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It's no secret: marketing matters for self-storage businesses.

But when trying to keep your facility running, making a TikTok is the last thing on your mind. A carefully thought-out self-storage social media marketing strategy can help you attract new audiences and keep your pipeline full.

Currently, most consumers shop for self-storage services online. A strong digital presence is a primary way to ensure you're at the top of search results when prospective customers search"self-storage near me."

Self-storage social media marketing works slightly differently than other industries regarding social media marketing. You can't exactly send out PR packages for influencers to create videos. You don't have a huge wealth of content creation opportunities. Most people are generally familiar with how self-storage works. So you have to think carefully about what you post and why your audience should care.

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Your strongest self-storage social media marketing content is about what makes you different.

Determine what differentiates you from your competitors, and center your content on those items. Most of your focus should be on decision-making factors for your prospective customers:unit dimensions, security, climate control, cleanliness, location, and other items that set yourself-storage business apart from others in your area

Keep your cadence and platform in mind when building your social media strategy. First, understand where your audiences are spending their time online. Most people bounce between multiple channels throughout the day. Tailor your content according to the platform's specific best practices. For instance, ensure your Instagram is primarily visual, with minimal text on graphics. Keep your Twitter posts short, punchy, and to the point

The most important thing to remember with social media is that it isn't the only marketing outlet you need. To attract customers looking for "self-storage near me," you will need a robust multichannel marketing strategy

Self-Storage Marketing Strategy

An effective self-storage marketing strategy maximizes your budget to increase reach to an audience likely to convert. Before you start pushing out content, it's crucial to know who is most likely to look for storage units:
  • Renters who are moving into a new space or moving in with a partner
  • Couples and individuals, particularly empty nesters, who are downsizing
  • Gen Xers who inherit furniture and other items from their aging family members
  • Homeowners, particularly those in condos or other smaller dwellings
  • Small business owners

 

In fact, while many self-storage units have traditionally focused on homeowners, about 21% of renters in the US use self-storage.

Reaching these audiences is all about understanding their needs and behaviors. Most people, especially renters, are highly likely to search for services on mobile devices. They're also likely to make their selections based on location and price for the space they need.

It's also essential to make sure you're prioritizing marketing and advertising as part of your overall budget. Most companies spend 5% to 15% of total revenue on marketing.² While that might seem daunting, it's important to keep in mind that the entire purpose of marketing is to deliver a return on investment in the form of new customers. This should all factor into your overall self-storage business plan—more on this later.

When building your self-storage marketing strategy and ad budget, prioritize channels that let you maximize your targeting.

Your primary focus should be people who meet those above criteria within a short driving distance from your public storage facilities. Channels that work well are social media, out-of-home and print applications, paid search, and other digital advertising.

Self Storage Advertising.

TIPS

Few channels are as effective for self-storage advertising as Google Ads (formerly Adwords).These campaigns allow your business to bid on specific keywords and other criteria such as geography, demographics, and online behaviors of a searcher. The business that bids the highest wins, and their listing appears the highest in search results.

This might seem like a fairly expensive tactic, but it's essential to consider that most of these campaigns are pay-per-click or PPC.

So, you essentially set the maximum price you're willing to pay for a person to click on your website in specific search results.

You can run multiple types of self-storage PPC campaigns within Google Ads, and it can be extremely difficult to know what ad creative will perform, what keywords to target, and how to bid appropriately. That's why effective paid search campaign management is critical for self-storage advertising success. Having an expert handle the day-to-day of self-storage PPC is afar more effective use of time and dollars than the potentially costly trial-and-error of a DIY campaign.

The right partner will have specific experience in self-storage advertising. They'll know how andwhere to advertise storage space online based on market insights and experience in othermarkets around the country. A truly great self-storage advertising campaign manager will alsobe able to offer specific insights based on your current occupancy and specific goals foradvertising. They'll also suggest additional tactics like social media, digital radio, and otherchannels that help maximize your advertising spend

Unique Self-Storage Ideas

The best way to ensure that your marketing will work? Make sure it's unique. When considering how to stand out, you must think bigger than posting the occasional picture of an empty storage unit. Here are a few unique self-storage ideas for social media content:

Leverage the latest marketing trends and best practices to make sure that your posts are getting the most effective reach to your target audience.

Post virtual tours of your facility and open units. Both photo and video will work well for this, but video tends to get more engagement.

 

Make sure you always include a human touch. Audiences are more likely to relate to content that features people and actions rather than objects.

Avoid text-based graphics on social. They don't perform as well as photos or illustrations, making them difficult for people with visual impairments to process.

Have fun with what you have. Use your dollies, sliding doors, and long halls to create visually interesting video content with lots of motion.

Highlight your team. Too often, self-storage feels like a faceless industry to the consumer. Show them your people, and remind them that someone's always there to support them.

Leverage your existing customers and local influencers. 62% of marketers use influencers to generate more engagement. 60% of marketers feel that influencers help them reach new audiences

Don't forget about what your audience will see once they click through from a social post.

THINK ABOUT IT

Keep your website eye-catching, engaging, and informative. Consider including specific, useful information such as live occupancy updates, sizes and dimensions of units, and unique services you offer, like mini-storage, RV or boat storage, enhanced security, 24-hour access, and climate-controlled space.

Last but not least, make sure your messaging is more fact than fiction. You need to have the proof to back it up. Did you know that 93% of consumers read reviews before making a purchase decision? Good reviews on Google can also boost your search engine performance!

Referral bonuses, incentives for positive reviews, and user-generated social content are all great ways to put your existing customers to work for your business.

Self-Storage Business Plan

 
Talking about marketing for your self-storage business only makes sense if you have holistic business goals. The best way to document those goals and make them attainable is by having a self-storage business plan.A typical business plan will look out about five years ahead. 

In it, you'll need to include the following:

A description of your company, including factors that differentiate you from competitors.

A market analysis that shows you understand your industry and the local market or markets in which you'll operate.

An operational and legal structure for your business. Spell out the organizational chart and who is legally and financially responsible for your business.

A more detailed description of your specific services. For self-storage, this includes your full inventory of available unit sizes, additional specific services like mini storage or boat/RV storage, and additional features that offer a competitive edge.

An outline of your marketing strategy, including tactics you might use to attract and retain customers, budget as a percentage of overall revenue, and realistic goals for your marketing and sales.

Funding requirements and financial projections. These sections should outline your operating costs, projected profits, and growth goals in a way that will resonate with potential lenders, investors, and business partners

The most important thing to remember about a business plan is that it is a living document.

plan ahead

It should serve as a road map, not a bible. Update it regularly based on changes in your market conditions and business operations. Most importantly, remember to document your key performance indicators. Regularly compare this data against your projections in your business plan. This data analysis will give you a clear picture of how realistic your goals are and allow you to adjust accordingly.

Need Help?

If you need help realistically projecting your occupancy or costs or setting realistic goals within your self-storage marketing strategy, Adverank is here to help.

We offer intelligent campaign management enabled by technology. 

We'll give you insights that allow you to adjust and monitor your campaign in real time and pivot your goals based on data about your business and advertising performance