Own the Engine: Why Self-Storage Operators Must Control the Three Systems That Drive Occupancy
- Mitch Briggs
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Self Storage marketing is easy to outsource.
It’s also easy to get frustrated with. Leads start to fluctuate, reports conflict, costs go up and explanations only arrive after the month closes or in response to an angry email. Teams spend more time reconciling numbers and trying to understand recommendations than making decisions.
The issue is not effort, expertise or intent. It is structural.
Marketing works best when the engine is fully connected and operator-owned. When one part is missing or controlled elsewhere, the system breaks down.
The self storage marketing engine has three core components. All three must work together. All three must be owned by the operator.
What “Owning the Engine” Really Means
Owning the engine does not mean doing everything yourself. It does not mean eliminating vendors or avoiding subscriptions.
You do not own your accounting software, but you own your financial data. You do not own your email platform, but you own the contact list.
Marketing should be treated the same way.
Owning the engine means:
You control and have access to the core systems
You retain the data those systems generate
You can change vendors without losing history
Decisions live inside your organization, not outside it
When operators own the engine, marketing becomes a controllable system that can be consistently improved instead of a monthly surprise.
The Three Parts of the Self-Storage Marketing Engine
A complete marketing engine in self-storage is made up of three interconnected systems. If even one is disconnected or not owned, performance and measurement can have blind spots.
1. Advertising Data and Marketing Systems
This Is the Fuel and Throttle
Your advertising and marketing platforms capture and generate demand. Search, social, referrals, promotions, and offers all live here.
When this part of the engine is not owned:
Accounts are controlled by third parties and you don’t have access
Historical performance data disappears when vendors change
Learning cycles slow because insights are not available until the next “report”
Owning this layer means the operator owns:
Ad accounts
Social accounts
Analytics accounts
Performance data
(This concept is explored deeply in Agencies Hate This One Simple Question, which explains how agencies often end up owning the engine without operators realizing it and why that creates long-term risk)
Advertising without ownership is like flooring the gas pedal without knowing where the fuel line goes.
2. The Website Layer
This Is the Engine Block
The website is where demand turns into action. It is not just design. It is technology, content, inventory, tracking codes, systems, conversion paths, integrations, and performance.
This layer includes:
The website platform or vendor
Design and UX
Content and messaging
Forms, rentals, reservations, and tracking
Third-party widgets, systems, and tools
Operators often think they “own” their website because they pay for it. In reality, ownership depends on:
Who controls the platform
Who controls the data
Who can make changes to it
Whether the site integrates cleanly with advertising and facility systems
If the website layer is disconnected:
Lead data becomes harder to diagnose
Attribution becomes fuzzy
Conversion improvements are difficult to measure and scale
Changes take a long time and cost more
A strong engine requires the website to be a connected system, not a static deliverable.
Check out these resources to learn more: Go with the Rental Flow
3. Facility Management Software and CRM
This Is the Feedback Loop
This is the most overlooked part of the engine, and the most important.
Facility management software and CRM systems are the source of truth for:
Customer data
Move ins and move outs
Occupancy
Revenue signals
Without this data flowing back into the engine:
Marketing decisions are based on traffic instead of outcomes
Spend is optimized for clicks instead of occupancy
Teams debate vanity metric performance instead of return on spending
Owning this layer does not mean replacing your FMS. It means:
Having access to the data
Connecting it to marketing activity
Using it to guide decisions
This is where marketing stops being about clicks and starts being about move ins and control.
What Happens When the Engine Is Not Owned
When even one part of the engine is disconnected, operators experience the same problems:
Marketing reports that do not match occupancy results
Budget decisions driven by anecdotes and opinions
Difficulty scaling performance across locations
Vendor changes that feel risky instead of strategic
These are not execution failures. They are engine design failures.
This is why operators who own the engine outperform those who outsource control, even when spend levels are similar.
How Adverank Helps Operators Own the Engine
Adverank was built to connect and support all three parts of the engine without taking ownership away from the operator.
Advertising systems remain operator-owned, portable, and transparent
Website performance is treated as an integrated conversion layer, not a standalone project
Facility and CRM data are used to connect marketing activity to real outcomes like occupancy and demand
This approach is reflected in real-world results.
A+ Storage built an operator-owned engine that delivered clarity and confidence across their portfolio, documented in this customer spotlight.
Moove In followed a similar path, focusing on long-term control and consistency across locations.
In both cases, the shift was not about replacing vendors. It was about owning the system.
Also - check out this webinar we recorded about seeking true attribution.
The Bottom Line
Marketing is no longer just promotion. It is critical business infrastructure.
When operators own the engine (advertising systems, website layer, and facility data) marketing becomes something they can steer, not something you need only see in the rearview mirror.
Ownership does not eliminate vendors. It strengthens relationships. It creates flexibility. It protects learning.
The operators who win in 2026 will not be the ones spending the most. They will be the ones who own the engine.
