers. Intended to help you increase your business’ revenue-generating space, our portable containers and relocatable self-storage units are flexible, stackable, and beautiful! Boxwell is here to ensure that our products help you achieve your business goals.
Check out www.boxwell.co or call (303) 317-5850 today!
