Menu
Schedule Demo

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

sales@adverank.com
800-761-8672

Self-storage companies give their customers the opportunity to hide away their most prized possessions. It's like a secret corner all for themselves.

And yet, hiding and keeping secrets is exactly what you don’t want to do with your self-storage business. You want to shout from the rooftops to let everyone know who you are and where to find you. After all, everyone needs a good storage unit at some point in their life, right?

Back in 2021, 38% of Americans reported they were using self-storage[1]. That’s a lot of potential customers for your business. Everyone has their reasons for needing self-storage, but the most common reason people gave was because they wanted to downsize[2]. Let’s face it — now that a lot of us are working from home, we need as much space in our homes as possible. And self-storage is a great way to get rid of the clutter without parting ways forever.

All this to say, self-storage owners have a big pool of potential customers waiting. But if they don’t know you exist, how can you hope to build your business?

So the question is: How do you take your self-storage facility from a mystery into a marvel? You market the heck out of it! That’s why all great self-storage business models need razor-sharp self-storage marketing plans.

Storage marketing is an interesting niche for marketers because the most common methods most businesses use don’t actually work for you. But don’t worry. We have years of experience in self-storage marketing, helping companies like yours go from anonymous to maxed-out capacity.

In this article, we’re going to walk you through the benefits of marketing your self-storage business, as well as some of the most effective marketing strategies in the industry.

So buckle up, grab your choice of beverage, and let’s get into it.

The Pros and Cons of Using a Self-Storage Marketing Agency

Self-storage companies have a unique online marketing dilemma, especially on TikTok and Instagram. Unlike other industries (like makeup, clothing, home decor, etc.), you can’t just put an influencer in a video using your product and expect people to turn around and say, “Hmm, you know what I could really go for right now? A good ol’ storage unit.” 

So you need to be a lot more strategic about your marketing efforts. That’s where hiring a self-storage marketing agency can make all the difference for your profit margin. But don’t just take our word for it; make your own mind up. Here are the top two pros and cons of using a self-storage marketing agency for your business.

PRO: Target Your Potential Customers More Accurately

A self-storage marketing agency can monitor the traffic and conversion rates of your marketing efforts to determine which methods get you the most customers. But that only works when you know exactly who will need your services. For example, did you know that 21% of renters use self-storage and that Gen X is the most likely to need a self-storage space? That’s the kind of insight that marketing agencies will use to help you increase your sales.

PRO: Innovative Self-Storage Marketing Ideas

We briefly touched on the fact that self-storage marketing cannot rely on the same social media practices that most other industries can. And that’s because self-storage is something people purchase only when they actually need it, not because they suddenly get the urge to. While this can feel limiting, a good marketing agency has plenty of self-storage marketing ideas that get great results without needing an Instagram account.

CON: You Know the People in Your Local Area Better Than an Agency

If you’re local to the area, you know the community like no one else. That means you have specific insight that would be hard to research, and it might seem like outsourcing your marketing agency will lose some of your relatability to your community. Although in our experience, we love it when our clients tell us all about the local area traditions and quirks, so we can incorporate them into our marketing strategy.

CON: It’s More Expensive Than Marketing by Yourself

It’s true. Marketing with an agency is more expensive than mailing out fliers. It might be hard to part with your hard-earned dollars, but the right marketing agency will ensure you’re rolling in many more in the not-too-distant future.

Self-Storage Advertising Ideas

By now, you probably know whether you want to use a self-storage marketing agency. What you might struggle with, though, is trying to picture what marketing agency advertising ideas you might use in the future.

Well, we’re big people, pleasers, here, so we’re going to let you in on some of our favorites.

  • Get Active on Yelp
    Like every business, your self-storage company needs positive social proof (aka good reviews) to boost your potential. You wouldn’t go to a new hair stylist or barber without checking the review sites, right? Well, that’s exactly how your potential clients feel. They want to know about other people’s experiences. But it goes further than that. 

    Sometimes mistakes happen, and people complain. Other times, people want to rave about how awesome you are. And how you respond to that is just as valuable as a good review. So if someone complains, respond and offer to fix the problem. Is someone singing your praises? Say, thank you. Responding with compassion, courtesy, and humbleness lets people know you care about your customers. And at the end of the day, we all want someone to show they care about us!

  • Collect Emails and Keep in Touch With Your Clients
    You should have a good database of email addresses from people who have either rented or registered interest with your self-storage company in the past. Those email addresses are marketing gold. They're the ticket to staying in contact with potential new or repeat clients and just a little reminder that you exist and you’re there for them if they ever need you. It’s also a great way to get people excited about limited-time promotions. For your most loyal customers, you can send them custom discounts to thank them for their business and loyalty.

  • Show Videos of Your Facilities
    Most people prefer to do everything online these days. It’s why most owners now operate a fully automated self-storage company. But it’s difficult to trust a storage facility when you aren’t sure what you’re going to encounter. Offering video tours of the storage units on your website helps customers trust your company and makes them more likely to sign up.

  • Join a Local Facebook Group
    Okay, we said social media isn’t great for self-storage marketing. But Facebook is a bit different and has tons of local groups you can join and advertise your services. The trick here is not to spam the group with ads but to join in and participate. So when someone inevitably posts that fateful question, “Hey, I’m moving soon. Does anyone know of a good self-storage facility ?” you’ll be ready to offer your services.
schedule a demo

Unique Self Storage Ideas for Marketing

Okay, okay, we get it! You want some more out-of-the-box ideas. We’ve got you covered!

  • Start a Blog
    You might wonder how self-storage and blogging are compatible. Well, for starters, it helps your website show up more often in search engines by using SEO (search engine optimization). Plus, it helps solidify your place as an industry expert. And believe it or not, there are hundreds of things you can write about in a self-storage blog. Top 10 Locks for the Most Secure Storage, How to Fit More in our Storage Units, Packing 101… it's almost unlimited.

  • Partner Up With a Local Business
    This is one of the most unique self-storage ideas for boosting your visibility. When people need self-storage, common reasons include working from home, house renovations, and moving. Teaming up with your local hardware store, office supply store, furniture store, etc., will help spread the word about your facilities. In return for these businesses spreading the word to their clients, you’ll also spread the word to yours. You might keep their business cards on the service counter, put up posters, and mention them in a blog post or elsewhere on your website.

  • Add Extra Value for Your Customers
    Imagine having two clothing stores at a similar price point. One is pretty run down; the other offers customers champagne. You’ll go for the champagne, right? It’s the same for your self-storage building. Customers want to know “what’s in it for them.” Any extra comfort you offer improves reviews and encourages repeat business. That doesn’t mean you have to pop the bubbly but consider some less expensive alternatives. Free coffee? Water coolers? A complimentary water bottle — with your company name and phone number, of course — for extended contracts? It takes more effort; it may be the reason you get the contracts over your competitors.

Using Google Ads for Storage Units.

At Adverank, we specialize in using PPC (pay-per-click) Google ads to drive customers to our clients’ self-storage businesses. It’s our favorite way to market self-storage units because, quite simply, it works.

If you’re unfamiliar with Google ads, here’s a quick overview. Using keywords (the words people type into Google when looking for a self-storage company), we create ads so your website is one of the first results they see. For example, if you have a self-storage place in Manhattan and want people in the area to find it, you would use ads for keywords such as “self-storage in Manhattan.”

You can create multiple Google ads for storage units using different keywords to maximize potential views. You can also increase or decrease how much you spend on each ad, depending on how well it’s performing.

At Adverank, we understand how hard it is to interpret marketing trends and pinpoint the right audience for your self-storage units. That’s why we put all the jargon-filled, confusing information into an easy-to-understand dashboard you can access at any time. Oh, and did we mention we keep your dashboard up-to-date constantly? We even have our night guards on the case, making sure your best interests are dealt with while you sleep, happily dreaming about how successful your business is.

And because you know your business best, we’ll never coerce you into any action. We’ll give you our expert industry recommendations, but if you want to change how much you’re spending on ads, you can do so from your dashboard.

Creating Google ads for storage units may be our specialty, but it’s just the start of the incredible self-storage marketing ideas we have to help you build your business.

Schedule a demo and see how we can take your self-storage company from low-key to the storage elite!

 

Sources:

[1] https://rejournals.com/americans-have-too-much-stuff-the-upward-trend-of-self-storage/

[2]https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/self-storage/self-storage-widely-used-among-renters-with-gen-xers-in-the-lead/

[3]https://www.nar.realtor/magazine/real-estate-news/commercial/self-storage-becoming-a-booming-business