Shortcuts aren’t always a bad thing. We’ve all performed tasks that were needlessly time consuming or convoluted, and removing steps ultimately improved the process. It’s the idea behind the concept of “working smarter, not harder.” However, there are...

Updated with poll results July 11, 2023

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Should you hyphenate self storage? The debate about whether to hyphenate or eliminate may not be as old as the industry itself, but the question has lingered like a bad tenant for quite some time.

“Hyphenate,”...

With each passing year, more and more self-storage facilities are making the leap and integrating technology into their self-storage business plan to streamline operations and enhance site and unit security. There’s no doubt that technology is the way...

In October of 2022, Netflix released a new TV series just in time for Halloween. Guillermo del Toro’s “Cabinet of Curiosities” was well received by horror fanatics, receiving a “fresh” score of 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but its first episode, “Lot...

Marketing your facility an important aspect to success, but it’s also one that baffles many facility owners. There are many reasons many owners don’t put together a comprehensive marketing plan. One of the reasons may be the false belief they can’t...

The dictionary defines data as “facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis.” In this digital world, in which facts and statistics are literally only as far away as a finger tap, the question is how self-storage operators can use...

Close your eyes and imagine a Jeep. What do you see around it? People typically see Jeeps in the great outdoors, maybe in the snowy mountains or in the deep woods rolling through the mud. 

“Immediately, your mind associates Jeep to the outdoors emotion...

At a defining moment in the self-storage industry, when profits are at an all-time high, Haviland Storage Services operates with a philanthropic focus on connecting with their community. Under the leadership of owner and operator Sue Haviland, employees...

With the shift to our new virtual world, you have probably found it more difficult to build and sustain professional relationships. Yet, the virtual technologies we are all using have actually expanded our opportunities to network and build connections....

Large or small, brand new or older properties, we are all in need of a constant stream of inquiries to grow or maintain occupancy and keep rates as high as possible. Community events and grassroots marketing in your neighborhood can do just that while...

Video tours of real estate and resort properties have long been used in those industries to help market their products, and many are finding it can work just as well for self-storage.

“In 2021, customers are busier than ever before,” says Ian Lopuch,...

By Erica Shatzer

The year is 2020, and self-storage facilities built during the development cycle before the Great Recession are either two decades old or close to that 20-year milestone. Twenty years really isn’t a long time for an edifice to be...

There’s a saying that “nothing is free.”

In these trying times, self-storage owners are trying to find ways to save money. While there are certain things owners/operators shouldn’t cut corners on, there are a few tricks that can get you free and...

‘Tis the season to be jolly, but if you’re not effectively marketing during this historical slower season you might find a lump of coal in your bottom line at the end of the year.

There are a few effective marketing tips that have helped in years past,...

The Impact Of Aging Baby Boomers On The Self-Storage Industry

The baby boom generation (born between 1946 and 1964) is largely credited with the genesis of the modern self-storage industry. Baby boomers’ propensity for consumption of flavor-of-the-month...

The Ins and Outs Of Internet Marketing

*This is an update of the article written for the June 2016 issue of the Mini-Storage Messenger.

As a builder, owner, and operator in the business for over 40 years (my first experience in self-storage was working...

How To Create A Retail Environment That Wows

When running a successful retail store, you have to know your products and have a story to tell about each one of them. The way to do this is to use them and listen to people who use them. Ask your...

16 Common Networking Mistakes That Can Derail Your Career

Networking is a skill that can help you develop and build long‐lasting business and social relationships. As with most skills, networking can be done well, but it can be done poorly as well,...

Research And Evaluation To Stay At The Top

Back when self-storage was a relatively new concept, depending on the market, owners and operators may not have had to worry about many competitors. However, those days are long gone. Many modern markets are...

How to Use Social Networks to Attract Top Talent

Hiring top talent has never been easy. With the current tightening of the labor market, though, it’s tougher than ever to find the best people. Gone are the days when an employer could post a help-wanted...

Six Leading Marketing Strategies For Self-Storage Facilities

By Sarah Baker

Your marketing strategy is the key to guiding more potential tenants your direction in the self-storage industry. Digital marketing tools and methods have surpassed the...

What are They and Why are They Important?

The self-storage industry is getting more competitive every day. For most storage owners, it’s imperative to rank well in local search. There are many components to ranking high in the search results. Keyword...

What Apple’s iPhone X Has Taught Us

On Nov. 3, 2017, a new product hit the smartphone market that would change the technology landscape for the foreseeable future. What was this product? The iPhone X. With cutting-edge perks such as facial recognition,...

Deeper Into The Digital Age

If you ask anyone the definition of marketing, you might get a few different answers. It is defined as the act of promoting and selling your products and services, including doing marketing research and advertising. However,...

Social Media’s Best Kept SEO Secret

By Poppy Behrens and Claudia Martinez

Your business needs to rank well on Google Local. That’s a fact. And you also realize that having an active social media presence is highly important in today’s social world.

...

Four Ways To Bring Them To Your Self-Storage FacilityGrey’s Anatomy premiered on ABC in 2005. For 12 seasons this hospital-based television drama has been popular with audiences and critics alike. It is one of the highest rated TV shows among viewers...

2017 Arizona Self-Storage Update

Let’s never forget that all real estate is cyclical. What has made these cycles in Arizona among the most dramatic in the country (along with Las Vegas) is a dangerous brew of the following ingredients: an abundant...

Customer Satisfaction Is Paramount

Several years ago, The Self-Storage Almanac, published by MiniCo, provided data on the various user groups’ average length of stay. Reporting that military and students were an average of four to six months,...

How Success Is Impacting The Market

At mid-year 2017, the self-storage transaction market remained brisk, with many brokers and buyers predicting the number of transactions could equal the same volume as the very busy 2016. That doesn’t mean the market...

Millennials Know They Are Buying More Than A Product

Technology has created a huge interactive world. With social media, hundreds of apps, and smartphones, any amount of information you want is at your fingertips. And millennials know how to use these...