Studies have shown that a growing number of customers value the importance of sustainability when making purchasing decisions. According to a Nielsen survey, almost half of U.S shoppers are actually willing to alter their consumption habits if it helps the environment. This trend is especially important for self-storage companies across the United States. In particular, 75 percent of millennials—customers between the ages 25-40 and a significant portion of the self-storage market—are willing to pay a premium for a sustainable brand.
At the same time, the self-storage industry is facing fierce competition and the potential for changes in a post-pandemic world.
As of January 2021, there were a whopping 49,233 self-storage facilities across the United States. Large cities like Miami, New York, Austin, and even mid-sized cities like Oklahoma City, have self-storage markets that are nearly tapped out. While there was a large influx of customers due to pandemic-related residential evictions, hasty relocations, and job losses, many existing customers may no longer be in need of storage services in the near future as the pandemic nears its end.
One solution that self-storage facilities can consider to help attract and retain customers in a fiercely competitive market is using solar and battery storage. Now more than ever, self-storage companies need to be innovative in their marketing strategy, and solar technology can play a key role. There are also a few easy things you can do to market your facility’s sustainability impact to reap benefits over the long term.
Attract and retain customers with solar
Installing solar technology on your already empty rooftop can work as an innovative marketing strategy. By going solar today, you can stay on trend by creating a sustainable brand and meeting the growing demand for businesses that value the environment. Your self-storage facility can also stand out and differentiate itself by marketing how solar adds reliability against power outages.
All in all, being known as a company that is dependable, a positive addition to the community, and one that understands the importance of sustainability is a recipe for success to attract new customers and maintain the existing ones.
Differentiate as a climate-resilient facility
There are many customers who value the protection that a self-storage facility can offer their belongings. That is why many choose the reliability that climate-controlled storage spaces provide to regulate temperature and humidity. However, rising extreme weather conditions, such as Texas snowstorms and California wildfires, have made power outages a common threat across the United States.
Solar, combined with battery storage, can be a great way for self-storage facilities to ensure that they have electricity in case there is a power outage and the grid is down. Solar energy batteries work by storing energy produced by your solar arrays or imported from the grid for later use.
To attract new customers, you can advertise the fact that your facility is climate-resilient and is well protected against the threats of climate change. By ensuring that your storage facility has a reliable electricity backup, you are also avoiding any negative customer experience and threats to future revenue. According to a study by researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the benefits of installing a solar plus battery storage system outweighs the immense cost businesses face with power outages.
Showcase your sustainability decisions
It is important to make customers feel connected to your brand in order to retain them over the long haul. The following are some great ways to stand out and make customers feel as if they are contributing to a business that supports the environment:
- Add clear signage around your facility indicating that it is solar powered
- Communicate how each customer’s personal carbon footprint has decreased by choosing a solar-powered facility
- Ensure that email promotions include solar energy as a differentiator
- Highlight key sustainability metrics on your website and annual report (i.e., cumulative CO2 emissions avoided due to installed solar energy systems, renewable energy consumption/production)
If you do this, you would be joining a growing list of companies that are investing in solar technology for their facilities, not only to save money, but also to reap the marketing benefits it adds. The leading installers of on-site solar in the U.S are some of the country’s most well-respected companies, such as Google, Verizon, and General Motors. Therefore, this is a great opportunity to be able to communicate your company’s commitment to the planet and sustainable development.
Contact the self-storage solar experts
Pivot Energy has a wealth of experience working with self-storage companies that want to go solar. Over the last three years Pivot has partnered with Extra Space Storage to install a portfolio of 90 solar energy systems across eight states, which includes Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee, and Florida.
To learn more about how your self-storage facility can also benefit from solar, reach out to a member of our team for a free consultation today.
This post is sponsored by Pivot Energy. For more information about sponsoring a post for your company, contact the editor at [email protected].
