You can have the very best security, climate-controlled units, great rates and a beautiful self storage center, but all of the amenities in the world won’t help you if you can’t build one very important thing — trust.

Trust is essential to a self storage center’s success. After all, you’re asking people to entrust you with their belongings, which is a very personal decision.

Trust comes easy when you get personal recommendations from your existing customers and tenants, but it’s a lot harder to build with online leads who have found your self storage center through an ad or social media post.

Ultimately, the amount of trust you build online comes down to your reputation. The stronger your reputation the more trust you’ll build with prospective leads and customers.

In this blog, we’ll talk about 10 tips that can help you build a strong reputation in your self storage center online.

10 key reputation management tips for self storage centers

#1. Have a professional website

Before someone is willing to sign a rental agreement or even stop by your self storage center to check out one of your units, chances are, they’ll visit your self storage website. It needs to be professional and attractive if you want it to convert those visitors into customers.

Your self storage website should:

• Clearly state your services and value proposition
• Use attractive photos that highlight your self storage units and features
• Include detailed descriptions of your self storage units, rates and policies
• Include customer testimonials or reviews
• Be responsive and mobile friendly
• Be easy to navigate and use
• Be optimized for search engines

If your self storage website isn’t meeting these criteria, it could hinder your ability to build trust online.

Remember, your website is your self storage center’s home online, and it’s the main hub of your reputation.

#2. Improve your customer experience

Most people think building an online reputation happens mostly online. But, the fact of the matter is that your online reputation is actually a reflection of the kind of customer experience you provide at your self storage center.

The better the customer experience you provide, the better your online reputation will be.

Here are a few self storage customer service tips to help you improve your customer experience and build trust:

• Be punctual – If you say you’re going to open at a certain time, make sure you do
• Be professional – From the way you dress to the way you speak, always be professional
• Be helpful – If a customer has a question, make sure you answer it thoroughly
• Be responsive – If a customer calls or emails, make sure you get back to them promptly

If you want to build trust with your customers, you need to provide them with a great self storage experience.

#3. Know where you stand

Before you can dig into the weeds about what you need to do to improve your online reputation, you need to know where you currently stand. This will give you a baseline to measure your progress and help you set some reputation management goals.

Take a few minutes to search for your self storage center on Google or Bing. Read through the self storage reviews on Google and other self storage directories. Look at your social media accounts to see what people are saying about you there.

Once you’ve done all of that, you should have a pretty good idea of where your self storage center’s reputation currently stands.

If you find that your online reputation could use some work, don’t worry. There are plenty of things you can do to improve it.

Pro tip – Monitor your reputation on a regular basis

Knowing where you stand is an important part of building a strong reputation for your self storage center, but it’s not a one-and-done thing. It’s something that can and should happen on a regular basis.

Use reputation management software, like the Marketing 360® Reputation app, to keep a close eye on your reviews and reputation across the web.

#4. Encourage self storage reviews and testimonials

One of the best ways to build trust online is to get self storage reviews and testimonials from your existing customers. These reviews act as social proof that your self storage center is trustworthy and worth doing business with.

The best self storage reviews are:

• Detailed – The more details the better. Your potential customers want to know what their self storage experience will be like if they choose you.
• Positive – Obviously, you want your self storage reviews to be positive. But, even if you do receive a negative review, try to take it in stride and use it as an opportunity to improve your self storage center.
• Recent – The most recent self storage reviews will hold more weight than older ones. So, it’s important to encourage your customers to leave self storage reviews on a regular basis.

There are a few different ways you can encourage self storage reviews from your customers. The most common is to simply ask them. You can do this in person, over the phone or even through email.

Another way to encourage self storage reviews is to offer an incentive, like a discount or a free month of self storage. Just make sure you don’t violate any policies on the review sites you’re using.

#5. Respond to your reviews

If you’re not responding to your self storage reviews, you’re missing out on a big opportunity.

Responding to self storage reviews shows your potential customers that you care about what they think and that you’re willing to engage with them. It also gives you a chance to turn a negative review into a positive one.

Responding to negative reviews can be especially tricky. Here are a few tips to help you get it right:

• Give yourself a minute to breathe – If you’re feeling angry or defensive, it’s best to take a step back before responding.
• Take the conversation offline – If a customer has left a negative review, reach out to them privately and see if there’s anything you can do to resolve the issue or invite them to contact you directly to discuss the issue.
• Be professional – No matter how upset you might be, it’s important to always respond in a professional manner.
• Apologize – Even if what the customer is upset about is totally out of your control and not your fault, apologize!
• Thank them for their feedback – Whether the review is positive or negative, thank the customer for taking the time to leave a self storage review.

Responding to your reviews is an important part of building a strong reputation, and how you respond makes all the difference.

Pro tip – Use CRM software

CRM (customer relationship management) software is a powerful customer service tool that can help you enhance your customer experience and build lifelong relationships with your customers.

The Marketing 360 CRM app is a great option for self storage centers. It provides everything you need to manage all of your customers and contacts in one place.

#6. Get active on social media

Social media is a great way to connect with your customers and build a strong reputation for your self storage center.

People don’t just use social media to connect with friends and family anymore. They use it to discover new brands and local businesses, like self storage centers.

The key to social media success is to be active and engaging. Post self storage tips, announcements and deals on a regular basis. But, don’t just post about your self storage center all the time — mix it up!

And, when customers reach out to you on social media, make sure you respond in a timely manner.

Pro tip – Use a social media scheduling tool

To build success on social media, you need to post on your profiles consistently. That can be tough when you’re a busy small business owner with a full schedule.

Social media management software, like the Marketing 360 Social app, can help you save time and stay on track by scheduling out your social media content ahead of time.

#7. Invest in content marketing

Content marketing is all about creating and sharing helpful, relevant and engaging content with your potential customers. And, when done right, it can help you attract new self storage customers and build a strong reputation for your self storage center.

Here are a few self storage content marketing ideas to get you started:

• Write blog posts about self storage tips
• Create self storage infographics
• Make self storage videos for YouTube
• Start a self storage podcast

Content marketing is an important part of building a strong reputation for your self storage center. By creating and sharing helpful, relevant and engaging content, you can attract new self storage customers and build a strong reputation.

#8. Verify and manage your local listings

Local listings management is one of the most important self storage marketing strategies for building a strong reputation.

Local listings are online directories that list local businesses, like self storage centers. And, when customers search for self storage centers in their area, you want your listing to be one of the first they see — and for it to stand out.

That’s why it’s so important to make sure your self storage center’s local listings are optimized, accurate and up-to-date.

Here are a few tips for managing your self storage center’s local listings:

• Verify your self storage center’s name, address and phone number (NAP)
• Add photos, videos and business descriptions
• Encourage customers to leave self storage reviews
• Monitor and respond to self storage reviews

By verifying, optimizing and managing your self storage center’s local listings, you can help ensure that potential customers can find your self storage center online — and that they have a positive impression of your self storage center when they do.

#9. Really listen to customer feedback

Collecting customer feedback is great, but it won’t do you much good if you don’t actually listen to it to improve your business.

Your customers are the best source of information about your self storage center. They know what they like and don’t like, what works well and what needs improvement.

Make it a habit to collect customer feedback on a regular basis — and then take action on it. Use customer feedback to improve self storage policies, procedures, processes and more.

And, when you make changes based on customer feedback, let your customers know! They’ll be impressed that you’re listening to them — and it will go a long way in building a strong reputation for your self storage center.

#10. Get involved in your community

One of the best ways to build a strong reputation for your self storage center is to get involved in your local community.

There are plenty of self storage marketing opportunities to get involved in your community, like sponsoring a local event, donating self storage space to a charity or partnering with a local business.

Not only will getting involved in your community help you build a strong reputation for your self storage center, but it will also help you get in front of and attract new self storage customers.

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Building a strong reputation for your self storage center is essential to attracting new self storage customers. By following these reputation management tips, you can start building a strong reputation for your self storage center today.

Learn how the Marketing 360 Reputation app can help you build a strong reputation for your self store center. See our plans and pricing.