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Your self-storage business is nothing without customers occupying your storage units. That's why you need plenty of self-storage marketing ideas to get your name out there.

Self-storage marketing is your key to being discovered by the people who need you!

Actively marketing storage facilities is vital to keeping them alive and thriving, especially as more and more people learn about this lucrative business opportunity(1), creating more competition. And even though we’re sure your facility is the best out there, you can’t survive off vibes alone.

Marketing self-storage facilities is critical to any self-storage business — most people will never hear of you otherwise. It’s like dating: People need to know you're available if you want to find someone.  Similarly, your potential customers must know you exist in the self-storage marketplace. That’s why marketing storage facilities are at the top of every successful storage business owner’s list. 

Here’s the thing, though. Unless you have a strong background in marketing, the word “marketing” can be daunting. For example, how do you market a building full of boxes and units and make it attractive to people?

When it comes to marketing self-storage facilities, many options are available. With two decades of experience as a self-storage marketing agency, we know what it takes to market a self-storage business. 

From creating a website that customers can’t get enough of to advertising campaigns that get the right people clicking, we’ll explain the customer journey and how you can use marketing to get that all-important online contract signed and maximize your occupancy rates.

We’ll also discuss how your self-storage business model can incorporate tried and tested marketing tricks, so you can be confident your business is heading in the right direction.

Right, enough teasing. It’s business time.

Let’s get into it.

You Can’t Survive Without a Self-Storage Website

Let’s not beat around the bush. If you don’t have a decent self-storage website, you’ve already lost the marketing game and a ton of potential clients. Self-storage websites act as an information point, viewing platform, and most importantly, a deal maker. As more and more customers value the ability to book their self-storage unit online(2), self-storage websites need to make the journey smooth for customers, from discovering your business to signing that final rental contract.

That means having:

  • An easy-to-navigate self-storage website
  • An  attractive website
  • The right landing pages

By finding and using one of the best intuitive self-storage website builders you can find (Google is your friend here), it's much easier to get the building blocks right and create a website your clients will love.

Your self-storage website should be a big part of your self-storage business plan. Gone are the days when people spot a self-storage facility and walk inside to inquire. Most people like to do things from the comfort of their own homes, and your website is your best way to connect with those people.

Think of your website as the personal greeter at the front door that takes your potential customers on a guided tour of your facilities. Customers explore the storage units you have available and get advice on the best size for their needs, while their greeter walks them through the contract-signing process.

The best part is that it’s all done online, and there’s no need to hire a personal greeter! It makes the storage unit rental process feel more personal, despite being done through a screen.

Now, if your head is spinning at the idea of creating a self-storage website, we have good news for you.

Self-storage facility management makes everything 100x easier

Self-storage facility management software has advanced the industry significantly over the past 10-20 years, allowing you to control everything from inventory to security from the comfort of your software’s dashboard. 

Thanks to this automation, you can easily integrate it into your self-storage website. For example, your website will automatically update based on real-time occupancy and help you manage payments.

Having a website that integrates your storage system into your business plan is the most fundamental part of your marketing efforts. And missing out on it is like rejecting an offer of free money, something nobody would do. Right?

Self-Storage Business Wisdom

We know how important your self-storage website is. But even the best self-storage website can’t fix a mediocre self-storage business model.

See, when you’re thinking about running a self-storage business, you have a lot of key aspects to consider:

  • Finding a location
  • Deciding to buy an existing self-storage company or build
  • Renting or buying land to build
  • Getting investors
  • Organizing a self-storage construction project
  • Franchising options

Your decisions will inform the type of self-storage business models most relevant to you. And that’s just to start your business.

After that, you need to consider the business infrastructure. You’ll need systems to:

  • Monitor occupancy rates and chase invoices
  • Help customers sign contracts
  • Ensure high-level security
  • Offer amenities and extras such as climate-controlled storage units

And finally, how much do you want to depend on technology and automation vs. the number of employees? You need both, but finding the right balance can be tricky without a well-thought-out self-storage business model plan.

The great thing about a solid business plan that makes the most of facility management software is that you have all the information you need in one place. 

From a single dashboard, you can see how many units are filled, monitor and enhance security measures (including allowing customers to access their storage units safely 24/7 through two-step authentication), and discover trends about your customers and their renting habits.

The ease of controlling your business in one place, coupled with the invaluable insights of self-storage facility management software, gives you an advantage when it comes to your marketing plans.

But there’s one last piece of the marketing puzzle we need to solve: How can your future customers find your awesome website amid a sea of other self-storage websites?

Self-Storage Advertising 101

Think of self-storage advertising as the road map that leads prospects from the wild web to your business website. Unless you’re a pro at optimizing your website for search engines (SEO) or your name is U-Haul, your business won’t be the first thing Google spits out in search results. 

At least not for free.

That’s where digital advertising comes in.

Your unique self-storage ideas need a spotlight, and ads give them just that. You can set ads that target specific demographics that are most likely to rent from you, and you can adjust your ads based on your current occupancy rates. 

And guess how you’ll know who to target? Your self-storage facility management software can track it all, of course!

Better still, you can use PPC (pay-per-click) ads to maximize your advertising budget and cut unnecessary costs. When you need more ads, you can boost spending. When you don't, you can reduce it. And because you only pay when someone clicks on your ad as opposed to paying a flat fee for visibility, you’re far more likely to make a sale on each click. 

And do you know how you’re going to seal the deal? By having that killer website we talked about earlier. Ads get people through the door, and your website gets the contract signed. Together, they're a powerhouse self-storage advertising duo.

Of course, there are plenty of other self-storage advertising ideas you can do offline that will help your business, too:

  • Billboards in prime locations
  • Local community involvement
  • Good ol’ fashioned word of mouth 

One of our favorite offline advertising ideas is cross-promotion with other local businesses, such as painters, decorators, and furniture shops. They tell their customers about your services, and in exchange, you do the same for them.

It’s a win-win!

How Self-Storage Companies Can Use Consulting Groups to Maximize Growth.

You didn’t spend all that time searching for things like “how much does it cost to start a self-storage business” and “average self-storage business profit” just to fall at the advertising hurdle. Nope. We won’t let you.

And while we’re sure you have everything it takes to build a self-storage empire, everyone can use a little extra help. That’s why most self-storage companies turn to advertising consultancy groups to maximize their opportunities for growth and make some serious self-storage business profit.

A self-storage advertising consultancy agency uses its expertise alongside your management software to find key trends they can leverage to pinpoint your audience and bring them straight to your front door. They also monitor your advertising campaigns and assist you in making executive decisions that get the best bang for your buck.

If you’re looking for a self-storage advertising agency to help grow your business, we just happen to know the perfect one.

It’s us!

Here at Adverank, we empower self-storage business owners like you to leverage marketing campaigns to get the best results without wasting money. Our dedicated team of experts monitors and updates your account around the clock with real-time insights on your PPC ad campaigns. And from your dashboard, you have full control over your marketing actions. Using the insights we provide daily, you can decide whether to increase or decrease your expenditure or change things up, all with a simple click.

Don’t let your self-storage business fall behind the competition. Schedule a demo with us today and see how we can help you maximize your self-storage business growth and watch your profits soar.

[1] https://www.selfstorage.org/Portals/0/Library/Public Library/Preamble and Fact Sheet (2015) July 2015.pdf?ver=vtsrBGwfp8t9H9MGtsKBxQ%3D%3D
[2] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1337875/self-storage-reits-market-cap/