Mediaboss Marketing

Social media is a form of online marketing that many self-storage operators cast to the wayside. While most understand they should be using it, they dont always understand why; and because its daunting to them, it often gets ignored. When done properly, however, social media management doesnt take long.

Its understandable if you question why being active on social media is important, what platforms are best for the industry and what types of content will engage followers. You just need to grasp a few essentials, and then youll be able to expertly implement your social plans and amplify your branding efforts. Ill help you out with that below and also share few common mistakes to avoid.

Being active on social media is important because it helps you build brand awareness, increase your customer base, and connect with prospects and tenants. It can also boost leads and sales. Just having a presence isnt enough, though. You must post, share and reply on your social pages to keep the audience engaged. This also helps you stay relevant in each followers social feed.

There are dozens of social media platforms, and its impossible to be active on all of them. Further, not all of them are worthwhile for self-storage. At the very least, create profiles on Facebook and Google Posts. Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube are also good places to build a presence. Lets explore the two main ones I mentioned.

Facebook. Its the largest social media platform in the world, with more than 2.4 billion users. To get started, you must first create a business page for your self-storage facility, which gives you the option to run ads and access Facebook Analytics. This is very different from your personal Facebook page.

To stay active, its recommended that you post once per day, but never more than twice per day. At the very least, post three times per week. Posting too little or too often will drop engagement rates and decrease brand awareness.

Google Posts. This is a feature on Google My Business (GMB). If you havent set up your business page, thats the first step. GMB is an important part of search engine optimization and online marketing. Its the profile that comes up when people search for your kind of business online. It includes information such as your facility address, phone number, hours of operation and a map.

Once youve created your GMB page, you can post text, links and images to this profile. The catch to Google Posts is each one only stays live for up to seven days, and only the first two are visible without scrolling. Because of this, its vital to post oftenat least once weeklyto ensure you always have visible content.

The core of each social media page is your profile. Before you start to work on content, put some effort into those. While each platform has different requirements, make sure youre filling in bios and adding information about your website, hours, address and more. Use your facilitys logo, and have a sharp, clean profile picture as well as a cover photo. Your information should be uniform across all platforms, so customers can easily recognize you.

After your profiles are optimized, then you can start posting. Creating content is where most self-storage operators struggle and fall behind. Still, its the way to build lasting connections with current and potential customers, drive people to your facility, and share your business value. To develop engaging posts, focus on these great categories:

When generating quality content, figure out the best plan for your business. Some people like to dedicate a short time every day to gather and post. Others prefer to devote a whole day once per month. Consider using a social media posting tool such as Hootsuite to schedule your posts and save time.

As with any new thing, theres a learning curve when you start on social media. Mistakes will be made; but the more you use the platforms, the better youll understand them.

One of the biggest slipups made by business operators who are new to social media is posting the same information at once across all platforms. Its important to stagger your posts, so you arent giving followers the same content everywhere simultaneously. This way, if they follow you on multiple sites, theyll see different content when they switch between them.

Another mistake is ignoring comments and posts on your pages. Its important to respond to everything. Whether its negative, positive, a question or a statement, reply in a way that makes the person feel his input is valued. This increases engagement with your fans and leaves a positive lasting impression.

To recap: Build your profiles. Post often but not too much. Be consistent with your brand messaging. Stagger your posts. Respond to all posts and comments. By following these simple guidelines, youll avoid any major blunders and have an active, engaging social media presence.

Now that you have a better understanding of which platforms to use and what to post, youre well on your way to becoming a social media pro! This is a process that takes time to unfold, but in the long run, it can generate more digital traffic, create new business and add value to your branding. Its an area of digital marketing that cant be forgotten.

Kyla Kane is a content writer for Easy Storage Solutions, a provider of Web-based management software for small- to mid-sized self-storage operations. Shes been writing articles and blogs for more than five years, and specializes in content on outdoor recreation, self-storage and tourism. She graduated from North Dakota State University where she earned a bachelors degree in hospitality and tourism management, with a focus in marketing. For more information, call 888.958.5967; visit http://www.easystoragesolutions.com.

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Becoming a Social Pro: What, Where and When to Post on Behalf of Your Self-Storage Brand - Inside Self-Storage