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ISSUE: Sep/Oct 2008

Creating An Ad That Sells

What Works For Self-Storage Advertising

By Jennifer LeClaire

Create An Ad That Sells

Create An Ad That Sells

If you want to boost your business in a down economy, advertising is one solution—if you do it right. Companies that keep up advertising efforts, despite headlines warning of recession, have a competitive advantage over companies that slash their ads.

That’s according to a study Yankelovich Partners and Harris Interactive conducted. The study revealed that more than 85 percent of business executives believe advertising during a down economy is extremely important.

How does that translate to self-storage, specifically? Is advertising more important in slow times than ever? And, if so, what types of advertising yield the greatest returns for self-storage facilities? How do you build a bring-em-through-the-doors ad? And, how can you really prove your ads are working?

There are plenty of questions around advertising in any economy. The good news is that there is industry history to fall back on, industry veterans to look to, and new advertising vehicles to explore on your quest to tap into the power of advertising to increase revenues today.

Why You Should Advertise Now

Some facility managers may be looking at declining occupancy, rising delinquencies, and overall revenue dips. With profits down, is this really the best time to invest additional money in advertising? Self-storage experts and advertising industry gurus agree that now is indeed the best time—and for good reasons.

“In boom times, nobody wants to spend the money because people are still coming through the doors. In down times, advertisement plays a bigger role,” said David Dixon, vice president of development for Universal Management Company.

Peter Geisheker agrees. You should always be advertising to keep your name in front of potential customers.

“Remember, out of site equals out of mind,” says Geisheker, CEO of The Geisheker Group. “And if you do not advertise to get prospects, your competitors will be advertising, and they will get those customers. If your competitors are not advertising and you are, you will get the customers.”
Of course, no one is suggesting throwing caution—and your advertising dollars—to the wind. As you examine the advertising possibilities, look at what has historically driven qualified traffic through your doors or made your phone ring—and what hasn’t.

There are certain types of advertising media that have traditionally worked well for self-storage, and if you aren’t advertising through those vehicles you may want to test the waters. However, there are differing opinions as to which media work best for self-storage facilities.

“I believe in the more economical types of advertising, such as shared mail pieces. I don’t think the Yellow Pages is as important as it has been in the past, though you do need some presence in the Yellow Pages,” says David Blum, President of Blum Management Services.

“I like hitting the streets and handing out flyers, and going door to door at apartment complexes that are near by. That is very effective,” Blum says. “If you can get the support of your local Chamber of Commerce, it is also helpful in your local advertising efforts.”

Dixon offers different strategies for effective advertising. He still relies heavily on the Yellow Pages as the main medium, even though he admits it isn’t as effective as it once was. Radio and newspaper ads don’t work in all markets, but Dixon does push out ads through these media in some cities.

“I don’t think we are ever going to get rid of print ads and the Yellow Pages, because people still use the book to find companies,” Dixon says. “I am big on billboards as long as they are within a mile or so of the facility, but they are very expensive. We also use Valpak for new facilities that have just opened.”

The Age Of The Internet

Of course, those are tried and true ways. Internet advertising, meanwhile, is still struggling to make inroads into the self-storage business compared to its explosive adoption in many other industries. Experts say self-storage facilities need to get online—now.

Hal Moore, president of the self-storage training firm Moore Creative Concepts, says the Internet’s power is in its economies of scale. Some of his clients are investing a significant portion of their advertising budget in the Internet—and with results. “The Internet is the way to go. Advertising dollars need to be spent on the most efficient, effective advertising vehicle, not necessarily the most lavish and colorful,” Moore said. “You can run a Web site for $35 a month.

You have to have a Web site to start with, then you can advertise more broadly across the Internet.” Moore believes misperceptions about the Internet are causing self-storage industry players to shy away from online advertising. They don’t understand that you can put digital coupons, discounts, etc. online and it will drive people into the facility. And, it is cheaper to do it online than to print it and mail it.

“You can spend $750,000 in a metropolitan suburban area in print and TV or you can hire 10 Web programmers,” Moore says. “And you don’t need 10 Web programmers. So with Internet advertising you still have to send the right message, but it’s how you send it and how people are finding it that’s different; and it’s often more effective.”

Ingredients For An Effective Ad

Once you’ve settled on the right media, it’s time to create the most effective ad possible. That’s easier said than done. From an industry outsider’s perspective, one of the biggest mistakes self-storage facilities make with advertising is emphasizing price rather than benefits.

“The greatest challenge to creating an effective ad is understanding the needs of the consumer,” says Dave Scanlon, chief strategic officer at Focused Image, an award-winning marketing communications firm specializing in branding and advertising.

There are three approaches to ad creation: Breaking through the clutter, creating a compelling message with emotional appeal, and not succumbing to cleverness, according to David Fields, managing director of Ascendant Consulting, LLC, a consulting firm.

People act based on emotion, therefore an ad must make an emotional connection to be effective. People also rationalize their actions with logic. If you have the emotional connection in place, it helps to give customers some logical platform to leap from.

Self-storage facilities have additional advertising burdens. You need to include some sort of offer in the ad, such as a free lock, 10 percent off moving supplies, a free month’s rent, or some other promotional draw that entices the customer to come in.

“People in the past have tended to use a lot of bullet points in their ads. I don’t think that is as effective as two or three key highlights that will distinguish your facility. Keep it clean, keep it simple, keep it colorful and keep it easy to read,” Blum says. “The biggest challenge today is not cluttering your ad. Don’t overdo it.”

The Manager’s Role To Play

As a manager, you have a role to play in effective advertising. In fact, operators expect you to go the extra mile to ensure results. You are the one who’s there day in and day out. You know what new advertising opportunities are available and what tends to generate the most traffic into your facility.

“I like the manager’s involvement in designing the ad. That gives them ownership of it and they are anxious for the ads to work,” Blum says. “We also expect managers to help us create offers. Managers need to understand that it’s not only about advertising. You need to get out on the street and hand things out.”

Managers should also help quantify the efficacy of the ad. You can accomplish this by asking folks who come into or call the facility how they heard about your site—keep a tally sheet. “If you are sending out flyers, you can put ‘Ask for Mary’ on certain marketing pieces and ‘Ask for Susan’ on others so you can track who saw what ad,” says Dixon. “You can even use different phone numbers in different ads to track them.”

At the end of the day, advertising can get expensive if you don’t do it right. One of the biggest mistakes is overspending on the wrong medium. The name of the game is targeted reach with a compelling message that drives traffic. And not just any traffic; the traffic that is most likely to actually sign a rental agreement and boost your occupancy rates.

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Seven Keys to Creating Effective Ads

Don’t know where to start? Peter Geisheker, CEO of The Geisheker Group, Inc., a Greenbay, Wisc.- based marketing firm, suggests seven keys to creating effective ads. Consider this your checklist and listen to the phones ring.

1. Develop A Strong Headline. Craft an attention-getting headline that points out a huge benefit. Rather than making it all about price, focus on other benefits of your facility.

2. Copy That Sells. Write text that sells the prospect on why they should do business with you. The text should convince them how you will solve their problem and make their life easier, and how you’ll do that better than anybody else.

3. Guarantee Satisfaction. Offer a satisfaction guarantee. This isn’t a gimmick, but rather a sign that you have confidence in your self-storage facility and your customer service.

4. Advertising Your Specials. Offer a promo, such as one month of free storage with every lease. If you have an ongoing special, put it in your Yellow Pages ad.

5. Publish Testimonials. List customer testimonials that let potential customers know what it’s like doing business with you. Your customer will probably be thrilled to be included in an advertisement—they can tell all their friends.

6. Make A Clear Call To Action. You need to make sure you include your phone number prominently in the ad and tell them to call today for specials.

7. Put Your Web Site In The Ad. Offer more information at your Web site. Add a line such as, “To see pictures of our storage units and a map of where we are located, visit www.yourwebsite. com.”

Jennifer LeClaire is a freelance writer based in Hallandale Beach, Florida, and a regular contributor to the Mini-Storage Messenger and Self-Storage Now!