One of the biggest frustrations for self storage operators is marketing, trying to be noticed over the swarm of local and national competition, and reaching their local community over all the noise.
While there isn’t an immediate or quick solution to building up your brand, there are scores of ways to amplify your voice in a crowded market. One of those ways is pretty simple– online video marketing!
When you hear the term “video marketing” you probably have some vague idea of what we’re talking about, you know, videos that amplify your branding or showcase your product. While it may not be too difficult to understand the concept, it can be extremely difficult to know where to begin.
When it comes to online video marketing, it helps to have a game plan when entering the planning stages of the process. What are you trying to accomplish with your online video marketing? For some people, this means showing off all of the new tech your self storage facility offers, or a chance to show off your friendly service, maybe even instructions videos for people’s most asked questions. Whatever your objectives are, online video marketing is a great way to show off your strengths and build trust and dialogue with your future and current tenants.
So let’s break down some of the main types of self storage video marketing! We’re going to focus on four main avenues for getting your name out there and building recognition.
It’s probably no surprise that we’re starting off with the basics– a video tour.
While this may seem obvious, there are uncountable benefits to having a personal video of your facility, from delivering vital information to showing off your personality! Here are a few of the ways that a video showcasing your facility can gain brand recognition and trust with your local community.
You don’t have to be Stephen Spielberg to make a great video showcasing your product and friendly staff!
Sometimes the best way to draw attention isn’t to point at yourself. A simple, informative video can be a perfect way to draw in new customers who are just learning about self storage for the first time. Take the opportunity to serve your current or future tenants by explaining to them the ins and the outs of self storage, because you’re the expert, and it’s great to remind them of that!
An informative video is the perfect chance to showcase your inventory, but also delight and engage your tenants.
Informative videos can take a lot of shapes and forms, ranging from a video explaining digital locks to instructions for moving in and moving out. Whatever the subject you decide to cover, or however many, your brand will be the experts! Here are a few ways that an informative or instructive video can amplify your voice over the crowd:
There is so much to talk about when you want to inform and delight your tenants, and they’ll appreciate the wisdom you’re passing along! You’re the self storage expert, why not also an online video marketing genius?
What better way to gain the trust of your future tenants than for them to hear from the ones that already love you?
A handful of customer testimonials can do a lot for your brand. According to Search Engine Journal, virtually 100% of customers look at reviews when they are shopping online, and the number of people searching out bad reviews jumped from 85% to 96% in only the last few years. There’s no way to hide reviews, but there is a way to prop up the tenants who love you!
A simple interview with a favorite tenant gives you credibility that you can’t give yourself. A staggering 49% of customers treat reviews like they would recommendations from friends or family, so having a kind face talk about your facility can go a long way.
A customer testimonial can do something you can’t – vouch for you!
Is drone footage worth the hype?
There’s really no better way to show off your facility than to show off the whole thing! A simple aerial drone video showing off your facility and all its amenities can go a long way in a short amount of time.
Drone footage is the perfect option for anyone wanting to show off their facility in all its magnitude, but especially perfect for those with large units or multiple locations who want to show their assets but don’t want to fill a ten-minute video.
Beyond being a useful tool to showcase your facility, drone footage of your self storage facility shows that you’re up to date with current trends, and your tenants can expect their storage experience to be modern, relevant, and easy.
There really is no end to all the methods and tricks of online video marketing, but there’s no better place to start than the beginning.
In fact, there is a fourth form of online video marketing we learned from our friends at Inside Self-Storage, which they named the specialty category. This is anything from facility additions to specialty holiday deals. We think it’s important to update your other videos with new features of your facility, but a video announcing a new addition is always a great option to delight your current tenants and draw in possible new ones!
There are countless ways to approach online video marketing, but having a good footing in the basics can take you a long way.
Once you have the hard part finished, the filming and editing, placement becomes extremely important. For example, if you’ve made an incredibly insightful video tour of your facility, don’t put it on your directions page. The average online shopper is willing to watch a minute-long video if it means not having to scour through a website, so place it somewhere it will be seen, like the homepage or near checkout on the rates page.
Also, if you’re planning on posting your video to major video platforms (like YouTube or Vimeo), it’s crucial that you be as specific as possible in your video titles and descriptions. If someone is looking for a facility with smart locks, mention smart locks in the video title, or the description. Additionally, be sure to mention your facility name, location, and contact information in the video description. The easier you make it for people to find you, the more they will.
Online video marketing isn’t always necessary, but with the right resources, it can be an extremely cost-effective and easy way to showcase what makes your facility stand out from the competition. There are a million ways to do it, but these are a few of the time-proven methods we’ve seen help others grow their business and fill their facility.
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