WEBINAR Q&A: The Secret to Increasing Self-Storage Income and Asset Value

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Below is the list of Answers to the Questions asked during the February 21, 2018 Industry Webinar with Peggy Lovejoy from G5. If you missed the webinar you may watch it on-demand from the SiteLink website.

Q.  What are some of the best ways to grab someone’s attention on our website? We’re concerned about bounce rate – people leaving too quickly.
A. It’s important to direct the user toward what you want them to do. When there are too many options on a website, a user often doesn’t know what you want them to do. In website design, we tend to see a lot of navigation options, copy and “calls-to-action.” We recommend you minimize the number of actionable items on your website to one or two items – such as look at your inventory, select a unit, and reserve or lease that unit. It’s just a few steps to get them to that point of conversion.

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Q. How can a business improve its “findability” in local searches?
A. Make sure you have local and relevant content on your website, especially in your copy. Start by representing unique things about your property, such as nearby landmarks or schools/universities close by. That’s what people will be entering in their search criteria. When the relevant content is available on your website, it will be more likely to return in a search result.

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Q.  How do I tell the difference between an ad and a natural result in a Google search?
A. Paid ads are at the top. Listings underneath the ads are the organic results from your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy – the way you’ve built your website to give it the authority to come up higher in the search result. The relevancy of your website copy and how fast your website loads will definitely impact the authority of your digital presence and bring it higher up in the organic result.

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Q. Can you give us your thoughts on remarketing and best tactics for this advertising option?
A. Remarketing is trying to get back in front of a user who has visited your website already. This is a person progressing through the buyer’s journey and is not ready to make a decision yet. They’re still doing research. Remarketing is putting digital ads in front of these users as they’re browsing other websites. We can follow that user and get your business back in front of them so you are top of mind. It’s a good reminder for them to go back to your website, and then make that buying decision.

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Q. What are some proven techniques to get customers to give positive reviews on Google, Yelp, etc.?
A. It’s important to have good review traffic, because most people are starting to make decisions based on reviews. Invite your happy customers to leave reviews, and this can be done at various stages. For example, when a tenant is finished with the leasing process and is moving into a unit, they may have been very pleased with how that process played out. That’s a good opportunity to reach out and ask them to please leave a review. Another opportunity is when a tenant is moving out and they’ve had a good experience with your facility.

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Q. How do I make sure my marketing is optimized for mobile?
A. Responsive design is critical in delivering a seamless experience when a user is moving across devices (desktop, tablet and mobile). Implement strong SEO in your mobile website, so when a user lands on it, they have a good experience. In digital advertising, mobile real estate is very limited, so when a user starts a search, the results are primarily going to be ads. So it’s key to have a good conversion experience, which plays into whether or not your ad is going to show up in that mobile real estate.

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Here are the results to the polling questions asked during the webinar: