Category: Best Practices

What Is Social Media’s Role in SEO?

One of the most frequently asked questions we get from our self storage clients is whether investing in social media will help their facility’s search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. The short answer is…it’s up for debate. So let’s talk about it! Links on Social Media If someone links to your facility’s site on social media, this doesn’t directly help your search engine results page (SERP) rankings on Google. This can be confusing as you may have heard that getting backlinks from high-authority sites helps your SEO. And aren’t sites like…

The Current Self Storage Landscape

Over the last twelve months, the self storage industry has gone from a desirable asset class to one of the most sought-after investments in the commercial real estate landscape. The uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic created a pause but 2020 would demonstrate very strong year-over-year rental growth and occupancy across most major markets. With strong performance during and emerging from the pandemic, we have seen a wave of new inventory hit the market for sale and record pricing in many markets. What is driving this wave of inventory? What is…

The Advantages of a Working with a Security Integrator

Modern self storage security encompasses an increasingly complex range of technology that deters crime while improving operators’ ability to monitor and respond to threats. As the demand for more comprehensive and complex systems grows, so does the importance of proper installation. While most have a low-voltage electrician they can call on, the operational advantages of establishing an ongoing relationship with a certified security integrator that specializes in self storage, is often overlooked. With the ability to coordinate, install and connect solutions, integrators play a crucial role in helping owners and…

Proactive Strategies to Drive Revenues

In today’s ultra-competitive self storage market, many independent owners are unsure about what to focus on to keep their property competitive and increase its value. With the continued growth of the REITs, regional operators and third-party management platforms, many independent operators are facing more skilled and well-capitalized competitors than ever before. So, how can an independent self storage operator not only stay competitive, but preserve and increase their value as well? It is simple; independent operators need to change their attitudes and processes to become more proactive. Below are four…

Janus International Announces New Service Offering, ‘Facilitate’

Janus International Group, Inc. (NYSE: JBI) (“Janus”), a leading global manufacturer and supplier of turn-key building solutions and new access control technologies for the self storage industry, today announced its newest service offering, Facilitate, to complement the company’s suite of self storage solutions. Led by industry veteran, David Alexander and a team of on-staff project managers, Facilitate provides holistic services for optimizing and maintaining self storage facilities while also offering a planned maintenance program to help offset the costs of repairs. We’re very excited to add Facilitate to our service…

Key Performance Indicators

While the self storage industry is growing, there is still room for facility owners to use data to improve facility performance. Before you can leverage your data, you need to know what it means and how to interpret it. Determining your Key Performance Indicators is your first step. Determining KPIs Looking at all your marketing data can be overwhelming and intimidating. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) can help narrow your focus when looking at a large batch of data. These indicators can be anything from click-through rate to bounce rate. Looking…

Decoding the Mystery of the Self Storage Cap Rate: How and Why It’s Used to Assess Facility Value

If you’re planning to sell or purchase a self storage facility, your real estate broker will talk to you about value in terms of capitalization (cap) rates. If you’re an owner looking to refinance, your appraiser will also use a cap rate to determine value. As an owner, it’s important that you understand this metric! To help you get a firm grasp, let’s explore the ins and outs of the cap rate, including what it is, how it’s calculated and how it’s used in self storage. What Is a Cap…

The Benefits of a Security Integrator in Self Storage

In today’s self storage industry, security encompasses an increasingly complex range of hardware, systems and technology platforms that deter crime and improve operators’ ability to monitor and respond to threats. Security integrators play a crucial role in helping owners and operators manage and optimize all aspects of their security systems. They coordinate, install and connect hardware, software, networks and hybrid IT solutions and develop a comprehensive security strategy tailored to your operation’s unique requirements. Specifically, there are several ways a qualified security integrator adds value to your self storage operation:…

Using Data to Drive Self-Storage Acquisitions

As a real estate investor, incorrectly identifying a deal can potentially cause catastrophic losses, while proper identification of a deal can set you up for long-term success and wealth creation. In a competitive marketplace, real estate investors must combine a boot-on-the-ground qualitative analysis with data-driven quantitative research. It is the combining of these two approaches that paints the most complete picture allowing for additional insight to how a property may perform. Gone are the days of information asymmetry where the seller always had more information than the buyer. Technology has…

How Data Platforms Are the Future of Investment Sales

These days, the story of industry disruption through innovative technology is a daily occurrence. Interestingly, each new innovation triggers a series of disruptions by applying that technology to other industries. For example, Uber was a major disruptor in transportation services and today there are countless “Uber of …” across myriad industries. Within the storage industry, we have observed this through the emergence of companies like Clutter and Neighbor. As real estate specific technologies (aka Prop Tech) continue to emerge, self storage owners and investors should be prepared to experience a…