1. The price of your storage unit was cheaper online.

   

   Many times, self storage facilities will offer discounts for reserving a storage unit online through coupons or third party websites.

2. This storage facility has been burglarized several times in the last year.

   

   Photo courtesy of indyweek.com

   Storage facilities are not immune to burglaries or thefts. In order to avoid a potentially unsafe storage facility ask the storage manager if you can talk to existing customers. Ask what kind of locks the customers use and if there are alarms on each of the storage unit doors.

3. This storage facility is in a terrible neighborhood.

   

   Photo courtesy of anders.com

   If you are new to an area or even on a tight budget, you may end up finding cheap storage units in a not so great area. The facility might offer cheap rates in order to draw in more customers because higher paying customers are in a better neighborhood with less crime and theft.

4. We found a meth lab in that storage unit last month.

   

   There is almost no way to know who or what was in the storage unit prior to you putting your couches and chairs in. The manager may not even know and wouldn’t tell you even if they did. Unless the unit had fire damage or the tenant left items behind you will probably never know who or what was in the unit prior to you.

5. You most likely will not make money on that storage auction.

   

   The word is (mostly) out. Everyone has watched the TV shows and read the articles about ‘Storage Wars’. Most of the items in the storage units are staged and it is very difficult to continuously make money on storage auctions.

6. Your rent will probably increase in 2 months.

   

   Some storage facilities will move you in on a low rate and raise the rent a few months later. Ask the manager how often they raise their rates and how long you are guaranteed this low rate.

7. Our competitor down the street has nicer storage units.

   

   The storage industry didn’t take the hit the rest of America did during the Great Recession but it wasn’t immune either. The storage industry is a fairly tight knit group but sending customers to another storage facility will rarely happen. One customer means, on average, a $800 sale and a 6 month stay. The industry is charitable, but not that charitable.

8. We have free moving trucks.

   

   Some storage facilities will offer rental trucks to customers but most are probably not totally free. You may have to pay for gas, mileage or an hourly rate.

Disc locks and cylinder locks are most likely the best locks to use for a self storage unit. Here are some items you DO NOT want to use to lock a storage unit.

1. Twist Ties

   

2. Shoelaces

   

3. The Club

   

4. A Hockey Stick

   

5. A Bike Lock

   

6. Christmas Ribbon

   

7. Rubber Bands

   

8. Duct Tape

   

9. A Fork

   

10. A Chair

    

What do you think? Can you come up with any other poor ways to lock your storage unit? Sound off in the comments!

The comprehensive SEO Guide for Self Storage Operators details nearly every aspect of Search Engine Optimization from start to finish. The guide is easy to understand and follow, and was written to be a complete SEO guide whether you are an SEO pro or novice.

“This could potentially be a game changer for self storage owners looking to do their own SEO,” SelfStorageFInders.com Marketing Executive Brian Barwig said. “More and more advertising and marketing dollars are being shifted from traditional forms of advertising to internet advertising, but some storage owners still don’t understand what they are spending their money on.”

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has many complicated aspects and the SEO Guide is intended to illustrate each area of SEO. Storage owners will be able to learn, understand and analyze their own SEO efforts with help from the Guide.

“With regards to SEO, there is still a large amount of false information floating around in the storage industry,” Barwig said. “We are trying to put the myths to rest, get the facts out there, inform owners how to go about SEO the correct way, and put it all in one place so it is easy to find and comprehend.”

SelfStorageFinders.com lists thousands of storage facilities on their web platform already, so why publish the SEO Guide? “Even though we have a vast web presence, the fact of the matter is we aren’t in every city, nor does every storage facility want to be listed with us,” Barwig said. “We are trying to help every storage facility in the country create a web presence and gain exposure in their towns even if it’s not with us.”

SelfStorageFinders.com lists more than 5,000 storage facilities nationwide and offers an easy to use comparison shopping experience for potential renters. Self storage owners can list their storage facilities on SelfStorageFinders.com at no cost and pay on a cost per reservation model. SelfStorageFinders.com is committed to aiding customers in finding self storage quickly and easily while maximizing return for storage owners. For more information, please visit http://www.selfstoragefinders.com.

Self storage is a great way to de-clutter your home around the holidays or hide presents from your kids and significant other. Though self storage units are inexpensive and convenient, they can cause you added stress as well. Here are 8 ways self storage can cause depressive thoughts……

1. Walking into the storage unit reminds you of your prison time and “being in the hole”.
2. Having your $3000 wedding dress ruined while it was in storage would push anyone to the edge.
3. Having to drive your belongings across country in order to take the new job promotion in the big city, with a smaller apartment and higher rent.
4. Going through a divorce and losing half your stuff can’t be easy.
5. Ruining your 500 bottle wine collection by forgetting to put it in climate controlled storage units.
6. The thought of having to pay your storage unit bill on time each month or risk all of your possessions being auctioned off in front of millions of people on ‘Storage Wars’.
7. Keeping your storage unit meth lab secret from everyone is a difficult task.
8. Having to store your TV, stereo and surround sound system from your newly renovated man cave in order to turn it into a bedroom for your mother in law who now needs a place to stay would drive anyone nuts.

1. Take her to your climate controlled wine storage unit for a romantic evening. The temperature is right, the wine is aged and sparks are sure to fly!
2. Hop in your boat stored at the storage facility and feel the cool breeze. Disregard the fact that you won’t actually be on the water. Instead, imagine what it would feel like to be zooming through the waves with the sun beating down on you.
3. With self storage, you now have a place to stash all of your comic books, Dungeon and Dragons and Magic cards so she won’t find them. It worked for Andy Stitzer in the ’40 Year Old Virgin’.
4. Chances are, your storage unit has less mice and roaches than your nasty apartment. Get away from the mess, mice and clutter and step into a night of romance at your clean, organized storage unit.
5. With some planning, the storage unit can be turned into a dance studio, bar or movie theater.

What do you think…any other ways self storage can help you get a date? Sound off in the comments!

Free-Press-Release.com– Apr 14, 2010 — Self Storage Finders, an online self storage directory, announced today the addition of Optivest Properties and Alpine Self Storage to its growing directory. Both companies will now be featuring their storage facilities before tens of thousands of potential customers who search Self Storage Finders each month.

Optivest Properties offers third party management services to over 35 storage facilities in 6 states. They bring a wealth of knowledge, leadership and influence to the Self Storage Finders platform. Optivest has 37 listings on the directory and has chosen a direct link from Self Storage Finders to each of their facility pages. One example can be seen by searching Dallas self storage.

Alpine Self Storage operates 16 facilities in 5 different states, including storage in Florida, Texas, Utah, Ohio and Louisiana. A simple search for Lake Worth self storageis an example. Currently, they have 16 listings where potential renters can view facility information such as amenities, descriptions, pictures, specials, unit sizes, office hours and even visit the facility website.

Marketing Director Brian Barwig stated, “We are excited to have Optivest and Alpine Self Storage on our directory. Both of these companies are leaders in the storage industry and have taken steps forward by listing on our website and continuing to be innovators.” The added presence of these Preferred Members will not only enhance the Self Storage Finders website and brand name but also improve user experience and value.

Selfstoragefinders.com is committed to aiding customers in finding self storage locations quickly and easily by providing storage unit locations and contact information for facilities around the country. Prospective tenants can search through the Preferred Member listings and Neighboring Member listings on the site to find the best personal fit. The company offers unique opportunities to storage owners in addition to prospective renters. Selfstoragefinders.com generates exposure for its Preferred Members by offering premier visibility on major search engines connecting prospective renters to self storage owners.

Shawnee, KS, February 17, 2010 –(PR.com)– Self Storage Finders, an online self storage directory, is proud to announce the launch of a new and much anticipated website redesign. The new design is a key factor in order to establish brand awareness, provide clarity of communication and foster business to business marketing and lead generation.

The website incorporates sleeker design architecture with clean, aesthetic lines optimizing the overall consumer experience. The simple and clean site design is part of the company’s mission to continuously meet the needs of its Members and potential renters by providing improved navigation, better organization of content, interactive communication functions, user friendliness and current website technology.

The website redesign is one of several tactics Self Storage Finders has incorporated into their integrated marketing campaign. “We are happy to unveil our new website redesign. Being able to stay current on technology advances is a priority for us. As an innovator in the online storage industry, we must give the customer and client a positive user experience. We are confident the new redesign will achieve this objective,” said Brian Barwig, Marketing Director of Self Storage Finders.

“I am very pleased with the new site,” says Barwig. “It is not only aesthetically pleasing but it also has enhanced load speeds and design flexibility.” He adds the site will continue to grow as Self Storage Finders does saying, “We are constantly evolving and adapting while encouraging our Members to be vocal about what they like and do not like about the website.”

Enhancements have also been made to the sites general website directory and blog organization.

They continue to strive for excellence and have designed the site to be a primary source of storage information on the internet – a one-stop resource for potential renters.

All of the updates allow users to more easily find the information they are searching for, in the most logical places, and to support them in their research, evaluation and selection of a storage unit. The redesign will continue to contribute to the value Self Storage Finders customers and Members receive through the company. The redesign is another step in efforts to continually enhance user and Member experiences, as well as to deliver additional functions and features.

The website was redesigned by Fox Web Creations, a Kansas City based company servicing various businesses in several industries.

SpareFoot, the online self-storage marketplace and industry solution provider, announced it now boasts the largest advertising network in the industry—larger than all of its competitors’ combined (Compete.com, March 2011). This benchmark follows SpareFoot’s recent agreement to power SelfStorageFinders.com.

The partnership with SelfStorageFinders.com was finalized earlier this month, effecting a major change in the way the site serves both facilities and consumers. It previously utilized a subscription model, whereby self-storage facilities paid monthly for listings without any guarantee of performance. On the SpareFoot Network, there are no monthly fees, and listed facilities only pay when a new tenant moves in—guaranteeing ROI.

SelfStorageFinders.com will benefit from an improved user experience to drive more transactions, and a much larger database of storage facilities. The overhead spent on managing facility advertising subscriptions will also be eliminated, simplifying their business overall.

“As key players in this milestone for SpareFoot, we’re excited to be a part of what is now the largest online marketplace for self-storage,” said Matt Price, owner of SelfStorageFinders.com. “Through this partnership, we will generate even more exposure for our listed storage facilities. Meanwhile, it’s easier than ever for our consumer visitors to find and compare all of the best storage options in one convenient place online.”

SelfStorageFinders.com joins SpareFoot’s rapidly growing list of partners, which already includes leading sites like SelfStorage.com, Apartments.com and uShip.com. Sites in the SpareFoot Network enjoy more web traffic than all other independent storage directory and listing sites combined. The three-year-old company, led by CEO Chuck Gordon, is committed to developing a diverse suite of products that offer the most straightforward, effective online marketing solutions for self-storage operators.

“This milestone is incredibly exciting, and we’re eager to take our ideas and products even further in the self-storage industry,” Gordon said. “As self-storage consumers increasingly turn to the web to research their options, our goal is to help make their search for storage as simple as possible. And in doing so, we can help storage facilities improve their online visibility and generate more tenants through smart online marketing.”

About SpareFoot: 
SpareFoot is the leading online marketplace for self-storage. With more than 5,000 self-storage facilities listed nationwide, SpareFoot offers consumers the most complete comparison shopping experience in the storage industry. Across multiple properties including SpareFoot.com, SelfStorage.com, Apartments.com and many others, SpareFoot helps storage facility operators find new tenants—all through an entirely pay-for-performance model. SpareFoot is backed by Silverton Partners, FLOODGATE and Capital Factory. For more information, please visit http://www.sparefoot.com.

About Self Storage Finders: 
SelfStorageFinders.com is committed to aiding customers in finding self-storage quickly and easily. The site provides location and contact information for facilities nationwide. Prospective tenants can search through listings on the site to find the best storage solution for their needs. The company offers unique opportunities to storage owners in addition to prospective renters. SelfStorageFinders.com generates exposure for its facility clients by offering premier visibility on major search engines. For more information, please visit http://www.selfstoragefinders.com.

Shawnee, KS, August 26, 2010 –(PR.com)– After reviewing the results of a successful three month trial on the Self Storage Finders directory, Simply Self Storage requested to become a Preferred Member with the company. Simply Self Storage operates self storage facilities in 16 states and Puerto Rico and is the sixth biggest operator of storage facilities in the United States. Christina Furnia, Director of Marketing, states, “We joined SelfStorageFinders.com because they offer a great online presence and get us great exposure as they continue to increase their SEO efforts. Their internet presence, web interface and price point were major attractions for us.”

Brian Barwig, Marketing Director of Self Storage Finders, stated, “We are excited about the opportunity to aid Simply Self Storage’s marketing efforts and the continued brand building their addition brings to our company. We have put a strong effort into building our brand and SEO over the past few months and it is encouraging to note other companies have taken notice as well.” Besides Simply Self Storage, Self Storage Finders has added U-Store-It, Extra Space Storage, Safeguard Self Storage, Cutting Edge Self Storage and Optivest Properties to its Preferred Member list in the past six months. Barwig added “We want to keep this momentum going into the SSA, ISS and TXSSA Trade Shows and finish the year strong.”

About Simply Self Storage

Ranked #1 in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Hot 100 Fast Growth Businesses in America” Simply Self Storage is the largest privately owned self storage company in the United States and Puerto Rico. They own and operate 137 facilities with over 9.9 million square feet of storage space.

About Self Storage Finders

Selfstoragefinders.com is committed to aiding customers in finding self storage locations quickly and easily by providing storage unit locations and contact information for facilities around the country. Prospective tenants can search through the Preferred Member listings and Neighboring Member listings on the site to find the best storage facility for their personal need. The company offers unique opportunities to storage owners in addition to prospective renters. Selfstoragefinders.com generates exposure for its Preferred Members by offering premier visibility on major search engines connecting prospective renters to self storage owners.

Shawnee, KS, May 18, 2010 –(PR.com)– Self Storage Finders, an online self storage directory, today announced the addition of Safeguard Self Storage to its popular search directory. Safeguard Self Storage will now be featuring its 59 storage facilities in front of thousands of potential renters who search Self Storage Finders monthly.

Safeguard tested 15 of their facilities in the New Orleans and Philadelphia markets for 3 months and received favorable results. After reviewing the results of the trial period, Safeguard’s Vice President of Operational Initiatives Kurt Kleindienst decided to add the rest of Safeguard’s properties to the Self Storage Finders directory. “At Safeguard Self Storage, our mission is to lead the self storage industry in product quality, service and value—which means we need to connect with as many people as possible who are looking for self storage. Selfstoragefinders.com provides an efficient way for us to reach people when they are seeking solutions for their storage needs. We look forward to assisting each individual who comes to us through Selfstoragefinders.com to find the storage solution that suit their unique situation. And with the recent upgrades to our website that allows current customers to make their payments online and for new customers to obtain rental rates and specials and to reserve or rent online we are really excited about is opportunity.”

Marketing Director of Self Storage Finders, Brian Barwig stated, “The addition of Safeguard Self Storage to our online directory is a big step forward for us. The added presence they will bring to our directory will enhance our website, continue to improve our branding in the storage industry and allow us to continue providing valuable self storage information to customers. This is a testament to the effort we have been putting towards upgrading our SEO.”

About Safeguard Self Storage
Safeguard Self Storage has been providing storage solutions for more than 20 years. Since 1989, the company has distinguished itself with a unique development philosophy and a consistent commitment to customer service. Safeguard’s innovative development and acquisition strategy includes urban, infill locations and features high-quality design, modern security and plentiful amenities. Today, Safeguard operates approximately 60 facilities in the South, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Northeast – all with the mission of leading the self storage industry in product quality, service and value. For more information about the company, or to rent or reserve online, visit www.safeguardit.com.

About Selfstoragefinders.com
Selfstoragefinders.com is committed to aiding customers in finding self storage locations quickly and easily by providing storage unit locations and contact information for facilities around the country. Prospective tenants can search through the Preferred Member listings and Neighboring Member listings on the site to find the best personal fit. The company offers unique opportunities to storage owners in addition to prospective renters. Selfstoragefinders.com generates exposure for its Preferred Members by offering premier visibility on major search engines connecting prospective renters to self storage owners.