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I say it all the time. Local marketing needs to be an essential component of your self storage web marketing strategy. That being said, it is also important to identify where people are searching for local businesses. In the last few years, the prevalence of handheld technology has changed that behavior dramatically. In fact, 60% of American adults now use smartphones and tablets to search for local businesses and services. If that doesn’t convince you, 50% of local-mobile searches are looking specifically for business information like a local address. That’s why your storage facility’s local listings are more important than ever.
What is a Local Listing?
To clarify, a local business listing is an online profile that shows your facility name, address, phone number and other details. There are thousands of websites and directories that allow local business owners to create free business listings. Having correct and consistent information across trusted websites and directories will not only help potential customers to find you but it can also help with organic rankings and map search placement.
Information Displayed on Local Listings
The information displayed on these free local listings does vary by website and directory but here is a list of things that are typically displayed. Again, it is best if the information about your facility is the same across the web, it adds to the credibility of your facility, so always use the same name for your business.
• Business Name
• Address
• Phone Number
• Website
• Business Hours
• Business Categories
Some websites offer enhanced information about local businesses like:
• Photos
• Videos
• Staff Bios
• Specials Offers / Discounts
Monitoring Local Listings
Your facility’s local listings are not something you can set and forget. You do need to monitor them on a monthly basis to make sure the information is correct. Listings can be hijacked. In other words, another company can claim your local listing and change the phone number to theirs or have the website click through to their website. I know this sounds like a lot of work, that is why a lot of storage facilities use a web marketing company to handle their Local Listing Management. Tools like DynamicListings have the ability to monitor listings across 70+ websites, directories, apps and maps. It helps identify and correct inconsistencies, suppress duplicate listings and most changes appear on the web within 3-5 days.
Managing your local listings not only makes it easier for potential customers to find your storage facility but it also adds credibility to your business for the search engines. The benefits are twofold.
By: Jeanne Dotson, Director of Internet Marketing Strategy
Date: 8/16/16