Get Your Self Storage Noticed By Saying Thank You On Video

by Kenny Pratt

A sincere thank always makes an impact.  I’m not talking about some benign “thanks,” but a real, heartfelt thank you.

You’ll make even more impact when you say “thank you” with video.  A video thank you is as easy as talking and gives you a chance to heighten the intimacy and sincerity.  You customers will see your face (or your store manager’s face) and will be able to feel the energy and emotion in a way superior to a text-only note or email.

Below are a few thank you videos I filmed while visiting a few of my self storage properties in Kona, Hawaii.   The first two videos show how I filmed a thank you video to my team in Hawaii. The third video is the actual thank you video as my team in Hawaii would see it.

The last two videos are a two more examples of thank you videos that I recorded for Darlene McDonagh and for Gina Six Kudo who have been supp0rtive of our weekly self storage industry chat on Twitter.com called #StorChat.

I did all of the videos in one take.  I held the camera in my hand at arm’s length and I used YouTube.com’s free image stabilization feature to take out most of the shakiness (caused by not using a tripod) after I uploaded the videos.

Scroll down past the videos and  I share some pointers to help you make a good impression and to help your videos get shared.

Here Are The Documentary Videos

My video setup

Here’s the video thanking my team in Hawaii

Here’s a thank you video to Darlene McDonagh at U-Lock in Canada

Here’s a thank you video to Gina Six Kudo at Cochrane Storage in California

Tips For Making A Good Thank You Video

    1. Put the main light source behind the camera so it is shining into your face, not coming at the camera from behind you.  In my videos above sometimes break this rule and have the light coming in from the side because I wanted to have the ocean in the background of some of the shots.  It worked OK, but the shots with the trees in the background came out with better contrast because I did a better job of turning toward the sun.
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    1. Be sincere. You may be able to fake positive emotion in a written note or email. It’s a lot harder to fake on camera.  The intimacy created by video can boost your impact, and it can also destroy it if you don’t really mean what you say.
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    1. Write down your thoughts before you start speaking if you want to get the shot in one take.
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    1. Use a tripod to keep your video steady.  Shaky video is harder to watch and you can get a tripod for less than $20. Less than $100 for a really nice one.  It’s worth the small investment.
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    1. Upload the video to YouTube.com.
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    1. If you hold the camera in your hand (opposed to using a tripod), click on the “Edit Video” link and activate the image stabilization option.  Preview the “stabilized” version of your video and if everything looks ok, save your work.
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    1. Put a link to your facility website in the description.  Be sure to type in the full URL including the “http://www.” at the beginning and YouTube will turn it into a clickable link.
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    1. Once you have the video uploaded email a link to the video to your prospective customers.
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  1. Wash, Rinse, Repeat.  Use this technique with people who refer business to you, vendors who do a great job for you, and for other great customers.

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