Self Storage Development, News & Profits
October 2020
by Josh Parker
Issue # 39
Self Storage Signage for Extra Profits
Your signage can make or break your facility. It is your hello to the community, it’s showing your customers you care and they are in good hands, and it’s first-class brand awareness to your future customers.Signage is important throughout the site, for drive-by traffic, in the office, and social media! It sounds easy but after you take a look at this partial list of signage you may have some work to do!
The four basic types of self-storage signage are:
Information signage,
Price signage,
Brand/location signage
Soft signage. Soft signage is not your typical signage but often is the most important.
Each one is critical and done right will add significantly to your profits. Think quality signage you would see in a restaurant or retail business. You may make some of the signage yourself, but they must be computer printed and laminated. No handwritten signs. Signage should be branded with your colors and logo.
Information signage
Information signage will lead to more profitable actions by your clients and let them know the rules. Here are a couple of examples:
Counter signs
The Autopay/late fee countersign informs people about late fees and how convenient and how much your clients love autopay. The client on autopay stays 2 months longer than the non-auto pay customer. Your goal should be 80% of your clients on auto-pay. If 20 of your new renters went on auto-pay each month that would be an extra $60,000 a year in profits! And this eliminates hours and hours of your time collecting late fees, so you have more time for marketing for even more profits.
The Guarantee countersign gives prospects on the fence the confidence to choose you over the competition. A quick reference to the sign on your way to show a unit will let the customer you care and can be trusted.
A disk lock on the counter, one in a package and one open, is a sign of the facility safety and safety is the number 3 people rent (you are number 1 and convenient location is number 2). To sell a lock to 90% of your renters all you have to say is: We only sell disc locks because they can’t be cut like butter like shank locks can be with bolt cutters. They are $17.95 on sale for $12.99 would you like me to cut one open for you?”
Rack cards on the counter to give to customers who do not rent today are a must.
Google 5-star reviews by your customers for your prospective renters to see are a must sign. Of course, the best way to get them is to do a terrific job providing remarkable customer service and to ask everyone for a review. You can make it easy and remind your customers by having a google 5 start review handout on your counter to show customers how easy it is to lever a review via their map app.
A Free drink sign on the fridge is one more way to show customers you are different.
If you don’t promote your Facebook page with a sign on the counter or door/window, you are losing profits.
People are often renting because they are moving, and you don’t want their food in your facility. It is super important to remind all renters no food and a wall and gate sign is a must. Mice are a real headache. Smile for our camera wall sign reminds customers of your security without you saying a word
Don’t forget your Self Storage Genie App Sign. Hands-free Gate access is a great selling feature.
Three Free months coupon for nonprofits silent auctions is one more sign to get your facility recognized. Don’t forget to give them plenty of promotional cards so everyone at the auction gets one.
“Welcome may all who enter as guests leave as Friends” Our favorite office Sign at Storage Authority. Just by reading/saying it to every customer makes a difference.
Door & Window Signage
Window Painting for the major holidays is a great way to put a smile on your customer’s face and let them know you are the hometown self-storage and not one of those huge corporate facilities
Here is a 4th of July window. Flowers in a pot are a nice touch. In this case, the Flag was painted on 4 Boxes so it could be refused.
The neon Open sign in the window lets everyone know you are open. They do not have to drive in, so they see you are always open day after day as they drive by. There are many facilities with very limited hours or are even often closed during their business hours.
Our Guarantee decal on the front door puts your customers at ease and ready to rent before they even enter the office.
Office hours, gates hours, phone # and website decals on your front door or window are a must.
Of course, we now have COVID 19 signs on the door.
No Contact rental sign, rent online sign, and kiosk rent here signage are key to improve after hour rentals.
Magnetic Show Unit signs make it easy for the prospect to register and remember the unit size quickly and even help the new manager remember the size. Magnetic signage makes it easy to change the show unit. We put a second complete set on the metal door leaving the office so a potential renter can quickly see all the main sizes we have.
And Don’t forget business cards and promotional Cards: Refer a Friend, Free Box, $30 Off first month & Free Vacuum. They are great handouts when you are visiting the local business. And don’t forget branded marketing goodies to hand out to businesses.
Gate Signage
You have a captive audience, so this is a great place to provide reminder signs and don’t forget there are 2 sides to the gate so don’t forget to use both sides. Important gate signs include:
Gate & office hours
Speed limit
One car at a time no tailgating
Referral program
Prohibited storage
Vacating reminders
In case of emergency
Smile for our Cameras
No Smoking
And more
Site Decorations & signs are the only way to get the drive-by traffic look your way, smile and remember you when they need self storage. The more often you change them the better! They can be holiday-themed items like pumpkins in October or lighted rain deer in Dec. The key for holiday marketing is to make it remarkable – i.e. people talk about it. I.e. 300 pumpkin give away not 30 pumpkins. A real snowman on your front yard is a good start but how about supersizing to three snowman spray painted red white and blue.
One of my favorite site decorations is extra, extra green grass. It just takes fertilization 3 times a year.
Feather flags, sandwich board, and banners are a must. Sandwich boards should be put out front every day and the saying changed every week. Banners are typically for special events like winter car storage, grand opening and for events like a car wash or free hot dog lunch today. Open feather flags will turn eyeballs your way.
Yard signs, for events like Congrats Seniors for high school graduation week, or to promote a local sports team on game day or just fun saying help make you different and the hometown premier facility
.
Social marketing posts signs should be posted every day. Pictures with text superimposed get the most views. The easy way is to take pictures around your facility and add Text from an App like Text Art.
Pricing signage
Retailers have known for a long time that items without prices do not sell as well as items with prices. All products must have a price on it. Often you will have a sign for the product vs a price on each individual product. And the retail industry knows everyone loves a sale. While we do not put our units on sale, we sell a Disc lock to just about everyone because they are on sale from $17.50 to $12.99. And the other guys are not selling half as many locks as us, even though their locks are priced are $8.99
Two more of my favorites are the box sign buy 9 get one free and the combo box sign, again one box free. Instead of buying 3 or 4 boxes they will but the 10 pack every time.
Property/Brand Signage
You want the largest ground sign and building sign permitted by the town. If you can get a reader board, consider yourself lucky! Don’t skimp on the quality. A quality sign starts the trust process that is critical in all financial transactions. A good name is part of trust and branding. For example, Storage Authority is so much better than Back Yard Self storage.
There are several ways to improve on your ground sign including a stone base, well-kept flowers around the base or even a brick enclosure.
It is important to remind people when they enter the door you care about and are proud of who you are with an inside large wall brand sign.
Soft Signage
If you are a real go-getter you want to do everything possible to be a premier facility, I am sure there a few more signs that will make a difference. And if you consider the broader theme of signage there are so many ways to make a first good impression. Here are a couple:
An entrance mat that has your Name, logo, and a tag line
Well dresses staff in a logo shirt
Parking lot stripes in perfect shape
Well-kept yard and Landscaping
Entrance lighting and plenty of site lighting – never a light out
Super clean units and facility.
Flowers in a vase
Lawn and landscaping well maintained.
A smiling manager who knows the Scripts
An office full of products – 300 locks on the wall not 100.
Here is my favorite- a huge bowl of candy!
Boxes stacked in groups of ten is a great sign – buy me instead of a couple of boxes. Get 1 free! Signage must be considered during the design and budget process.
Notice the kiosk, another sign you care. An awning over the entrance is a nice sign you care.
How about extra nice exit signs.
Don’t forget to consider a wrapped moving truck to increase rentals.
Build-in Coffee Bar is a must and a huge “We appreciate your business!” sign.
It is easy to fill up two 4’ x 8” slat walls – For good looks and long-lasting steel slat walls are the way to go but must be ordered in advance.
It is simple – the more signs, the more sales, and the more profits. And there are a dozen signs from your bank table poster board to grand opening postcards to branded promotional items to……………….. that you will have to add to your inventory to become and stay the local community premier self-storage. You can do it!
Learn more at www.StorageAuthorityFranchise.com
Or email or call Josh Parker
josh@storageauthority.com or Direct 203-213-7438
Photo Of The Month
Storage Authority Land O’ Lakes FL www.storageauthoritylandolakes.com
Fun Fact of the Month
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Development Tips and Reminders
Traffic Counts:
Did you know that one of the major metrics for choosing land for your self-storage facility is traffic counts?
High traffic counts, excellent visibility, and easy direct ingress/egress are all essential for your parcel of land. 10,000 – 30,000 cars a day is the range for many Premium self storages.
Make an offer: Coming next month
First steps of your due diligence: Coming soon
What’s holding you back? You can do it! You deserve it!
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People ask why I spend so much time helping others learn self storage and execute their plans. It simple. I am very fortunate to have had 3 mentors at the exact right times in my career. Without the mentorship, I would never have been as successful as I am. So now it is my time to give back. Marc
What Garrett enjoys outside of storage, watching these two live their best life. This is Zena & Larry, their personalities are hilarious. But having them in our life always puts a smile on our face, great companions and protectors to our girls. True best friends and awesome additions to our family!
Summer might be over, but it just motivates me even more because I know that the harder I work over the winter, the more days I get to enjoy at the lake next summer! Let’s go fishing!
Josh
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Storage Authority 677 N Washington Blvd. Sarasota FL 34236
www.StorageAuthorityFranchise.com Josh@storageauthority.com 1-203-213-7438 I Invite you to give me a call – let’s talk self storage.
Josh Parker Storage Authority Vice President of Technology & Development
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