By The Storage Group |
Your interest has probably been piqued by the boom in the recreational vehicle industry. You’ve done the market research and decided your next endeavor is to take advantage of the market by owning and operating your vehicle storage facility. That’s great–but now what? How do you get started? What sort of problems can you expect to run into and what will the day-to-day be like?
There’s going to be a steep learning curve even if you’re familiar with the self-storage industry. Vehicle storage is a whole other ball game. If you are unsure about what to expect, read on through this general guide to get an idea of what’s in store for your storage.
If You Build It, They Will Store
Whether you’re starting from the ground up or the previous operator has just handed you the keys, you may still have reservatio
ns about how you will fill out all of that new space. By now, at this stage of the game, you should be aware of what sort of market your physical location is in. Chances are, if you’ve gotten this far, you know there’s an unfulfilled need in your area for storage of traditional and nontraditional vehicles.
There’s no guarantee in the business, but if you follow these general guidelines on what your focus should be on, you will see your business start to grow. These considerations should be in addition to business practices, such as incredible customer service and dependable security features.
Tech Time
With technology slowly encroaching into every aspect of our daily lives, it stands to reason that adopting those technologies into your business has a lot of benefits. For one, technology streamlines processes, such as curating rental agreements and payments online. This saves your business time and money. Your customers’ time is also saved, and the added convenience of conducting business straight from your phone eliminates barriers for potential customers to overcome.
Integrating contactless technology, such as an electronic gate with personal access codes opens up the availability of belongings exponentially. This prompts potential customers to choose your facility for convenience.
Utilize new technologies for the safety of your facility. Your use of technology must be centered around protecting those belongings that tenants choose to store. After all, these vehicles are often very expensive investments and the needs of a vehicle storage facility are different than those of a regular self-storage facility.
Fancy Features
You are in an industry that provides storage services, but generating alternate revenues of passive income to your facility will benefit both your customers and your business. Ultimately, you’re in the business of storage, and that should be your primary focus. However, some facilities offer amenities that are free and serve as additional income.
For instance, having a dedicated garbage disposal for tenants to use when storing their belongings for a while is a handy convenience for your customers, and maybe while they’re busy cleaning out their boats and campers, they might want a drink from a facility vending machine. You can also sell fuel and propane and the use of air to your tenants as essentials needed to enjoy their large toys. If you can find a way to be their storage center while also being their one-stop shop for all elements relating to recreational vehicle travel, you should do so.
Sell Yourself
Customers aren’t going to use your services if they don’t know you exist. Even investing some time to learn about local listings on Google will help tremendously for those who perform a quick Google search to find the nearest facility. But your strategy shouldn’t end there, and marketing your facility will go a long way and can make the difference between a facility that is surviving versus one that is thriving.
At Toy Storage Nation, we are the voice of the recreational vehicle storage industry. You want to begin your business venture on the right foot, and you’re busy trying to run this facility yourself, so you don’t have time to learn the ins and out of the digital marketing industry. TSN has your back, and we are the experts when it comes to marketing your facility to reach your goals and set up new expectations. You need advocacy by professionals because we know everything there is to know about digital marketing and recreational vehicle storage. If you’re ready to take the next step, contact us today to get started in elevating your company.
