We’ve created this one-stop-shop resource with links for how-to content to help you manage your SpareFoot listing, so you always know which program and listing elements need your ongoing attention. Select one of the options below to navigate directly to the most relevant content for your listing.
Remember to also keep your account details up-to-date with SpareFoot.
Your team’s contact information may have changed since you originally set up your SpareFoot account. Make sure to keep this information up to date, not just for MySpareFoot account access, but also to ensure your team members don’t miss important reservation and user notifications. SpareFoot shopper expectations, and our reservation guarantee, is that the unit they booked will be held for them until their scheduled move-in date. Without the proper notifications getting delivered to your facility, it’s hard to keep that guarantee.
Please review these administrative elements and let us know if anything has changed:
- Are the right people getting Reservation Emails to make sure you are holding units for SpareFoot reservations?
- Are all the phone numbers we have set up for your Tenant Connect notifications up-to-date? Not familiar with Tenant Connect? No problem! Tenant Connect is a free service where we will call you during business hours within 10 minutes of a reservation being made. We’ll also give you the option to have us connect you to the customer right then and there over the phone. Additionally, you can choose to have Tenant Connect text alerts. If you'd like to turn Tenant Connect on for your facility, just submit a ticket to our Client Support team.
- Payment settings: manage your billing contacts and payment methods (such as the credit card we have on file).
Pro Tip:
Many facilities find it helpful to set a recurring calendar reminder on their personal computers to log in to MySpareFoot and review their inventory each week. Whatever method you choose to keep on top of this important task, remember that accurate information will create the best possible experience for all parties involved - for your business, for SpareFoot, and most importantly, for our mutual customers.
Managing Your Manual/Non-Integrated SpareFoot Listing
To ensure we’re only sending you the most relevant and qualified customers, we ask you to check the following program elements regularly:
Unit Availability
SpareFoot shoppers make reservations under the impression that if a unit appears online, it’s available and will be held for them. That’s why keeping your inventory up-to-date is extremely important. It’s easy to add units, update your availability, or adjust your reservation window in MySpareFoot according to your facility’s occupancy. Remember, facilities with more unit size options listed on SpareFoot rank higher. That’s because customers love choices, so we want to direct them to facilities with lots of options where they’re more likely to find a unit that meets their storage needs.
Unit Prices
Facilities that regularly update their listings tend to receive more reservations. This is especially true for pricing, which is often the biggest deciding factor in a customer's choice of facility. It’s also important to note online storage seekers tend to be more price-savvy and open to shopping around. For this reason many self-storage managers set their online rates lower than their walk-in rates. If your facility is over 90-92% unit occupancy, it’s probably time to maximize profits and consider raising rent, especially if you’re running low on one or more unit groups.
Discounts, Promotions & Free Items
There are a few different types of specials you can offer to your SpareFoot customers: promotions, discounts, or free items. SpareFoot allows you to feature promotions and free items directly on the search results page, while discounts are shown on your facility page. Here’s how we define each of these different specials:
- A discount is a dollar amount or percentage off a unit’s monthly rent that is honored on an ongoing basis. An example would be 10% off the regular rental rate for their entire tenancy. The customer will see the original price of the unit with a line through it on your facility page, then the discounted price next to it, so they can clearly see the savings being offered.
- A promotion is a temporary special that ends after a certain length of time. An example would be “1st month free”. Promos can make your facility look much more enticing compared to a neighboring facility without a promotion.
- Free items are just that - giveaways, such as a free lock with rental or waived admin fee when you reserve online.
Facility Hours or Holiday / Custom Closures
Inaccurate facility hours may lead customers to schedule move-ins on days where your office is closed, or may lead them to expect to be able to move-in after your regular office hours. If this happens, the customer is unlikely to move-in at all, or will just take their truck full of stuff to a competitor down the street. Always ensure your hours are accurate and you’re leveraging our custom closures tool to prevent customers from scheduling move-ins on days you’re closed. This is key to keeping your facility visible on the marketplace, while also giving customers the option to schedule a move-in during the hours you’ll be available at the facility.
Amenities
Features & amenities provide storage seekers with need-to-know details about your facility. Incomplete details on your facility page may cause a customer to abandon their plans to reserve a unit. Alternately, the customer might make a reservation based on incorrect or outdated information, which could cause them to cancel their reservation, or just not move-in at all.
Photos
Your featured photo is often the storage seeker’s first impression of your facility. It’s the first thing they see when viewing your listing in search results. Don’t have any photos on your listing? Let’s change that! You should select a photo that best represents your facility to make a strong first impression. Think about your facility's selling points and take photos of the features you like to highlight on tours. Most facilities choose to use a high-quality photo of their property's storefront with curb appeal. Logos, aerial photos, generic stock photography, or photos of employees tend to be less immediately appealing to customers, so keep that in mind when you’re choosing which photo to feature.
Customer Reviews
We all know customer reviews are important when online shopping. Did you know that 50% of storage customers are more likely to choose a facility with online reviews? We recommend monitoring the reviews you receive because they can provide insight into how to improve your operations or even see where you’re excelling. Every now and then, you may receive a negative review, and that’s actually okay. It seems counter-intuitive, but a negative review can build confidence in the storage seeker that the reviews are legitimate. Having only 5 star reviews might make customers suspicious of the review content. That being said, it’s important to respond to reviews because those responses will display on your facility page, which shows other shoppers that you’re dedicated to a quality customer experience. You can find some best practices on how to write your reply here.
Managing Your Integrated SpareFoot Listing
To ensure we’re only sending you the most relevant and qualified customers, we ask you to check the following program elements regularly:
Unit Information
SpareFoot shoppers make reservations under the impression that if a unit appears online, it’s available and will be held for them. That’s why keeping your inventory up-to-date is extremely important. Your inventory will be automatically updated as long as you're using your management software correctly, but you can also update your unit information or adjust your reservation window in MySpareFoot. Remember, facilities with more unit size options listed on SpareFoot rank higher. That’s because customers love choices, so we want to direct them to facilities with lots of options where they’re more likely to find a unit that meets their storage needs.
Here are some helpful links that walk you through updating your unit information in your software:
Rate Selection
Facilities that regularly update their listings tend to receive more reservations. This is especially true for pricing, which is often the biggest deciding factor in a customer's choice of facility. It’s also important to note that online storage seekers tend to be more price-savvy and open to shopping around. For this reason, many self-storage managers set their online rates lower than their walk-in rates. If your facility is over 90-92% unit occupancy, it’s probably time to maximize profits and consider raising rent, especially if you’re running low on one or more unit groups.
Here are some helpful links that walk you through updating your rates in your software:
Discounts, Promotions & Free Items
There are a few different types of specials you can offer to your SpareFoot customers: discounts, promotions, and free items. SpareFoot allows you to feature promotions and free items directly on the search results page, while discounts are shown on your facility page. Here’s how we define each of these different offerings:
- A discount is a dollar amount or percentage off a unit’s monthly rent that is honored on an ongoing basis. An example would be 10% off the regular rental rate for their entire tenancy. The customer will see the original price of the unit with a line through it on your facility page, then the discounted price next to it, so they can clearly see the savings being offered.
- A promotion is a temporary special that ends after a certain length of time. An example would be “1st month free." A reduction in the monthly unit price for a set amount of time would also be considered a promotion versus a discount (e.g., "10% off the first three months"). Promotions can make your facility look much more enticing compared to a neighboring facility without a promotion.
- Free items are just that - giveaways, such as a free lock with rental or waived admin fee when you reserve online.
Here is a helpful link that walks you through adding specials to your facility:
SiteLink Web Edition - Non-Integrated Promotions
Here is a helpful link that walks you through integrating your specials with SpareFoot:
Facility Hours or Holiday / Custom Closures
Inaccurate facility hours may lead customers to schedule move-ins on days where your office is closed, or may lead them to expect to be able to move-in after your regular office hours. If this happens, the customer is unlikely to move-in at all, or will just take their truck full of stuff to a competitor down the street. Always ensure your hours are accurate and you’re leveraging our custom closures tool to prevent customers from scheduling move-ins on days you’re closed. This is key to keeping your facility visible on the marketplace, while also giving customers the option to schedule a move-in during the hours you’ll be available at the facility.
Amenities
Features & amenities provide storage seekers with need-to-know details about your facility. Incomplete details on your facility page may cause a customer to abandon their plans to reserve a unit. Alternately, the customer might make a reservation based on incorrect or outdated information, which could cause them to cancel their reservation, or just not move-in at all.
Photos
Your featured photo is often the storage seeker’s first impression of your facility. It’s the first thing they see when viewing your listing in search results. Don’t have any photos on your listing? Let’s change that! You should select a photo that best represents your facility to make a strong first impression. Think about your facility's selling points and take photos of the features you like to highlight on tours. Most facilities choose to use a high-quality photo of their property's storefront with curb appeal. Logos, aerial photos, generic stock photography, or photos of employees tend to be less immediately appealing to customers, so keep that in mind when you’re choosing which photo to feature.
Customer Reviews
We all know customer reviews are important when online shopping. Did you know that 50% of storage customers are more likely to choose a facility with online reviews? We recommend monitoring the reviews you receive because they can provide insight into how to improve your operations or even see where you’re excelling. Every now and then, you may receive a negative review, and that’s actually okay. It seems counter-intuitive, but a negative review can build confidence in the storage seeker that the reviews are legitimate. Having only 5 star reviews might make customers suspicious of the review content. That being said, it’s important to respond to reviews because those responses will display on your facility page, which shows other shoppers that you’re dedicated to a quality customer experience. You can find some best practices on how to write your reply here.