StoragePug is a modern marketing company for self storage. We create intelligent marketing websites that allow you to rent units & take payments through your facility’s website.
Fact: a self-storage facility needs a website to reach its full potential. However, did you know a new facility should launch a website well before it opens for business?
It may sound premature or counter-intuitive, but there are several compelling, logical reasons why launching your website before your grand opening is a good idea.
A self storage website helps secure your investment in the self storage industry. Here’s a look at four reasons why you should launch a website before your self-storage facility opens.
Launching your website ahead of time allows you to begin filling your pipeline with paying customers.
People may not need a storage unit right now, but they may know they’ll need one in the coming months. Add a way for those interested to rent or reserve to your website, and you can start serving customers immediately.
Just be sure you’re following a conservative development timeline. You don’t want to take reservations and result in cancellations if or when construction slows, and you have to push back your grand opening.
Here’s something that not many people realize: Google doesn’t just index your website immediately and move it right to the top of the rankings when you launch.
Search engines want to ensure they serve quality results to their users, and they know that older and more established sites tend to deliver higher quality.
When you launch a site and add a sitemap to Google’s Search Console, you start the clock and accelerate your move to the top of the rankings.
The longer you wait to launch your site, the longer it’s going to take for the SEO juice to kick in — and SEO is just about the most affordable and effective marketing tactic you can use.
You would be amazed at how easy it is to put a “coming soon” banner on your website.
You can launch your site and let people know you’ll be opening soon, which helps build brand awareness. Plus, to start filling your pipeline (as noted in No. 1 above), you can offer a coupon, deal or discount exclusively through your website that’s only valid before the facility opens.
For example, you can offer a first-month-free deal to anyone willing to pay for the second month up front.
If you wait to launch a website until your facility opens, you may spend those first two months with a higher vacancy. Offering this type of early deal at least will help you mitigate low early-stage occupancy.
Starting a new business or opening a new location is tons of work. You’re likely to have a lengthy to-do list that feels overwhelming. Why not shorten that to-do list by getting your website out of the way early?
Your website will be essential to your facility’s success.
Get the website launched early, offer some early-bird deals and start taking reservations. Then, as the opening of your facility draws closer, you’ll be able to focus on your other to-do items plus you’ll have customers ready and waiting when you do open.
Speaking of to-do lists, you have so much to think and worry about when you’re a self-storage entrepreneur or manager. Why not hire pros to run your digital marketing that have the time, energy and expertise to help your business thrive?
At StoragePug, we provide digital marketing services exclusively to self-storage companies. If and when you need website development, online payment portals, pay-per-click advertising or other support, we deliver the results you want and need.
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