We’ve all heard plenty about Millennials and their flaws and even some of their more positive traits.

Inside Self Storage says, "Why should you care? Because this cohort has now surpassed even the Baby Boomers as the nation’s largest living generation, based on estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. They number approximately 75.4 million, with many of them drawn to urban centers where living and storage space are at a premium. That makes them a ripe target market for self-storage operators!"

The big questions is, how can we connect with Millennials? How can we target them or appeal to their traits?

Inside Self Storage also compiled a list of key traits that Millennials have:

  • Millennials tend to be very confident. In fact, they rate high on personality tests in narcissism and demonstrate a strong sense of entitlement. There’s a reason this group is also referred to as the Me Generation! That can no-doubt lead to frustrating customer-service interactions; but at the same time, knowing this in advance gives you an edge in approaching these consumers.
  • Millennials consider wealth an important attribute, more so than Baby Boomers and even Gen Xers. On one hand, this might mean they strive toward better-paying careers and will have more disposable income, which bodes well for self-storage. They might be less willing to part with those dollars, however.
  • They are tech-savvy multi-taskers, managing many responsibilities at once. They’re also easily distracted by and intensely connected via their mobile devices and social media, so any marketing program aimed at this group must include platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others. And your website MUST be mobile-friendly.
  • They desire instant gratification, so make sure you can deliver with online rentals, self-service kiosks and any other technology-related advantage that will make your rental process fast, easy and immediate.
  • Millennials require constant praise and encouragement, so consider ways to weave this into your self-storage sales presentation.
  • They desire and appreciate transparency and honesty. Your willingness to be forthright in your business dealings (again, think social media) will go a long way toward attracting this group.

Here are a few key steps to making sure you can capitalize on the millennial surge in the self storage industry:

  • Make sure your website can rent online
  • Make sure you have online bill pay
  • Highlight key features such as security, gate access, etc.
  • Use high quality photos and images on the website
  • Make sure your website is mobile friendly
  • Make sure you have an effective SEO & Marketing strategy
  • Get a LOT of good reviews online

For more information about Easy Storage Solutions or our other additional business services please contact us.Lanza, T. (2016, December 12). Making Friends With Millennials, Your Next Big Self-Storage Market. Retrieved March 06, 2017, from http://www.insideselfstorage.com/blogs/iss-blog/2016/12/making-friends-with-millennials-your-next-big-selfstorage-market.aspx