Being in the self-storage business feels like being part of a small group in the know.
With a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5% and an estimated value of over $71 billion by 2027, it’s one of the few industries that continues to thrive in these economically challenging times.
That’s one of the most significant advantages of owning storage units. In addition, with an estimated 10%–20% of the U.S. population(3) using self-storage during moving, downsizing, renovating, and for seasonal equipment and just extra stuff, the demand keeps building. Finally, our nation’s penchant for hoarding pays off!
However, just because demand exists doesn’t mean customers will be lining up. You need to do your bit, too, and that’s what we’re talking about today: local self-storage marketing.
You have an incredible self-storage business at your fingertips (or you’re planning to have one soon), but without renters, it’s impossible. With significant profit potential for a high-occupancy storage facility, you'll want to take advantage of every opportunity to gain more customers. That’s why getting the locals to know about you and enticing them to rent your storage units is essential to the health of your self-storage business.
As self-storage marketing experts, we’ve spent years refining our local self-storage marketing strategies and helped hundreds of self-storage business owners maximize their storage unit visibility and increase rental rates.
And because we love helping people, we’re going to share some of our favorite tips and tricks for creating the best local self-storage marketing campaigns that bring customers to your door.
SELF-STORAGE ADVERTISING
OWNING A SELF-STORAGE BUSINESS IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD.
On the one hand, there will always be demand for your services. On the other hand, the competition can be pretty stiff, especially in cities with tons of self-storage facilities.
Your location and the surrounding area are your greatest marketing assets. People don’t want to travel far to a self-storage unit, whether it's a temporary or semi-permanent storage solution.
Your customers are people who live within a certain radius of your facility, depending on the availability of other options. So being visible to the local community, both physically and online, is crucial for your success.
Over the past 20 years, self-storage software for small businesses has revolutionized the industry. It’s allowed self-storage business owners to automate their operations and make everything from renting to security far easier. A user-friendly website is critical.
The best self-storage websites can quickly convert people into renters. For most self-storage advertising and marketing strategies, self-storage website design is the core focus. It’s what takes clients from “Should I rent?” to “I feel confident renting from this facility” to “I’m signing the online rental agreement.”
And if you want to fill up your self-storage units, it should be a priority in your business.
Your digital marketing strategy should focus on getting those potential clients to your website. We’ll talk a bit more about the different advertising strategies to get prospective customers to your website a little later.
If you can make only one priority, it should be this: Make the journey from searching to renting as smooth as possible to get the best results.
SELF-STORAGE MARKETING AGENCY
COMPETITION IS THE KEY TO YOUR SURVIVAL.
As a self-storage business owner, you must do everything you can to stay ahead of your competitors. That means knowing your market and implementing the right self-storage solutions to get the most renters to sign up for a unit in your facility.
But marketing is hard work! That's why it can be beneficial to hire a self-storage marketing agency to maximize your ROI on your marketing strategies.
Self-storage marketing agencies are experts in self-storage business models. Here’s how they do it (so you can use their tricks too).
Understanding self-storage marketplaces.
Conducting market research is essential. Marketers know how to conduct self-storage search projects to understand your competition and identify your strengths and weaknesses. This will inform the foundation of your tailor-made marketing plan.
Optimizing your self-storage website.
Marketers are great self-storage website builders because they take the time to understand what’s going on in potential clients’ brains. They have taken the time to understand customer pain points and what they are looking for to make the process smooth. The best self-storage websites have seamless designs that encourage viewers to take a certain path through the site. This might look like showing photos, then highlighting benefits, then showing prices, and finally, encouraging them to rent.
Focused advertising campaigns.
Through market research, marketers know the exact keywords to use so prospects see your ads. Not only does this increase your occupancy rates, but it also saves you money on wasted ads. It’s a winning strategy!
When you start thinking like a self-storage marketing agency, you’ll be able to create marketing strategies that finally work and draw clients straight to your front door.
SELF-STORAGE MARKETING IDEAS.
Now that you know how vital your marketing strategy is to your self-storage business, you’re probably trying to think of self-storage marketing ideas to implement.
There are two types of marketing: digital and analog (or online and in-person). We’ve picked our favorite unique self-storage ideas of each type to get you started.
Analog/In-person marketing
Billboards
Most self-storage facilities are located slightly off the beaten track with little foot traffic. So what better than giant billboards to let people know of your existence? Your billboard may be the reason a frustrated driver stuck in gridlock chooses you.
Cross-promotion
Renters aren’t impulse buyers. There’s a reason they need storage space. Moving, decorating, decluttering — there’s a lot going on. So why not ask local vendors to promote your self-storage facility? In exchange for recommending you to their clients and sharing your flyers, you do the same for local businesses like movers, hardware stores, furniture shops, etc. It’s a cheap and highly effective strategy for marketing storage facilities just like yours!
Community Outreach
Get involved with the community by helping with projects and festivals. Donate time and prizes — whatever you can afford — and make a difference to the people in your area. Not only will you help local people, but it’s also great PR.
Digital/Online marketing
Google My Business
Hardly anyone uses the yellow pages anymore, depending on geographic and age segments, and almost all advertising is online. It's essential to create a business profile on Google, which will help people in your area find your business.
Start a blog
People like to know that the company they choose is knowledgeable. They also want to feel comfortable with you. You can showcase both by starting a blog on your website. Not only does it give you more opportunities to be indexed and found online, but you’ll also gain consumer trust. Struggling with blog topic ideas? What about topics like:
5 ways to maximize the space in your storage unit
8 best locks for your storage unit
10 unusual reasons to visit a storage facility (great way to brag about add-ons at your facility).
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads
Unless you’re one of the big dogs in the self-storage game, your website is unlikely to appear on the first search engine results pages (SERPs). Luckily, you can cut the line by paying for ads. But instead of just paying for any old ads, PPC allows you to bid for certain keywords (such as self-storage + your location) and will only charge you when someone clicks on your ad. That way, you’re not shelling out money when you don’t need to.
SELF-STORAGE MARKETING STRATEGY.
SELF-STORAGE MARKETING MAY FEEL OVERWHELMING IF YOU’RE NOT CONFIDENT IN YOUR SKILLS. THAT’S WHY THE BEST SELF-STORAGE MARKETING STRATEGY IS TO GET EXPERT HELP.
At Adverank, we specialize in self-storage marketing to maximize the ROI on your marketing investments and boost your occupancy rates. Our self-storage marketing strategy focuses on PPC ads to boost your visibility.
We use in-depth market research to inform us where to advertise storage space campaigns and ensure the right eyes are directed to your website. And speaking of websites, we’ll also help you with your self-storage website design to ensure you have the best customer journey in place to encourage people to rent.
Adverank offers easy integration and storage marketing automation with your other self-storage software to offer you a flawless experience. That includes providing you with an easy-to-use dashboard., updated in real-time, where you can read our insights and make decisions on your PPC advertisement spending. We’re here to empower you to make the best marketing decisions for your business.
We’re bursting with self-storage advertising ideas that will take your business to the next level and help you reach your high occupancy rate goals.
So if you’re looking for a reliable, forward-thinking marketing team that gives you tailored marketing strategies for your unique self-storage facilities, why not join forces with us?
Schedule a demo today and see how we can help elevate your self-storage marketing strategy.
When you get your local self-storage marketing strategy right, filling your units will be as easy as pie!