The key to successful marketing in any industry is knowing your audience. For those within self storage, this means marketing to the Millennial Generation.
Born between 1981 and 1996, Millennials have experienced quite a lot during their 22-37 years of life. They’ve experienced a pre and post 9/11 world, suffered financial woes from the 2008 economic recession, and remember life both before and after social media. These events have influenced Millennials in various ways:
- They account for more renters than home buyers
- They are more likely to live in urban areas, meaning they’re limited on space
- The Millennial generation moves more than any other generation
These three factors have allowed the Millennial generation to create a massive boom in the self storage industry. With so many options to choose from, it’s never been more critical for a facility to stand out among the competition. Here are four easy ways to market your facility to Millennials:
FREQUENT USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA, TECH, DIGITAL MEDIA
While maintaining an active, online presence is obvious in marketing to Millennials, many still don’t know how to do it correctly. First and foremost, consider which social media platforms will be most beneficial for your facility.
- Facebook -- ideal for reaching locals, advertising to large audience, and lead generation
- Twitter -- ideal for releasing important announcements, updates, and immediate response
- Instagram -- ideal for personifying company, profiling employees, giveaways
Provide unique, high-quality content on all platforms and schedule anywhere from 4-12 posts per week depending on the platform.
Next, you need to prioritize customer service via social media. This means when someone leaves a review or asks a question on a platform, you need to respond ASAP. The longer you wait, the more likely it is that they take their business elsewhere.
For Millennials, your social media platforms are a direct reflection of your business values. Quick response time shows efficiency. Engagement with both satisfied and disgruntled customers shows authenticity. Frequent social media posts show reliability.
SHORT, SWEET, AESTHETICALLY PLEASING
In a world that is constantly moving and evolving, our attention spans are incredibly limited. Therefore, you need to use your word-count wisely. Large blocks of texts will push your Millennial audience away. Condense your points as much as possible in blog posts. However, if you have a lot to say, consider doing the following:
- Break up points with bullets
- Use headers and subheaders
- Separate text with pictures, videos, or GIFs
In addition, all content you post should be aesthetically pleasing. Millennials will easily engage with what captures their eyes. This means websites, newsletters, and social media postings must look clean, easy-to-read, up-to-date, and captivating.
ENGAGEMENT WITH CURRENT EVENTS & POP CULTURE
To win the business of a Millennial, you have to stay updated on current events and trends. Old posts won’t win you new customers. Think outside the box and most importantly, relate it to your audience. By relating facets of the self storage industry with popular culture (i.e. film, television, music), you are humanizing your facility and putting a new, exciting spin on an often overlooked industry. People want to read things that interest them!
DISCOUNTS & SALES APPRECIATION
Millennials experienced firsthand the effects of the the 2008 economic recession. For the oldest of this generation, they struggled to find work opportunities as they entered the job market for the first time. For the younger side of the generation, they struggled with affording a college education and paying back large interest rates on student loans. Therefore, price is a huge factor for Millennials. Consider offering discounts or special deals to attract the Millennial client.