Let's Talk. We can't wait to hear from you. 

sales@adverank.com
800-761-8672

The self-storage industry has experienced significant growth in recent years, driven by factors such as urbanization, increased demand for personal and commercial space, and the rise of e-commerce.

As a result, competition among self-storage providers has intensified, making marketing a critical focus for businesses that want to stand out and succeed.

A self-storage business plan must include a comprehensive marketing strategy to maximize occupancy and revenue. Business owners can use a range of tactics to promote their units, including digital marketing, traditional advertising channels, special promotions, referral programs, and community outreach.

Best Self-Storage Marketing Tools and Ideas

The best self-storage marketing tools include Google Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising, which allows businesses to bid for ad placements in search engine results pages. This approach expands the business's reach and attracts highly targeted leads, as ads are displayed to users actively searching for self-storage services. PPC advertising is particularly suitable for self-storage facilities because people searching for storage units usually have an immediate need, and they're likely to act immediately.

Other Self-Storage Marketing Ideas

  • Optimizing the company's website for search engines
  • Engaging with customers through social media channels
  • Utilizing email campaigns to retain existing clients and attract new ones
  • Running a campaign about unique self-storage ideas, like creating additional space in a unit with free-standing shelves or storage bins sold on-site
  • Providing customer loyalty programs and promotions, such as discounts for long-term renters or complimentary amenities like moving trucks
  • Encouraging existing customers to share their positive experiences with family and friends
  • Forming partnerships with local organizations, such as real estate agents or movers
  • Traditional media such as radio, TV, billboards, and print advertising
  • Direct mail campaigns such as postcards and brochures

The right mix of marketing strategies varies based on the business's goals and resources. Still, the best self-storage marketing ideas can help companies stand out from competitors. Ultimately, by employing a comprehensive strategy and measuring the results, self-storage providers can ensure they reach their target audience and achieve maximum occupancy rates.

Self-Storage Marketing

Self-storage businesses can use the following marketing channels to reach potential customers.

SEO

SEO, or search engine optimization, helps businesses rank high in organic (non-paid) search results for queries related to self-storage. By optimizing a website and its content, companies can increase visibility in search results and attract more visitors.

Elements of SEO include technical optimizations, such as page loading speed and keyword optimization, ensuring that search engines properly index the website.

Social Media

Social media is an effective way to reach potential customers in an engaging and cost-effective manner. Self-storage businesses can use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to share content and promote special offers.

Social media can also be used for customer service, feedback, and quick responses to customer inquiries and complaints.

Content Marketing

Content marketing involves creating and sharing content relevant to the target audience.

Self-storage providers can use content such as blog posts, videos, infographics, or ebooks to engage potential customers with valuable information and resources about their products and services. Content marketing can also be used as an effective lead-generation tool, as businesses can collect leads through content such as gated ebooks and webinars.

For example, a self-storage provider could offer a free guide to organizing and storing winter items in exchange for an email address.

PPC

PPC is one of the most effective self-storage advertising ideas because it allows businesses to target their ads to a specific audience and only pay when someone clicks on the advertisement.

Implementing PPC for your self-storage marketing campaign starts with understanding your target audience and their unique needs. For example, if you're targeting local customers, you'll want to use location-based keywords to target people in the area.

Once you have identified your ideal customer profile, you can create ad copy that resonates with them and set up campaigns targeting relevant keywords. Then, develop compelling ad copy that clearly outlines the benefits of your services and includes a strong call-to-action to maximize conversion rates.

When your PPC campaign is set up, optimize it by analyzing performance data on at least a weekly basis and adjusting your bidding strategies to maximize return on investment.

Email Marketing

Implementing an email marketing strategy keeps existing customers engaged and attracts new customers.

A successful email campaign typically involves segmenting your list of contacts based on factors such as location, purchase history, or interests. Then, tailor the content of the emails to match the segment's needs and interests.

Measuring the results of your campaigns is also important. By tracking activity, such as open rate, click-through rate, and conversion rate, you can identify which content resonates best with different segments, so you can adjust future campaigns accordingly.

In-Person Outreach

In addition to digital marketing, self-storage businesses should consider in-person outreach as part of their self-storage marketing strategy. This could involve attending local events or partnering with other businesses to promote your services.

Self-Storage Marketing Strategy

Is owning a storage unit business profitable? To answer that question, consider factors like:

  • How much do storage units cost in your area
  • Location and market demand
  • Management efficiency
  • Occupancy rates

Another fundamental driver of self-storage profitability is effective marketing.

Market Research

Market research is essential to a successful self-storage marketing strategy. To begin, analyze the competition, observe trends in the industry, and recognize patterns that contribute to the success of other leaders. Do they offer specialized storage solutions, or have they optimized their online presence?

Then, ask your customers to help assess how they perceive your business. You can also use surveys and questionnaires to gain insight into what potential customers are looking for in a self-storage service.

Target Audience

Understanding your target audience is crucial in crafting a successful self-storage marketing strategy. A thoughtful analysis can help you create compelling marketing campaigns that resonate with potential customers.

To carry out a target audience analysis, start by identifying the demographics of the people likely to use your self-storage facilities, such as age, income level, and location.

Dive deeper into their needs, pain points, and preferences: Are they mostly looking for short-term storage during a move or long-term solutions for their overflowing homes? Do they prioritize affordability, security, or convenient access to their belongings?

Answering these questions will enable you to tailor your marketing messages and channels to reach and engage them effectively.

Messaging

Once you have identified your ideal customer profile, you can create ad copy that resonates with them and set up campaigns targeting relevant keywords.

Develop compelling ad copy that clearly outlines the benefits of your services and includes a strong call to action to maximize the effectiveness of your campaigns. You should also optimize your website copy, ensuring it speaks to potential customers' needs and interests.

For example, instead of listing features of your self-storage facility, you could focus on why and how those features benefit them as a customer. This will help create an emotional connection between you and potential customers, which can lead to higher conversions.

Budgeting

It's essential to create a budget for your self-storage marketing efforts. This will include costs related to self-storage advertising, website maintenance, and even in-person events. Setting up a budget will help you track the success of your campaigns and make adjustments as necessary.

Self-Storage Marketing Plan

A skilled self-storage marketing agency has the expertise to tailor a comprehensive, targeted approach that covers all aspects of digital and traditional marketing, enabling your self-storage business to reach the right customers most effectively.


Marketing agencies possess the experience, knowledge, and tools required to monitor and analyze market trends, efficiently allocate resources, and measure the success of their marketing efforts. They can help you with issues like where to advertise storage space.

Furthermore, collaborating with a marketing agency can save time and free up resources, allowing self-storage businesses to focus on what they do best — providing exceptional storage facilities for their customers.

In essence, entrusting marketing to a professional agency can be the key to unlocking the full potential of your self-storage business and enabling you to thrive in a competitive environment.

Self-Storage Business Plan

Incorporating marketing into the overall business plan for a self-storage business is essential for its consistent growth and success. A clear and strategic marketing plan helps attract potential tenants to your storage units and reinforces customer loyalty and retention.

A well-defined marketing approach can significantly improve brand visibility and occupancy rates by analyzing the target audience, market trends, and competition. This increases self-storage business profit. Furthermore, embracing digital marketing techniques like search engine optimization, engaging with customers on social media, and employing targeted email campaigns enhances the discovery of the self-storage facility, making it easier for potential clients to find and choose the business.

Forget wasting time managing multiple online ad campaigns.

Adverank makes it too easy to measure ROI in real-time and optimize decisions accordingly, so that marketing and advertising departments can spend less time worrying about campaigns and more time focusing on growth.

If you want to experience this powerful tool yourself, schedule a demo today and get ready for explosive results.