How to Attract the College Student Market: A 4-Step Guide
If you are in the self-storage business and are looking to target the college student market, you will have to keep up with their trends. There are things that this audience responds to very well, and there are other things that can set them off. Here are a few things that can add value to your business from a college student’s perspective. Our 4-Step Guide on How to Attract the College Student Market will help your business succeed in gaining more market share.
Evaluate your Services
The first step is to evaluate your business practices. You will need to identify what college students are looking for in self-storage spaces. One way to get this information is through surveys or polls. However, there are a few things that are generally what a college student might expect of you.
Extended access hours grab every college student’s attention. Students are looking for flexibility and convenience. Generally, most students don’t enjoy being saddled with time-constraints. Allowing them to access their storage spaces for an extended period will make your offer more attractive.
Another thing that you incorporate in your offer is an option for a short-term lease. Students are often only looking to rent storage spaces for a semester or a few months. You can introduce short-term lease options specifically for students. Plus, you can add low rates and other student discounts to the package to make it more student-centric.
What students are looking for are small and affordable spaces that can get the job done. The Pros and Cons of Sharing Storage with a friend or by offering decent units at a low price, you will get more of their business.
Optimize Website for Students
College students get all their information on the internet. You must have an excellent digital presence to reach out to these students. It means that you should have social media pages and groups in addition to a business website. You can post promotional offers, discounts, and coupons on these forums. You can also hire ad agencies to boost your posts among the target audience, which converts more customers. Another great option if you don’t have a website is to get listed on a directory site that will list your business and your services, one great directory that has a great FREE option is StorageLookup.com.
Get Listed on University Resource Pages
You must check with the university and college nearby and try to get on board with them. It would require you to get in touch with the administration. They can also connect you to students who can act as your point of contact on campus. This can quickly help spread the word about your business. A couple of Student Resources for just a couple of great colleges are MIT, ASU, University of Colorado, and Georgetown College, just to get you started.
Moreover, it would be best if you were on official university resource pages. You will have to make a strong case and present an offer that helps everyone involved. You must check up on all the different policies and make an airtight case. It is also essential that you keep following up in case the procedures are not gaining traction. However, you also must maintain a professional distance.
Market the Right Message at the Right Time
Lastly, as stated earlier, keeping up with the trends is very crucial to your plan. It would help if you kept a lookout for any opportunity. For example, if a particular business is popular among college students, try to get on board with them and partner up.
You can also help out students by keeping track of their breaks. You can provide moving services/moving supplies, and you can post flyers around the campus when you expect a new lot of students. Hence, you have to keep in touch with student activities.
Storage units are always in demand. However, you may not get the attention of students in the traditional way. But you can successfully attract the college student market by mindfully incorporating these four steps into your plan.
