What else can I do to get clients to use my service?
I am starting a mobile self-storage business model and don't have a budget for advertising,
- I have done SEO.
- I have a Facebook page set up.
- Joined community groups
- Posted an ad on a platform like gumtree.
- I have also done a few letterbox drops around my area.
My question is, what else can I do to get clients to use my service?
With any new self-storage business you have to have researched and positioned your mobile service differently to the existing competition. How have you achieved that initial step, what comparative advantage are you offering?
It is almost impossible to start any commercial exercise without a marketing budget So immediately attribute at least 12% to 15% of your gross revenue to your marketing budget.
You claim to have an optimised website, send me a link and I would be happy to review it and its optimisation for you.
Your Facebook page may be of value, but don't place too much reliance on Social Media.
What community groups have you joined? Networking will very likely be you most effective low cost marketing activity ( on-line community groups however will contribute next to nothing to your bottom line)
What platform "like Gumtree" have you posted on? Most of the free listing sites are invariably ineffective
Direct mail has a fairly predictable response rate, so what you generate as enquiries is determined by the quantity of letterboxes you delver to (as well as the attractiveness of the offer your mailer contains)
By definition "clients" are people who already use your service Jamie. So I presume you are looking for prospects. Prospects respond well to a professional approach containing a persuasive offer and obvious call to action, a solid testimonial will always make your proposal far more acceptable.
Your activities as outlined in your question, sounds as if you have fallen into the trap of believing you have a business, when what you have actually have is a website, a Facebook page and some freebie directory listings. None of these are likely to attract any custom (unless you are vary lucky), without some strategically directed marketing funds.
My question to you is what have you got to sell or how can you go about attracting some investment capital so you can afford to advertise?
Thanks for the offer John, is it free to consult?
You can do digital marketing
Care to share some ideas he can probably use for his mobile self-storage business model?
Hello Jamie,
What is your capacity?
What is your target area?
If you send me your target area, I can send you a list of properties advertised for sale and rent. These may be hotter prospects, compared with a total area letterbox drop.
I have to agree with John here (and Steve and John above). You need to know who your market are and learn where they interact if you expect them to come to you. But as John has alluded to here, I think there is a massive opportunity in partnerships. Have you approached realtors and offered them a % of each contract you sign for each client they give you? Realtors know who are decluttering for a sale, or looking to move etc. They will actively promote you, giving you a passive pipeline that costs you a percentage only when it converts. I would also consider speaking to renovations companies. People doing renovations may need to declutter as well, and your solution means they can do a pack away without too much fuss - no hiring vans etc. Look to identify your market, then go Approach the people who are already offering complementary services and leverage their reationships.
What do you mean by what is your capacity? Are you referring to the number of employees, John?
Hey Jamie,
Try thinking about how your customers would think about your service.
What are they thinking about when they need your solution? I would guess that they would be stressed due to cost, timing, hassle of finding the right solution, etc.
Try to position your business as the solution to their pain (and frustrations).
Example: Hate having to hire vans? We get it. That's why we bring our storage to you.
Ask clients for reviews (on social media) or testimonials that you can put on your website or advertisements. Also ask if you can take pictures during the process so you can show other prospects real people using your service.
Get a testimony from your previous customers, if you have done a great job, it shouldn't be hard to get some customer testimonies. If you can get a video testimony that is gold.
Steve Osborne, director at Steve Osborne / Smarthinking
Following on from John's first point about positioning (and his excellent summary), have you identified your actual Target Market? Who are they? Why will they–in particular–buy your service rather than another group? If you have a clear profile of your target audience, your mission is then to establish where they "live", hang out, who they are influenced by, what they read, what they consume etc. With that information, you can target your message specifically using your channel(s) of choice and avoid your current situation of being spread too thinly with no measurement criteria. When you know what you're aiming at, you can justify creating an appropriate advertising budget to match.