All Smartstop online auctions been pulled in florida on SB

I wonder why, maybe florida law declared online auctions illegal or smartstop changed thier minds for florida only?

3 facilities that i track about 12 units all pulled, and i doubt they all paid.

I'm sure travis will find out.

They seem to be using storagebattles to list their online auctions now.

I wonder why, maybe florida law declared online auctions illegal or smartstop changed thier minds for florida only?

3 facilities that i track about 12 units all pulled, and i doubt they all paid.

I'm sure travis will find out.

That's funny that you mentioned that, because I've noticed that there have been a lot less SmartStop auctions in the DFW area as well. They might just be being cautious. Florida's lien laws are very similar to Texas' and are pretty specific as to where & how the sale is to be held, although parts are somewhat ambiguous. Perhaps SmartStop is just waiting for clarity. I wish they would get on board with us. Since we're a free site, they could save millions each year in commissions & fees.

I wish they would get on board with us. Since we're a free site, they could save millions each year in commissions & fees.

Did you make the sales call yet?

Did you make the sales call yet?

Not yet. Been working on SEO, building traffic and working all the bugs out. But I do plan to. I'm currently looking for angel investors to help take the site to the next level. If I get the funding, I plan on hiring a small sales team to market the site to facility owners.

I believe they have marketing people and advertise in print with association magazines, site, and etc.  This is how people get their name run in front of them, although word of mouth is good, but, getting corporate companies to back auctions and move on it is the way to go.  Even awards that are given to the site, which is sponsored by an association, which makes people look and see their name advertised. 

If you could leverage a sales person or two or focus on associations to recognize your site, investors and people will follow what others are telling them and what they are seeing.
 
Just my two cents.

I've looked into advertising on the self-storage association websites. They all want $200-400 to be added to their list of vendors. That's a good chunk of change considering how many associations there are.

I've thought a lot about how I would market the site if we had a blank check. I'd hire a call center to market the site to every storage facility in the US & Canada. I'd hire professional business to business salespeople to market the site to storage executives. I'd participate in several major trade shows each year. I'd run ads on every major industry blog & website.

But right now we don't have a blank check. All site improvements, marketing & operating costs are coming out of my own pocket. Our main competitor can outspend us 5 times over which requires us to be creative with the budget we have.

Yikes, that's high.  Wonder if creating an association and adding yearly rewards to its members would be a cheaper alternative? There's always more than one way to skin a cat. :-)

Yikes, that's high.  Wonder if creating an association and adding yearly rewards to its members would be a cheaper alternative? There's always more than one way to skin a cat. :-)

You're right, there's always more than one way to skin a cat. The industry already has several non-state associations. I was thinking about adding a directory where storage facilities can advertise their business for free. They get free ads, we get free content where we can place our own ads and generate revenue. Win win for everyone.

I've looked into advertising on the self-storage association websites. They all want $200-400 to be added to their list of vendors. That's a good chunk of change considering how many associations there are.

Don't you currently run the storage auction forum with the highest search ranking on Google? That's got to be worth something to other auction related sites. Offer to even swap an ad on your site for an ad on their site...no money needed!

Don't you currently run the storage auction forum with the highest search ranking on Google? That's got to be worth something to other auction related sites. Offer to even swap an ad on your site for an ad on their site...no money needed!

Not a bad idea. Once our demographic is more balanced, that might appeal to them. Right now, most of our visitors are storage unit buyers or people looking for information on storage unit auctions.

Don't you currently run the storage auction forum with the highest search ranking on Google?

Yes, #1 for the terms storage auction forum & storage auction forums. #2 for the general term "auction forum" (AuctionZip ranks #1 for that term) but we rank #1 for "auction forums". Surprisingly, our forum, which is only about storage auctions, has more content than AuctionZip's entire forum which covers all types of auctions.

Surprisingly, our forum, which is only about storage auctions, has more content than AuctionZip's entire forum which covers all types of auctions.

Just think, we actually used to have more content then we currently have. 

Just think, we actually used to have more content then we currently have. 

True, but what we have left is positive.