Learn the who, why and how of consumer surveys. Use the information collected to advance your marketing and financial goals. Presented by Mario Feghali, Co-Founder and COO of SpareFoot.com.
Survey Says! Consumer Data Insight to Improve Your Online Marketing
1. Survey Says! Consumer Data Insight
to Improve Your Online Marketing
Mario Feghali, SpareFoot
2. Agenda
• Why are surveys important?
• Our surveys:
– Consumer demographics
– Why consumers need self-storage
– How consumers research self-storage
– Mobile
– Consumer behavior
– Prices and promotions/deals
• Takeaways
3. Consumer Surveys
• Why are surveys important?
– Help you understand your customers and better
your business
• How we collect data:
– Automated surveys go out once a week (every
Tuesday) to everyone who moved in over the last
week
– Survey Gizmo: customizable
• How it can help you:
– Publish the data in different ways: cite it in blog
posts, trade show
presentations, quarterlies, newsletters, email
marketing
– Can be used in your marketing collateral and for
interesting social media fodder (generate interest)Note: These are averages, each location varies
5. How Old Are Our Customers?
A. 18-24 years old
B. 25-34 years old
C. 35-44 years old
D. 45-54 years old
E. 55-64 years old
F. 65+ years old…
6. How Old Are Our Customers?
13%
28%
17%
23%
15%
4%
18-24 years old
25-34 years old
35-44 years old
45-54 years old
55-64 years old
65+ years old
Storage trends tend to mirror life changes and
can offer valuable insight into social patterns
7. Why Do Customers Need Storage?
A. Moving
B. Student between housing or study abroad
C. Military deployment
D. Off-season vehicle
E. Home remodel or renovation
F. Wine collection
G. Family reasons
H. Other…
8. Why Do Customers Need Storage?
62.38%
4.18%
1.02%
2.96%
6.05%
0.85%
1.53%
21.02%
Moving
Student between
housing or study abroad
Military deployment
Off-season vehicle
Home remodel or
renovation
Wine collection
Family reasons
Other
The majority of customers look for storage when
they are moving
9. How Do Customers Research Storage?
A. Computer
B. Mobile or tablet
C. Friends and family
D. Called facilities
E. Visited facilities
F. Print resource
G. Other…
10. 524
118
85
122 101
34 17
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Computer Mobile or
Tablet
Friends
and
Family
Called
Facilities
Visited
Facilities
Print
Resource
Other
How Do Customers Research Storage?
More customers are using mobile devices to search.
Make sure you’re mobile-friendly.
22% of SpareFoot AdNetwork customers used a mobile
or tablet device to research self-storage facilities.
Also, could be more than one that they used.
11. 69.35%
12.48%
11.69%
4.58%
1.58% 0.16% 0.16%
1 Source
2 Sources
3 Sources
4 Sources
5 Sources
6 Sources
7 Sources
How Many Sources Did Customers
Use to Research Storage?
The majority of customers only use 1 source to
research storage
12. What Types of Websites Did Customers
Use to Find Storage?
A. Search engines
B. Storage directories
C. Review sites
D. Local directories…
13. 57%
31%
6%
6%
Search engines
Storage directories
Review sites
Local directories
What Types of Websites Did
Customers Use to Find Storage?
Make sure you’re everywhere: Google Places, search engine optimization
(SEO), social networks, third party websites, your own website
75% of search traffic clicks on the
first five results
15. Would Customers Download a Free Mobile App with
Special Features for a Storage Website?
28.84%
14.57%
20.23%
36.36%
Yes
Yes - only if I needed
storage, and I would
keep it beyond that
Yes - only if I needed
storage, and I would
delete it after that
No
A mobile app for your storage website could make reserving
easier for potential customers
16. Where Did Customers Use a
Smartphone to Research Storage?
A. Work
B. Home
C. Friend or relative’s house
D. Public space
E. Hotel room
F. In transit…
17. Where Did Customers Use a
Smartphone to Research Storage?
10.11%
50.79%
3.72%
2.66%
2.13%
30.59%
Work
Home
Friend or relative's
house
Public space
Hotel room
In transit
Customers are using their phones more and more for research, and not
necessarily just in transit. Make your website as mobile-friendly as
possible to stand out from the competition.
19. What Do New Customers Ask About
First?
64.06%
25.00%
10.94%
Truck rental
Self-storage
Both at the same time
40.98% rent a truck
during the moving
process.
Most new customers have never even used self-
storage before.
20. When Did Customers Reserve a Truck?
34.19%
30.83%
34.98%
Before storage
After storage
On the same day
21. Do Customers Know What Unit Size
They Need?
86.60%
13.40%
Booked the right size
Booked a larger unit at
move-in
4% of AdNetwork customers plan on renting their unit
for only one month.
22. How Do Customers Choose Storage
Units?
A. By price
B. Free truck deals
C. Amenities
D. Availability
E. Location
F. Reviews
G. Photos
H. Special features and services…
23. How Customers Choose Storage Units
35.20%
64.80%
Chose lowest price at size needed
Chose based on amenities, free
truck
deals, availability, location, review
s, photos, special features and
services, etc.
Price is not the most important deciding factor for
storage-seeking customers
25. How Prices Have Changed Since Last Year
58%
15%
27%
No change in prices
Discounted prices
Raised prices
26. Did the Customer Ask for Additional
Deals or Promotions During Move-In?
34.65%
65.35%
Yes
No
27. Did the Customer Receive an Additional
Deal or Promotion?
68.18%
31.82%
Yes
No
The most common deal or discount customers said they
received was free month(s) of storage, 39% of the time
28. Takeaways
• Surveys to previous and existing customers
can help you better understand customers
and refine your business for the future
• Anyone should be able to contribute survey
questions
• Incentivize survey responses with “prizes”
like a random gift card drawing
• Survey Gizmo is a convenient tool that lets
you customize and sends you survey reports
• Questions?
Hinweis der Redaktion
What does survey data reveal about consumers that are shopping and reserving storage units online?How are online customers using the Internet to shop? What are the most important factors in choosing a facility? In choosing a unit?Agenda – background and agenda – what’s the purpose of this, how do we collect data – why do we do it and why is it important, how can it help their businesses too? final takeaways frame it in a digestible context consumer demographics(topics at hand) before each of those “buckets,” have one-slide synopsis, why we ask these questions, why they’re important to us – then the transition point into the next slide guide them through itThis is why surveys are important, if you have questions – survey gizmo – give them the tools on how they can do this as wellDetails of how we do it – generic rules for how they can set the standard – Automated surveys that go out once a week every Tuesday to everyone who moved in over the last week Survey Gizmo that allows you to create a survey (survey building tool with customizable questions), send it for you – provide a list of your current or former tenants in a facility – compose an email that goes out – helps facilitate out of all of itGet reports after – check on it at any time – wait a few days though! – Incentivize the survey by saying “if you take this we’ll enter you into a drawing for a gift card” – randomized drawing – stay accountable to do it every monthWe’ve done a few to facilities – we’ll pick a segment of our facility clients at sparefoot and send them a survey * everyone in our company contributes in the sense that if they have specific questions for a project, - invite anyone within the organization to contribute for questions * publish our data in different ways – cite the stuff in blog posts, trade show presentations, quarterlies, maybe newsletters or email marketing * a piece of interest, social media fodder – different things in marketing
What does survey data reveal about consumers that are shopping and reserving storage units online?How are online customers using the Internet to shop? What are the most important factors in choosing a facility? In choosing a unit?Agenda – background and agenda – what’s the purpose of this, how do we collect data – why do we do it and why is it important, how can it help their businesses too? final takeaways frame it in a digestible context consumer demographics(topics at hand) before each of those “buckets,” have one-slide synopsis, why we ask these questions, why they’re important to us – then the transition point into the next slide guide them through itThis is why surveys are important, if you have questions – survey gizmo – give them the tools on how they can do this as wellDetails of how we do it – generic rules for how they can set the standard – Automated surveys that go out once a week every Tuesday to everyone who moved in over the last week Survey Gizmo that allows you to create a survey (survey building tool with customizable questions), send it for you – provide a list of your current or former tenants in a facility – compose an email that goes out – helps facilitate out of all of itGet reports after – check on it at any time – wait a few days though! – Incentivize the survey by saying “if you take this we’ll enter you into a drawing for a gift card” – randomized drawing – stay accountable to do it every monthWe’ve done a few to facilities – we’ll pick a segment of our facility clients at sparefoot and send them a survey * everyone in our company contributes in the sense that if they have specific questions for a project, - invite anyone within the organization to contribute for questions * publish our data in different ways – cite the stuff in blog posts, trade show presentations, quarterlies, maybe newsletters or email marketing * a piece of interest, social media fodder – different things in marketing
Again, college + moving jibes with the age data – mirrors life changes
Customers look for storage when they are moving, followed by students in between housing, and home remodel or renovations
What does survey data reveal about consumers that are shopping and reserving storage units online?How are online customers using the Internet to shop? What are the most important factors in choosing a facility? In choosing a unit?Agenda – background and agenda – what’s the purpose of this, how do we collect data – why do we do it and why is it important, how can it help their businesses too? final takeaways frame it in a digestible context consumer demographics(topics at hand) before each of those “buckets,” have one-slide synopsis, why we ask these questions, why they’re important to us – then the transition point into the next slide guide them through itThis is why surveys are important, if you have questions – survey gizmo – give them the tools on how they can do this as wellDetails of how we do it – generic rules for how they can set the standard – Automated surveys that go out once a week every Tuesday to everyone who moved in over the last week Survey Gizmo that allows you to create a survey (survey building tool with customizable questions), send it for you – provide a list of your current or former tenants in a facility – compose an email that goes out – helps facilitate out of all of itGet reports after – check on it at any time – wait a few days though! – Incentivize the survey by saying “if you take this we’ll enter you into a drawing for a gift card” – randomized drawing – stay accountable to do it every monthWe’ve done a few to facilities – we’ll pick a segment of our facility clients at sparefoot and send them a survey * everyone in our company contributes in the sense that if they have specific questions for a project, - invite anyone within the organization to contribute for questions * publish our data in different ways – cite the stuff in blog posts, trade show presentations, quarterlies, maybe newsletters or email marketing * a piece of interest, social media fodder – different things in marketing
What does survey data reveal about consumers that are shopping and reserving storage units online?How are online customers using the Internet to shop? What are the most important factors in choosing a facility? In choosing a unit?Agenda – background and agenda – what’s the purpose of this, how do we collect data – why do we do it and why is it important, how can it help their businesses too? final takeaways frame it in a digestible context consumer demographics(topics at hand) before each of those “buckets,” have one-slide synopsis, why we ask these questions, why they’re important to us – then the transition point into the next slide guide them through itThis is why surveys are important, if you have questions – survey gizmo – give them the tools on how they can do this as wellDetails of how we do it – generic rules for how they can set the standard – Automated surveys that go out once a week every Tuesday to everyone who moved in over the last week Survey Gizmo that allows you to create a survey (survey building tool with customizable questions), send it for you – provide a list of your current or former tenants in a facility – compose an email that goes out – helps facilitate out of all of itGet reports after – check on it at any time – wait a few days though! – Incentivize the survey by saying “if you take this we’ll enter you into a drawing for a gift card” – randomized drawing – stay accountable to do it every monthWe’ve done a few to facilities – we’ll pick a segment of our facility clients at sparefoot and send them a survey * everyone in our company contributes in the sense that if they have specific questions for a project, - invite anyone within the organization to contribute for questions * publish our data in different ways – cite the stuff in blog posts, trade show presentations, quarterlies, maybe newsletters or email marketing * a piece of interest, social media fodder – different things in marketing
Only 35.2% of customers chose the lowest-priced unit available in their city at the size they needed (July and August 2012, SpareFoot.com, SelfStorage.com, SelfStorageDeals.com).The remaining 64.8% were more concerned with location, special features, amenities, free truck deals, add-on services, availability, reviews, or photos.
What does survey data reveal about consumers that are shopping and reserving storage units online?How are online customers using the Internet to shop? What are the most important factors in choosing a facility? In choosing a unit?Agenda – background and agenda – what’s the purpose of this, how do we collect data – why do we do it and why is it important, how can it help their businesses too? final takeaways frame it in a digestible context consumer demographics(topics at hand) before each of those “buckets,” have one-slide synopsis, why we ask these questions, why they’re important to us – then the transition point into the next slide guide them through itThis is why surveys are important, if you have questions – survey gizmo – give them the tools on how they can do this as wellDetails of how we do it – generic rules for how they can set the standard – Automated surveys that go out once a week every Tuesday to everyone who moved in over the last week Survey Gizmo that allows you to create a survey (survey building tool with customizable questions), send it for you – provide a list of your current or former tenants in a facility – compose an email that goes out – helps facilitate out of all of itGet reports after – check on it at any time – wait a few days though! – Incentivize the survey by saying “if you take this we’ll enter you into a drawing for a gift card” – randomized drawing – stay accountable to do it every monthWe’ve done a few to facilities – we’ll pick a segment of our facility clients at sparefoot and send them a survey * everyone in our company contributes in the sense that if they have specific questions for a project, - invite anyone within the organization to contribute for questions * publish our data in different ways – cite the stuff in blog posts, trade show presentations, quarterlies, maybe newsletters or email marketing * a piece of interest, social media fodder – different things in marketing
Not necessarily sure what the takeaway here would be..?