It goes without saying that having an online presence is important to running and operating a business in today’s day and age. Consumers spend on average six hours and 42 minutes online each day according to the Digital 2019 Report by Hootsuite and We Are Social. That’s over 25% of the day spent on a mobile device or computer. More importantly though is that 87% of consumers begin their product searches on digital channels, per a report from Salesforce and Publicis.Sapient. In short, if you aren’t online, your business is already behind.

As a member of the U-Haul Self-Storage Affiliate Network, you get the opportunity to list your business on the U-Haul reservation system, which includes uhaul.com. It helps our customers find additional coverage in areas where U-Haul may not have a strong presence and it helps you fill rooms. In reviewing our data, we noticed that affiliates aren’t fully taking advantage of their listing on uhaul.com. With over 5 million customers visiting our website every month, having just a few visit your page can help. However, if your profile isn’t complete, odds are, you’re not selling customers on why they should choose your storage facility to store their belongings.

So what makes a good profile? And what should you have updated?

1. Images. Images. Images.

Ever rent a hotel room online without first looking at images of the rooms or amenities that are available? Chances are, probably not. Customers are visual and WANT to see what your facility looks like before deciding to store their belongings there. Take full advantage of the ability to upload images through WebSelfStorage. There are no limits to how many you can upload either!

Try to capture the following shots:

· Front of the Facility

· Front Office/Desk

· Hallways

· Amenities (Dump Station, Electrical Outlets, etc.)

· Security Features in Use (Fences, Cameras, etc.)

· Storage Units Open/Closed

We do highly recommend having staff in your photos as a friendly face helps sell!

2. Accurate Information

It goes to say, having your information up to date and accurate makes a huge difference. Make sure that your office hours and access hours are accurate. You don’t want customers showing up when the office is closed or promising access hours online that you can’t honor at the location.

Don’t forget about your address either. If customers can’t find you, then they can’t rent from you.

3. Show off Those Features!

Do you have video monitoring? Individually alarmed rooms? Tall ceilings? Or any other key selling points? Use this section to showcase your facility features, especially security features. In our own internal customer surveys, security was one of the most important features customers looked at. Customers are interacting with this feature on your uhaul.com profile. So let them know what makes your facility stand out!

4. Discounts and Promotions

Running a promotion or have a discount to offer customers? Use this space to share that offer with potential tenants during their exploratory phase in the purchase journey. Online shoppers tend to always search for discounts before making purchases. If your offer is available and displayed up front, the better chance of securing them.

5. Ask for Reviews

There is a reason why reviews are valued by businesses everywhere. They can be the difference between gaining and losing protentional customers. On uhaul.com, your customers can share their experience with other customers. Remind customers that they can review their move-in and move-out experiences after completing either.

6. Keep Inventory Up to Date and Activated

One of the most important is having your inventory up to date and activated on uhaul.com. Customers can’t rent if they see a “No Rooms Available” message when they land on your facility page. We’ve also observed that the more times a customer sees the message “No Rooms Available” the likelier they abandon the process all-together. That means you lose a customer and so do we and no one benefits.

If you’re running low on inventory, also consider zeroing out your threshold for reservations. While having that one last unit available for a walk-in is important, customers seeing “no rooms available” while they research online can turn them away from your business before they even give you a chance.

Make it a goal to update your profile this month and improve your online presence. With customers starting their shopping experience online, having an online presence is key to filling more rooms.

Ready to make some changes? Log in to your WebSelfStorage account and get started today! If you need assistance making changes or have additional questions, give us a call at 1-866-693-6683.