Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Texas Self Storage Searches Made Easy

You never know when you may have need for a self storage unit in Texas.  The old saying everything is bigger in Texas holds true when doing a search for self storage, mini storage or mobile storage in Texas as well.  If you do an internet search for self storage in Texas you will get more than 7 million results.  Why would you possibly want 7 million results for self storage in Texas.  Since there are only a few thousand total storage facilities in Texas shouldn't the total relevant results be closer to that number not a number that is more than 2,000 results per actual storage facilty.

USstoragesearch.com is a website that has made find storage in Texas easy.  You can start with a search that is as broad as Texas or as local as your home address.  The site will give you the results you are looking for.  Each storage facility is listed in the city/neighborhood/zip code it actually exists in.  You can compare the facilities and what they offer very easily.  You can print coupons, find unique deals or you can e-mail the facility for a free storage quote.  If you want to take the next step you can reserve a storage unit from the storage facility that you prefer in much the same way you would reserve a hotel room online or by phone.

The website has a call center that operates 24/7 with bilingual storage professionals standing by to help you or you can get in touch with the facility directly through the website.  USstoragesearch.com certainly does make finding Texas self storage easy.  Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth, Galveston and every suburb and neighborhood in between - the site has you covered.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Finding Florida Self Storage

Today more than ever you may be waking up wishing you had a self storage unit to keep all your extra things in.  Having a safe and secure Florida self storage unit is a pretty inexpensive investment that can really give you peace of mind during hard times, like when hurricanes decide to interrupt our otherwise ideal state. 

Hurricane Isaac brushed by most Floridians, but this isn't always the case and now would be a great time to think about how to prepare for future natural disasters and other similar events you have no control over.  Getting a storage unit to keep your valuable extra items in can be very inexpensive.  You can get a smaller unit that will hold as much as a 1 bedroom apartment for less than a dollar a day in most cities.  Some places are a little more expensive but even still the daily cost is so little compared to what you spend daily on say a cup of coffee it might be time to consider the investment into your own secure storage space.

Not only does an event like Isaac help remind us that we may have things we need to protect right now but there is another reason to look at storage right now.  This is the time of year that self storage facilities in Florida have a ton of college students move out of units they kept over the summer while waiting for this semester's housing assignment.  There are some pretty awesome storage deals out there.

Finding storage is pretty easy.  Do a search using your favorite search engine or give a self storage directory a shot.  These sites have done an excellent job of compiling all the information you need in one place, they encourage specials and deals by the Florida storage facilities found there and you can even reserve your storage unit in advance of arriving just like you would make a hotel reservation.  There are a few reputable directories.  The largest and best self storage directory in my opinion is USstoragesearch.com.  Here you will find storage in hundreds of Florida cities and zip codes.  Find the unit you want, reserve it online or call and talk to a storage agent 24/7. 

Take the time to assess what you may need to get in storage now and plan ahead for the next time something comes around that makes  you wish you had a safe and secure storage spot in Florida.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Ways Self Storage Facilities Can Give Back

Want to make more money? Want to draw positive attention to your self storage facility? Want to increase your profits and book every self storage unit in your facility? Then be nice. True story—being nice does not always mean you finish last. Being nice at your business comes in so many different forms and you don't have to even take money into consideration in the whole process (except for the part where your sales increase and you start making more money). Giving to the community doesn't mean shelling out a lot of money to sponsor a sports team or something along those lines.


 

You can give back to your community by leaving boxes throughout the facility for people to donate unwanted clothes, books and other items. Think about how many people have been displaced by the horrendous state of the current economy. Think how many of the people that rent from you are storing their household goods because they've been forced out of their homes. If you set up a box for gently used clothes and books, others can greatly reap the benefits and you won't have to be bothered at all. You've now helped somebody and helped to create loyalty with a customer.


 

You can give back to the community by participating in a one of the hundreds of races, runs, and walks that take place every month to raise money for charities. Have people sponsor you. Wear your self storage facility t-shirts or something during the event to show your brand. Again, you are creating loyalty with people who like that you are taking time to help others and you are doing something nice for the community.


 

During the fall and winter, giving back is on the minds of so many people. Since it's October, you could do something for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Put up pink balloons, wrap pink paper around your main door, put up posters shows people ways to get involved. For Thanksgiving, put a box out in the office for a canned food drive. Promote an offer like 1 can = 1 % off next month's rent up to a certain amount to help raise food for a local food bank. Your company gets attention and the community receives resources. Work with the United States Marine Corps and have a Toys-for-Tots box at your storage facility. Again, promote that people can receive a small discount for donating. Have a crafty spouse make something like candles and set up a stand at one of the hundreds holiday crafts fairs that take place this time of year and say your company is donating the profits to charity.


 

Year round you can donate a small storage unit to a charitable organization to boost exposure and give back. Create a gift basket for a silent auction full of moving supplies for a local high school. The possibilities are truly endless. Think about what you could do to get your company's name out in the community and give back at the same time.


 

As we all know, most of our customers come from local markets and quite often from word of mouth; so make sure what people are saying is good and remember your storage facility's name when their friends and family mention they need self storage. Make sure that people have positive connotations of your company so that they will want to trust you to harbor their items. Instead of customers thinking, "Oh, right. I think I've heard of that storage place down the road, I guess I'll look into it." Have them think, "I'll go book with this storage facility because they came out and supported the March of Dimes last spring." Go out and do some positive promotion, give back, and complete random acts of kindness. It'll be good for your business, you as a person, and the community.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Adding Depth to Your Self Storage Facility

Your self storage facility is more than just a location full of storage units and an office; at least it can be more. In today's market, everybody is trying to find a way to be different. Most are trying to stand out from other places without having to put too much of a dent into their own pocket. There are many things that can be done and looking at what others have done can be a great source of inspiration.


 

Store Self Storage and Wine Storage, a Palm Beach Gardens Self Storage facility, was able to drum up some extra attention throughout the summer and into late September by opening up part of the facility for a green market. By opening up a covered portion of their facility, they were able to host essentially a farmer's market where local vendors brought in their home made or home grown goods. The event brought in people during the summer and provided a great source of word-of-mouth advertising. In October, the facility is hosting another event. They will be hosting a Wine and Design Showcase.


 

The green market and showcase that Store Self Storage and Wine Storage holds also garners them a lot of local attention from local, small media outlets. Perfect free advertising. Both events were also covered by Insideselfstorage.com. The facility saw a need in the community and offered up a venue to satisfy that need and received a lot of attention for it.


 

Your business can do something similar. Fall is craft season. People love homemade goods from holiday presents. You can open up part of your facility for a small craft fair. Advertise around your community with simple fliers and posters. Or you could open up part of your business as a meeting facility. Allow organizations to rent out portions for group meetings and such. Just find something to bring in more people that won't have a deep out of pocket expense.


 

Another Chicago Self Storage Facility, LifeStorage of Libertyville, Ill., is hosting a used car tent show. Nine dealerships are in on the event that will surely bring in a lot of attention. Not only will people throughout their local area be informed of the event, but again, the facility is receiving attention from readers of Insideselfstorage.com. This project is a little bigger and more involved, but it is just another option from which you can draw inspiration.


 

Host a flea market, local art show, bark in the park in your parking lot, or something that brings in people without costing you a lot of money. Take a look at your community and see what your facility can do to add to it. Are you in a college town where there are art students who would love to sell their stuff? Host a simple art show. Do you know of a car club that is looking for a place to show off their cars? Host a cruise-in.


 

Examine what your self storage facility has to offer and then make a difference in your community while enjoying the advertising benefits.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

USstoragesearch.com Named “Best Website” by Inside Self Storage Readers

USstoragesearch.com, the leading self storage marketing website for the last seven years, was named "Best Website" in the 2011 Best of Business choice-opinion poll conducted by Inside Self Storage. Voting by Inside Self Storage readers took place on the Inside Self Storage website between May 31st & June 30th of this year.

Michael Kucera, President & Founder of USstoragesearch.com said "USstoragesearch.com couldn't be more excited to have our members and others within the storage community cast a vote for our website. We work extremely hard to continually improve our website while retaining the core components that have made USstoragesearch.com such an integral piece of so many storage operators' overall marketing plan. We are proud and extremely grateful for the industry's recognition of USstoragesearch.com."

USstoragesearch.com was one of the first online self storage directories and has grown to have more members than any other website in the storage industry. Originally started as a lead-generating website for self storage operators, USstoragesearch.com continues to provide its members with quality phone calls, e-mail leads and quote requests. In addition USstoragesearch.com recently launched its Self Storage Network and now powers many other leading storage domains like www.storage.com and www.StorageUnit.com. The USstoragesearch.com Self Storage Network allows storage facilities to secure tenants through online storage reservations. These reservations are secured by a credit-card deposit and lead to new tenant move-in rates of more than 90%.

For more than 20 years, Inside Self Storage has provided informational resources to self-storage owners, managers, developers and investors. Its educational offerings include a monthly magazine, bi-annual tradeshows, an extensive website, an education institute and Self-Storage Talk, the industry's largest online community. The Best of Business choice-opinion poll is conducted annually by Inside Self Storage and this year's winners will also be honored in a ceremony at the Inside Self-Storage World Expo in Las Vegas, March 14-16, 2012.


 

About USstoragesearch.com

USstoragesearch.com is a trusted storage partner; serving the storage industry with aggressive and cost-effective online Self Storage Marketing. Established in 2004, USstoragesearch.com is the self storage industry leader with the largest and longest standing storage directory with the largest member base, featuring over 18,000 member facilities. Storage customers using the USstoragesearch.com online reservation network, which includes high-quality partner sites like storageunit.com, www.findselfstorage.com, & storage.com, search real-time available storage units by facility location, unit size, property features and specials. Customers have an easy way to find, compare and securely reserve storage by credit card in minutes. These real-time reservations have been proven to convert to paying rentals for member facilities more than 90% of the time.

About Inside Self-Storage

Inside Self-Storage (ISS) is the leading critical information source for self-storage owners, managers, investors and developers. The ISS brand includes publications, e-media, a discussion forum, tradeshows and educational resources. Established 1991, ISS provides solutions to the challenges operators face in a competitive and economically challenging environment, and covers topics essential to every self-storage professional: day-to-day management, facility marketing, legal issues, construction and development, finance, real estate, staffing and more. The ISS family includes Inside Self-Storage magazine, now in print nearly 20 years; Inside Self-Storage World Expo, the industry's largest conference and tradeshow; SelfStorageTalk.com, a rich, interactive online community; and the Self-Storage Training Institute, which offers certification through its Qualified Storage Manager Program.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Preparing Yourself & Your Storage Facility for Hurricane Irene

With hurricane Irene coming, people from North Carolina up to Maine are preparing themselves for the worst. Generators, bottled water, canned food, and flash lights are just a few of the items flying off the shelves as people get ready for strong winds and rain. People along the east coast have had several days to prepare and still have a little time to get things together before Irene reaches the US. Meteorologists have been tracking the storm since it first started swirling and are constantly updating people about the latest projections for the impact. The high winds and rain that come with hurricanes can do a lot of harm and damage to people and property if proper measures are not taken ahead of time. Meteorologists track the storm and try to give people as much time as possible to prepare because there is a lot to be taken care of prior to the first rain drop falling.


 

Reports of gas stations being shut down, electricity going out and water services going down during after the storm have people scrambling to get their homes ready. In the confusion of preparing, don't forget businesses need to be ready also. There are measures you can take to prepare your storage facility for a hurricane or any inclement weather. It is important to keep your staff and clients safe and have your facility prepared to withstand the possible conditions.    


 

The North Carolina Self Storage Association has posted tips about what precautions should be taken to prepare your facility and your customers. Here are the tips that they recommend:

  • Listen to weather forecasts and any available information regarding the weather regularly. Anticipate the worst and be prepared to complete all the tasks for a safe and successful shut down and evacuation.
  • Locate the tools and equipment that may be needed and assemble it at a central location. Those items should include but are not limited to: flashlights, batteries, tarps, hand tools, etc.
  • Walk the facility and identify any items that can be secured or stored inside until the storm passes. Secure those items immediately.
  • Clear drains and downspouts to reduce flooding. Turn off any automatic timers for sprinkler systems.
  • Move any vehicles that may possibly prove to be in the way. If you have any boat/ RV parking, call those tenants to remind them to make sure their property is secure.
  • Be aware that in the days prior to a storm, the power may go out frequently. Determine if you want to limit property access during this time to only when the office is open.
  • Print a Rent Roll, Vacant Unit Report, Access Code Report, and an Insured Roll report from Store and any other reports you think you need to work with in the event that the power is out for an extended period of time.
  • Identify and collect important office documentation and move the data to a location that is not vulnerable to the situation at hand.
  • Unplug the computer, fax, modem lines and any other electrical equipment in the office that is not needed for emergency information. Move equipment away from windows.
  • Keep the telephone plugged in until you leave the facility. Charge your cell phone until the power goes out. Make sure that someone has a way to reach you whenever possible.

These are the tips that they recommend. There are other things to consider if you have a self storage facility that is in the path of a storm. You should also look into protecting your facility further. You should consider taking the time to tape up or board up large windows you may have in your office area. You should try to keep computers and other electronics far away from windows to try to keep them away from the elements in case a window does get broken or if the heavy rains break seals and start water leaks around windows. Also, you could post something on your facility's website letting customers know when, or if, you are closed.


 

Being prepared for the storm and taking precautions can save you a lot of time and money and ensure the safety of your storage facility, staff and clients renting storage units from you. Taking a little time ahead of time and investing in a few precautionary measures cannot hurt. The cliché of "it is better to be safe than sorry" is something to think about, especially when trying to deal with elements of nature.