[2025] Step-by-Step Guide to Self Storage Marketing

The game is getting harder.

Ten years ago, the storage industry was completely different. People were happy to pay low rates for a steel box of air, and the big money was invested elsewhere.

Since 2021, money has been pouring into self storage. New businesses are springing up across the country, and the biggest operators are gobbling up smaller facilities. In 2023 and 2024, though, demand has started to slump.

Marketing self storage in 2025 is going to be far more difficult than it was before.

Competition is up, demand is down, and the industry has started modernizing rapidly.

In short? Some facilities are not going to make it. 

Some self storage operators that have been in the business for decades are going to get left behind. Years of experience can be very helpful, but the industry is changing.

Even the best service and best product won’t help your business if no one finds you - or no one gives you a shot.

There used to be a little Greek restaurant down the street from my house. Lovely guy, fantastic food, good clean restaurant, and cheap prices - it was one of my favorite places to eat, and one of the best things about living in that little town.

It’s gone now, of course. Not because the food wasn’t good (it was delicious, and even got some awards). Not because the service wasn’t good, because it was! They did everything right for the people that came in their doors.

That restaurant is gone now because it wasn’t making enough money to stay open. The owner was great at making and selling food - but not any good at marketing.

In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about self storage marketing for 2025, about your customers, and about turning all that knowledge into successful rentals. We’ll also help you with some fantastic self-storage web design ideas - that’s what we do, after all!

We’ll rank all the different types self storage marketing, give you some fantastic self-storage web design ideas, and offer simple step-by-step instructions on how to implement them.

One Page Guide to Marketing a Self Storage Business

THE ESSENTIALS

These are the first marketing assets you need to get, if you don’t already have them. If you do already have them, you need to make sure they’re working for you!

Without these six steps, the rest of your marketing can’t save your business. Plus, if you get these six right, you’ll be capturing a lot of demand without even moving on to steps seven and beyond.

1. Set Up Your Google Business Profile

Why? Your GBP is the single biggest source of online traffic for self storage businesses!

If you do nothing else to market your self storage business, do this! Even if you don’t have a website, you need a strong GBP. 

97% of people use a search engine to find local businesses. The vast majority of those use Google, and Google provides answers to local business queries through Google Business Profiles.

Without a GBP, even if someone is standing across the street from their facility, Google may not show your business as an option. 

Even better, this is our number one tip not only because it’s vitally important, but also because it’s super easy to do - and it's free!

Setting Up A Google Business Profile for Self Storage

• Create a Business Profile
• Find your business category (self storage)
• Add your service area
• Add your website and contact information
• Add products and features
• Choose a way to verify your business

Verification sometimes involves a postcard being sent by Google to the address to head off any fraudulent accounts - more recently, Google has been asking for videos or other forms of proof.

When you’re making your profile, be as thorough as you can! Fill out all your hours, contact information, products, categories, etc. While you can always go back and edit it, it’s better to get it right the first time so Google has time to rank your business appropriately.

Google will show your business profile as a result when you’re one of the matching businesses closest to the searcher, but there are a lot of other factors that go into the ranking beyond proximity - we’ll cover several of them below.

Ranking well organically is great, but if you’re showing up in the Local Pack in a local search, that’s the best spot to be in. The Local Pack gets twice the clicks of the top organic search spot and more than three times the clicks of paid ads! Clicks are almost the same between Local Pack #1, #2, and #3, so it’s better to focus on conversion than ranking higher if you’re showing up here.

Check out our 2024 Google Business Profile Playbook for a deeper dive on mastering this vital marketing tool!

2. Get and Respond to Online Reviews

Why? Your customers care about reviews. If you don’t have reviews, you’ll lose renters.

Your online review rating is basically your business's score.

If you're not working to increase your score, your competitors will pass you and eventually beat you.

Everyone checks reviews. Over 90% of shoppers say they are influenced by positive reviews - as in, they read a positive review and decide to make a purchase.

Google takes these reviews as evidence that your business would be a good answer to new searches! Reviews are the most powerful ranking signal for local search, so you can’t skip this step.

Of course, potential customers also see good reviews as a reason to do business with you, but even negative reviews can be helpful. Research shows that customers trust businesses rated 4-4.7 stars more than they trust businesses with exclusively 5-star reviews.

Check out Interstate Self Storage here - we've highlighted their reviews alongside a video tour so every potential tenant will see how great they're doing!

Getting and responding to reviews:

• Ask customers to leave reviews of your self storage business after a successful interaction - a pleasant move-in, for example.
• Ask “Was I able to help you with everything today?” If the response is positive, follow up with:
  • “Could you do me a favor and leave me a review? That would really help me out. My name is Tommy and I’m the manager here.”

    (Though, if your name isn’t Tommy you should probably change that part.)

• Respond to every review! This shows you’re engaged and paying attention
  • Something as simple as a "Thank you for choosing [X]!" is often enough - but we’ve also got free Review Response Templates that you can customize and use too!

3. Get a Good Self Storage Website

Why? Your website is what turns those GBP visitors into tenants.

After all, even if your GBP shows up in the #1 spot, if it doesn’t direct people to a website it’s harder to turn those views into rentals.

A website is also a fantastic marketing tool. You can curate every aspect of your website, so your users get the exact experience you want them to.

Your website highlights your best features, answers your tenants' questions, and gives them plenty of reasons to choose your business rather than the competition.

There are many ways to build a self storage website, including:

• Setting up a profile on aggregators
• Contracting with your PMS provider for a website
• Building a website yourself
• Hiring a professional website company like StoragePug

A good website can help you understand customer behavior, so you can adapt your business to give your tenants what they’re looking for. You can track your search performance, website visitors, what pages they visit, conversions, and even where a potential customer fell out of the conversion funnel!

4. Add a Lot of Photos

Why? Photos of your storage facility build trust with shoppers.

After reviews, Google wants to show searchers photographs of the business they’re considering. Think of a restaurant menu or a hotel room - you’d want to see what you were getting before you buy!

Same goes for self storage renters. They want to see your business, what it looks like from the outside, what their unit will look like, everything - they want to see if you take care of the property or if it’s run down, if it’s fenced, gated, locked, well-lit, etc. etc.

The more photos you upload, the better Google can give these searchers what they’re looking for. That’s Google’s business after all; make searchers happy and get ad revenue. If your business doesn’t give searchers what they’re looking for, Google won’t show you as a result.

So - Photos. Lots of photos. Quality photos, either done by a professional or with some real attention to detail. 

Here’s how to take photographs that will improve your Google ranking and conversions:

• Clean your facility thoroughly
• Wait for a bright, sunny day
• Take pictures of:
  
  • What your facility looks like from the road
  • Your signage
  • Your office
  • The gate and keypad
  • Storage units
  • Parking places
  • Supplies for sale
  • Security cameras
  • Dollies
    
  • Aerial or drone footage
  • Any special features you offer
  • Anything else of interest
• Pick out the best photos
• Upload those to your website and Google Business Profile
• Take pictures of anyone who takes part in your referral program
• Post the best pictures on social media

Photos from your business account are great - but photos added by customers are better.

Encourage your favorite tenants to post new photos on their old reviews, or leave a review with a photo if they haven’t left one yet. Google doesn’t allow you to pay for reviews, so choosing tenants you’re friendly with is often your best choice.

Take a look at NoDa Storage's awesome video tour! Customers know exactly what they can expect with they rent a unit here.

5. Improve Your Signage

Why? ~40% of customers find a storage facility by driving past it. Your signage is the only way to reach these renters.

Any facility a renter drives by on their daily commute is going to be incredibly convenient, and this is why so many people choose that option. However, if you drive by a storage facility that looks terrible and unsafe… you’ll keep driving.

Here are a few ways to ensure your facility looks like a good choice:

• Keep it clean
• Install bright lighting
• Highlight your best offer
• Make your security features prominent
• Invest in landscaping

Having a great location is one of the best marketing traits your business can have - it’s just hard to fix if you don’t!

The best thing you can do is capitalize on what passer-by traffic you do get. Make sure that anyone driving by your facility has a good opinion of it. These are potential customers, and you’re going to be their first choice if you can make your case.

6. Improve Your Signage

If your business isn’t directly on the major road, you could be missing out on a lot of potential business because people simply don’t notice you exist.

One simple marketing tip is to increase your visibility since somewhere around 40% of your rentals will come from people that drive by your facility on a regular basis.

Here are some tips on improving your self storage signage:

• Put signs on the main road
• Build your own on-site billboard
• Increase the lighting around your facility
• Put up a banner advertising your best deals

Be memorable!

I only know of two storage facilities between my home and StoragePug - one is a massive 5 story REIT that glows like a pillar of fire. The other is a smaller operator that regularly puts funny quips on their changeable signage. 

One of these tactics costs the operator far less than the other, and I know which I would choose if I needed some storage.

Be unique, be local, and be memorable.

EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS

All the ideas and marketing tips in the ESSENTIALS section are must-haves. You should have them in place, you should always be tending to them, and they’ll make your facility a good option for renters. 

If you haven’t gotten the self storage marketing basics down, the programs in this section won’t work very well. If people don’t feel that your facility will take good care of their stuff, they won’t rent.

The best ad campaign in the world can’t overcome negative curb appeal!

However, if you’ve got the basics down, running effective marketing programs can give you a lot of reach. Instead of simply waiting for people to stumble across your facility, you can go out and get them.

7. Run Self Storage Pay-per-Click Ads

Why? Pay-per-click ads are almost always cheaper than SpareFoot, and they’re a good option if your SEO is weak.

Running a Google Ad campaign is an active marketing campaign because you have to pay a certain amount every month for it to work.

Google Ads are those sponsored links you see at the top of a Google search. They show up even before the Local Pack and can get you in front of customers even if you don’t rank there naturally.

You will have to pay Google a certain amount of money for every click your ad gets. This amount varies depending on the search term your ad appears for and how much competition there is in the market.

Google ads can be prohibitively expensive if you’re faced with a lot of competition from the REITs or other big competitors. Before you run a Google Ad campaign, be sure your website can convert the clicks at a good rate, because you pay the click fee whether they rent or not.

You also need to know how much each rental is worth to you, on average. The goal of Google Ads is to generate extra demand - if you’re already getting plenty of clicks, don’t waste your money.

Be sure your ads target only the area around your facility. The vast majority of your renters will come from within 20 minutes of your business.

Here’s how to run a Google Ad Campaign for your self storage facility:

• Start a Google Ad Campaign
• Set location targeting to the area around your facility
• Use negative keywords to avoid showing up for “cloud storage” and “storage containers”
• Use ad extensions to include your site link, location, phone number, etc.
• Send clicks directly to your rental pages
• Measure the results

Google Ads are a great way to create demand for your business out of nothing but money. They’re fast and effective, provided you have a strong website to send people to.

If you pay for people to see your site but your site isn’t converting them into renters, you’re just flushing money away.

8. Start a Referral Program

Why? A referral program leverages your position in the community and is cheaper than ads or aggregators.

Self storage referral programs are a fantastic way to encourage your customers to advocate for you, and it’s relatively cheap compared to other marketing efforts because you only pay when you get a rental!

Most of these other marketing tactics will bring you rentals, but you pay to get in front of people who don’t rent as well. 

Referral programs might be the most efficient way to spend your marketing dollars.

Offer a reward for referrals that is substantial, but not exorbitant - a lot of our operators price a referral around $50, but if you’re in a higher-income market you may need to move it up to $100.

Some operators offer discounts for the person being referred as well, so both parties feel like they’ve gotten a good deal (and it gives your referrer some ammunition when they make the pitch!). 

Here’s how to implement a successful referral program:

• Make sure everyone knows about it
• Offer a worthwhile referral bonus
  • At least enough for dinner for two!
• Offer the referred tenant a special discount
• Take pictures of your happy referrals!
• Post those pictures on social media along with the offer

Referrals can bring you a lot of business, and while the price tag may seem high, it’s almost always cheaper per rental than other marketing channels.

Bonus Tip - Keep in touch with previous customers!

If you had any customers that you really hit it off with, keep their number somewhere handy! You may need help later on.

You can ask your favorite customers for advice on your pricing or services, or you can ask them to leave a good review after you've gotten a nasty one. 

If your customers happen to have local businesses, you can set up a business card swap and get them in on the referral program, too.

9. Improve Your Lead Follow-Up

Why? With demand dropping, there aren’t a lot of leads floating around. Make sure to convert yours.

You: Can we have some more leads?
StoragePug: We have leads at home!

Don't waste money chasing new marketing leads if you've already got some - focus your energies on turning the leads you have into rentals.

This may take a bit more effort than just paying for more ads, but good lead follow-up has a much higher conversion rate than other avenues of marketing. After all, these leads have already reached out to you about getting some storage!

In self storage, customers usually rent with one of the first few facilities they find - not many do extensive shopping around. That means if someone has abandoned their rental halfway through the process, they'll find a new option quickly. 

No matter how good your rental process is, you’re going to have potential customers that start but don’t finish a rental. You’ll have leads that call your facility during off-hours. If you build a lead-follow-up process that can turn these maybes into rentals, that will generate more revenue than most marketing campaigns.

Here’s how to follow up on self storage leads:

• Set up an alert system that will let you or your team know when a lead is found
• Separate leads into Urgent, Abandoned Cart, and Reservations
  • Urgent would be those that called or emailed your facility about renting
  • Send a text or email to your lead with a friendly greeting, any information they need, and a link to rent
  • If you have the manpower, call your best leads personally

For small, local businesses, a personal touch on lead follow-up can differentiate you from the REITs. People want to know their stuff is going to be taken care of - storage businesses that are alert, friendly, and personal can give them that.

10. Offer Value Pricing

Why? Value pricing can help you make more money with fewer tenants - perfect for a tough market.

Price is one of the most important factors when people are choosing a storage facility, but that doesn’t mean customers only want the cheapest option. Some will want the cheapest possible unit, but most of your customers will pay more for convenience and they’ll prefer a business that gives them the choice.

If you’re charging only one rate for all of a certain unit size, you’re missing out on potential revenue. You could also miss out on customers as they go to a business where they have more control over what they’re actually paying for. 

Obviously, you’ll be charging more for amenities like climate control or charging stations, but value pricing works for other factors that may not be as clear-cut. 

Here are a few self storage value pricing options - you can charge more for:

• Units near the gate
• Ground-floor units
• Units near the elevator
• Proximity to security cameras
• Units with great lighting

Don’t let this list limit you, though! Go through your facility and try to think of reasons you’d prefer storing at one unit over the others. Customers have different preferences - some may not care about walking up the stairs, while others would pay a good price to avoid it. Value pricing lets them choose the perfect unit for their needs.

11. Build Relationships with Local Businesses

Why? Local businesses are a great source of referrals and some may need to rent commercial storage!

Once you’ve got your referral program in place, you can reach out to nearby businesses to let people know! Maintaining friendly relationships with nearby businesses can be quite beneficial. 

If their customers ask about a place to store their stuff or park their boat, they can recommend you - and if they know about your referral program, they can even make some money!

More than that, local businesses can help you out with advice, support, and even partnerships. So it’s very valuable marketing to have the local small businesses know about you.

Here’s how to build good relationships with nearby businesses:

• Visit! Go to a block of businesses and introduce yourself to everyone
• Bring cookies. Or bagels. Donuts. Something to make a good impression.
• Drop off some business cards
• Tell them about your referral program - and that anyone can get the money
• Offer to put their business cards in your lobby
• Be quick! They’re busy too, so don’t stay longer than necessary

Some of our operators like to visit again at regular intervals, like once a year. You could also send Christmas gifts (again, food is probably best) or mark any other major holidays or events.

Make sure the arrangement is beneficial to both businesses! That benefit could be the referral money, equivalent marketing, donuts, whatever.

12. Sponsor Local Groups

Why? Sponsoring local groups establishes you as part of the community, improving reputation, referrals, and brand recognition.

If you’ve ever been to a Little League baseball game, you’ve seen the signs along the outfield.

Local businesses sponsor the league, sponsor teams, and sponsor whatever else is needed to help the kids play, and in return, they get to put their name where all the spectators can see.

This is an inherently local way to market your self storage business. You’re building your reputation in the community, rather than convincing people you have the best deals.

You won’t see a huge spike in renters when you get your name on a small local group’s sponsors board, but it can still be worth the money. Small local businesses thrive off of their reputation and this is a relatively cost-effective way to build this, especially if you can have a personal touch with your sponsored groups.

Sponsoring local groups can help foster positive relationships with community members and create a sense of goodwill toward the business. Overall, sponsoring local groups is a win-win situation for small businesses and their communities.

Here are a few local group types you may want to look into sponsoring:

• Youth sports teams
• Small business organizations
• Art events
• Nonprofit organizations
• Local religious institutions
• 5k/10k charity runs
• The zoo, botanical gardens, or arboretum
• Area parks

Keep in mind that you still need to focus your efforts on potential renters - if you want this to be a marketing rather than a philanthropic effort. 

Sponsor groups in your immediate vicinity, rather than those across the city. This is hard, because the groups you’re sponsoring may come from anywhere, but you can make sure the sign you’re buying is near your business.

At least then you know that anyone seeing it has at least one reason to be in the area!

13. Start a New Self Storage Discount Plan

Why? Discounts are eye-catching, and price is a huge part of a self storage customer’s decision.

If you’re having trouble finding new renters, or if your competition is undercutting you, discount plans can get customers to give your business a shot!

Self storage discount plans are great for your marketing because they can entice customers to your business with lower prices than you could otherwise offer. When your potential renter is scrolling through their phone looking at storage facilities, eye-catching discounts can help you rope in that click.

Here are a handful of self storage discount options:

• X% off a six-month rental
• First month free with prepayment
• Sixth/Seventh/Twelfth month free
• Military discounts
• Student discounts
• Senior discounts

One thing to keep in mind when you’re setting up discount plans is that tenants usually stay longer than they expect. 

Lots of renters think they’ll be staying for 2 or 3 months, but end up staying for 6. If you give them a sizable discount on the first 3 months, you can get a lot of new renters, then make your money back in the later months.

Look at what the competition is doing - that will drive your discounts. Renters like to feel as if they’re getting a good deal, and if you can’t give it to them they’ll find someone who can.

14. Host Community Events at Your Storage Facility

Why? Community events get eyes on your facility and build positive brand recognition.

Hosting events is a great way to build your local brand, and it doesn’t have to cost you anything more than time!

Lots of community and charity events simply need a place to host. You may not be able to provide a nice indoor venue for rustic weddings, but you can offer your parking lot for a sports team’s carwash fundraiser.

If you have a meeting room, you could let local groups use it free of charge for their meetings. If you have vehicle parking spots, that’s even more room for hosting outdoor events.

Most storage facilities are already set up well to host a garage sale! Stacie Maxwell, formerly of Universal Storage Group, recommended this tactic to give the community a reason to come visit your facility. You can do single-day leases for interested parties to set up at a storage unit, too. 

Anything that gets the community to visit your business and see you in a good light is good marketing! 

Here are some community events the average self storage facility could host:

• Garage sale
• Charity car wash
• Blood drive
• Art shows 
• Farmer’s market
• Small business presentations
• Chamber of Commerce events
• Local association networking events

Think of any hosted event like an open house - except more people will actually come. Spruce the facility up nicely, make sure your storage units are clean, and be there to greet people and make nice. 

You don’t want to be pushy about advertising your facility. People aren’t here to see you or rent a storage unit (though if someone wants to, you’re happy to help!). The goal is for people to leave happy and then, two years later when they need space for their new kayak, they remember your facility and think hey, that place was nice!

15. Use Self Storage Flyers & Mailers

Why? Direct mail campaigns can target people who live near your facility – your target audience!

This step is kind of old school, but sending flyers and mailers can still work as long as you target the right people.

As we talked about above, outbound marketing is inefficient in self storage. The vast majority of the people who get your mailer aren’t going to be in need of a storage unit. Even if the people you send a flyer to do need storage, they may already have a unit!

On the other hand, this gives you a way to reach tenants that don’t use search engines or other digital technologies when shopping.

So if you’re going to send flyers, understand that you’re doing it to build brand recognition rather than bring flocks of new renters. You may get lucky with a handful of new tenants, especially if you offer a fantastic deal in your flyer, but the long-term benefit is making sure people in your area know you exist.

Pug Pro Tip: Focus your mailers on something your customers will be interested in! Talk about your referral program and how they can make $50 by recommending you to a new tenant. Highlight events you're hosting.

When sending out flyers or mailers, make sure you:

• Highlight your referral program!
• Target areas near your facility, usually within 10 minutes
• Include a deal, discount, or promo in your flyer
• Give renters a code for the discount so you can track who uses it
• Use good photos of your facility to attract tenants
• Avoid using specific rates, unless you’re prepared to honor them in 6 months
• Showcase events you're hosting

Flyers and mailers can be particularly helpful if you’re a new facility or if you aren’t obvious to people moving through the area. 

If you do go with flyers, the USPS Every Door Direct Mail program can help you map out your target areas and then get the campaign going. 

LONGSHOTS

The ideas in this category aren’t going to work for every facility - but we kept them in anyways because we get a lot of questions about them.

These tactics can work, but they’re not as solid as the ideas above, and you’ve got to make sure you do them right.

In general, these ideas don’t provide as good a return on investment! You could get a renter or two from a billboard, but you would get more from spending that same money on Google Ads.

That being said, if you’re going to try these tactics, make sure you’re doing them right - and maybe you’ll figure out the secret way to turn them into powerful marketing engines!

16. Build Backlinks to Your Storage Website

Why? Backlinks increase your SEO strength and can send new visitors your way - but not by a lot.

This one is near the end because backlinks aren't super important for local SEO - but they can still help!

While reviews are the most significant single source of Google local rankings, backlinks can help too.

Pug Pro Tip: A backlink is when another website links to yours.

Global web traffic is heavily influenced by backlinks, but they work for local search as well. Your backlink profile can function as a tie-breaker between your facility and a comparable competitor.

Not an easy task, but there are a few simple ways to go about it that won’t take up hours and hours of your life. Reach out to your local business groups and find ways to get listed on their sites, as sponsors, members, contributors, etc. If local media organizations want to talk to you, do it! 

• Local Chamber of Commerce
• Small business associations
• Local media outlets
• Self storage aggregators 
• Citation lists
• Any local organizations you sponsor

Backlinks for a small business should come from your existing relationships in the community, which are beneficial for far more than a bit of SEO juice. 

You can get backlinks from other places, but in our experience, it’s not worth the effort. For local businesses, which self storage has to be, there are more important rank signals and better ways to spend your marketing time.

17. Using Social Media in Self Storage

Why? Social media use can help you connect with existing customers - but it’s not a great source of new renters.

Some of you may be surprised to find this here; StoragePug doesn’t often suggest self storage social media marketing. That’s because people aren’t shopping for storage on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

What you can do on social media, though, is build your brand. Then, when folks in your community want to rent storage, your name may already be in their head.

Social media marketing for self storage isn’t about generating leads.

It’s about creating a good impression with your community. Your social media posts should be pictures of your community engagement efforts, sponsorships of local groups, and support for other local causes.

Social media can also be a great place to put some of yourself out into the world. Of course, you want to be careful to present a good front, but you can show yourself to be a contributing member of your community, which the big REITs can’t compete with.

18. Don't Bank on Billboards

Why not? Billboards aren’t targeted enough - you’re paying to market to a lot of people who can’t or won’t rent.

Billboards are a bit of a bubble marketing tactic. Some of our operators use them with great success, while others think billboards are on the way out.

They are certainly old-fashioned, but in the right markets, they can still bring customers to your facility. 

The difference between effective and ineffective boils down to how operators are using their billboards. Like we talked about before, self storage works best as an inbound business - customers have to need storage before you can convince them to rent with you.

Billboards get your name in front of everyone that drives by. Billboards on busy streets will cost more, and billboards in rural areas will be cheaper. The trick is getting your business in front of not just a lot of eyes but in front of people who might rent from you.

This immediately rules out most billboards in your area, because the majority of people who rent from you are going to live within 20 minutes of your facility. Also, if there’s another storage facility more convenient to them, you’re going to have to convince people to drive a little further for a better storage unit.

So, here’s how to advertise your storage facility on billboards:

• Choose billboards within 30 minutes of your physical location
• Getting in front of the right eyes is more important than getting in front of the most eyes
• Give people a reason to choose your facility over another:
  • Your best discounts
  • Your unique features
  • Be specific, rather than saying “great service,” etc.

One last thing to consider is the speed of traffic next to the billboard. If your sign is on the interstate surrounded by other billboards, people may not notice or read your advertisement. Slower roads give them more time to actually internalize your messaging.

19. Don't Start a Self Storage Blog

Why Not? Blogging can be beneficial, but it’s not often worth the effort for a small operator.

Ironically, given where you’re reading this, we don’t recommend blogging as a marketing tool for self storage operations. 

Blogging can be useful, but it’s not going to bring you many renters. Blogs are better for communicating information and advice to your tenants.

The problem with using blogs to try and get renters is that information is global. No matter how good a writer you are, it’s nearly impossible for a tiny website to capture global traffic for a relevant query. You’re competing with every news outlet, every aggregator site, and every magazine site in the country, if not the world.

Plus, even if you do get good traffic to a relevant blog, what are the odds those folks are going to rent with you?

Your target audience is within 5-10 miles of your facility. Blogging can help those people, but don’t blog for people on the other side of the country (unless you just love it).

Blogging won’t hurt, but it’s not going to get you many rentals.

      20. Don't Buy TV or Radio Ads

Why Not? Too expensive, and you’re advertising to a ton of people who don’t need storage at the moment. 

I don’t see these very often, and for good reason.

You will inevitably be paying for tons of people to see your ads who cannot possibly rent from you.

That makes TV and radio advertising incredibly inefficient. We don’t recommend using these under pretty much any circumstances.

If you’ve seen success with TV or radio ads, let me know!

Frequently Asked Self Storage Marketing Questions

For more self storage articles, take a look at:

• [2024] Self Storage Web Design That Works
• The Comprehensive Guide to Self Storage Software
• Self Storage Marketing Playbook [Free eBook]

StoragePug is a modern marketing company for self storage. We create intelligent marketing websites that allow you to rent units & take payments through your facility's website.