College students are always moving around.
New semesters bring new dorm assignments. They're far from home, without being able to stick items in their parents' basements.
And while students may not have a lot of money, they do have student loans or money from their families to take care of their needs. In fact, Statista data claims that U.S. college students spend almost $500 billion annually.
Students account for around 5% of self storage sales across the urban, suburban, and rural markets! That means 5 of every 100 people renting storage is a college student. And this is a national statistic; if you're in a college town, you're probably seeing a much higher ratio.
If you're near a college campus and you're not working that into your self storage facility's marketing plan marketing plan, you're missing an opportunity.
So, where do you begin? We have some tips (and one bonus word of caution at the end!).
If you want to get in the minds of students at the local college or university, one of the best ways is to show them you are committed to the school and to its students.
Campus events and student organizations (such as clubs or intramural sports) are often in need of financing. What better way to market to these students and get in their good graces than to donate to these events and clubs?
Depending on their needs, this can often be a more affordable marketing route than many other traditional types of marketing.
Sponsoring events is an amazing way to get some brand exposure, but nothing quite compares to getting your feet on the ground and being where the future tenants are!
Most college campuses are open to outside groups setting up a stand on campus. Check with your nearby university to see if you're allowed to come set up a tent or a booth to hand out freebies and make students aware of how you can help them.
Here are ideas of what you could hand out at such a booth:
And since the goal is to stand out (and not just be white noise they walk past), try to be lively! Get out from behind your booth, play some music, or do something else to draw attention that is within the campus rules for your setup.
While marketing to students, encourage them to split a unit with a friend or dormmate.
Cost will probably be the biggest barrier. Even with loans and money from family, these students are having to make many financial choices that they're not used to. Sharing a unit can alleviate this!
Here are some ways to encourage the behavior in your marketing efforts:
Have a plan in place for how to address any possible pain points with unit sharing. Make it obvious in your property management software if a unit is shared in this way, and also consider giving each student a unique access code rather than sharing the same code (if possible in your system).
Google Search Ads can be an effective way to capture the attention of students who are actively looking for storage.
Students and any younger demographic are far more likely to find their storage unit on Google than by driving by. If you're not showing up because of competitors running ads or because there are other options beating you in the local pack, you need to get in front of them somehow.
When is the right time?
When we say run ads at the right time, we mean when search volume is high. For students, this means when they're most likely to be moving around and looking for storage: between semesters!
As a bonus tip, make sure you set the ad Targeting to target Current College Students in the right geographical area. If the ad is for students at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, for example, you don't want an elderly couple far out in West Knoxville to get the ad when searching!
The average human will make up their mind about your website in less than a tenth of a second just based on first glance, and their final opinion is formed in 7 seconds. This is just for the average person—the generation that grew up on the internet will be even faster!
A clean, up-to-date website is crucial for young renters who expect their experience to be quick, online, and modern. If your website looks like it’s from the 90’s, they’re going to assume your storage units are, too!
Putting your best foot forward also means digitally. When students come to your website, what do they see? They should be seeing great photos, good reviews, and an easy rental process.
Make the best first impression you can with a clean and attractive website.
Fake what? I'm glad you asked! There are two things you should avoid:
Now, this isn't to say you can't try to relate to students' needs or that you basically need to care so much that you adopt them. But being sincere is important!
Looking to learn more? Check these out!
At StoragePug, we build self storage websites that make it easy for new customers to find you and easy for them to rent from you.
