Key Points
You’re up against a tough competitor—the big chains that come into town, crash your market, and leave you struggling. But there are ways to win!
Creating a marketing plan as an independent self storage operator isn’t just about budget–it’s about outmaneuvering the bigger players.
We talked to Shane Rhyne of Northshore Pellissippi Storage, a savvy small business operator contending with an Extra Space right down the road and a massive regional chain just across the highway. And he's still running a thriving facility despite all that.
Shane's story is proof that even with a limited pool of time and money, you can put attention where it will have the most impact. Our self storage independent operator marketing strategy can help you get there—with tips and tricks from Shane himself.
These advanced self storage marketing techniques let you change the game and beat the REITS your way.
In This Article
Before you do anything else, set up your foundation. Don’t have a website? Not sure what a GBP is? Using stock photos to show off a facility that isn’t really yours? The advanced techniques we discuss in this guide only work if you can convert renters who come to your site.
Do these first:
Even as an independent operator, all of your efforts are in the service of getting rentals. If you don't have all of those steps nailed down, delve into our Self Storage Marketing basics before reading further.
FREE | 15 minutes
Setting up your Google Business Profile is even more important for a local business. A GBP with accurate contact information, services, tags, and photos proves you’re a legitimate business. Without all of these polished to a shine, renters won’t give you a chance.
FREE | A few minutes a day
As a small operator, reviews let you interact with your community. First, you need a way to get reviews for your self storage facility. And once they start coming in, set aside time every week to respond to all reviews, positive or negative. Collecting and responding to reviews is free, takes just a few minutes, and builds your self storage facility’s digital appeal.
Our all-inclusive Reviews resource has more information on getting and responding to reviews!
$-$$$ | Once with the right effort
A good self storage website is easy to use, includes clear calls-to-action, and is laid out so that users can rent easily without any friction.
Want to learn more about self storage website design? Our website design resources give you easy-access information, all in one place.
FREE-$$ | One-time to get it right | Ongoing small upkeep
Your photos build trust and help locals who know the area see where you are. Even if you’re new to taking quality self storage photos, following a few best practices goes a long way.
$-$$$ | Once a year
Renters want to know you’re a legit business when they arrive. Your self storage physical marketing is worth investing in. Let renters know they’re in the right place, increase brand awareness, and communicate your facility type all at once!
REITs making you nervous? We’ve got you covered!
Each of these advanced marketing tactics represents something that only independent operators can pull off to compete with a REIT's business practices.
And it’s why people will choose your facility over a REIT’s.
Free–$$ | Ongoing
If you skipped starting a referral program when you launched your storage facility, now’s the time to get it running. And if you already have a referral program running, optimizing the process now can boost your results.
A referral program only works if you’re providing exceptional service–which is where small, local businesses shine! People go to the REITS for a low price, but are often disappointed by what they get for it. You can outmaneuver them with outstanding service that gets people talking.
And if they’re already talking? Let that goodwill turn into a new renter with a referral program!
Referral programs are 100% guaranteed to make your money back. Why? Because you only spend money on it when you have a new renter locked in. You can’t outspend the larger players, so you have to spend efficiently.
Make your referral program competitive by focusing on these areas:
This kind of grassroots marketing flips the script on the REITs. You don’t have to talk about how they’re predatory with their rent increases or explain why shopping local helps the community more. Happy tenants or residents of your surrounding area will do the talking for you. Your referral program gives them an incentive to keep you on their minds.
Put another way, REITs spread their brand with big advertising budgets. You spread your brand with word-of-mouth.
And people are more likely to trust a recommendation from their neighbor over a faceless corporation’s ad!
Remember, you’re spending $50 to get 3 months of rent—and most renters stay far longer than that! But you can go even higher than that to make your referral program more attractive. Spending $100 for 3 months’ rent might still be worth it, especially if that renter stays longer.
Shane Rhyne of Northshore Pellissippi Storage puts it this way: “Our success is based on word of mouth. That’s the best investment you can make!”
When we asked Shane about his referral program, he showed us just how valuable it’s been for his self storage business. His facility’s showing an 8.5 ROI on referrals—over eight times return on what he’s spending!
His advice was simple: don’t fall into the trap of trying to compete with a REIT on price. Buy that 8.5 ROI on a referral program instead!
He even went so far as to put a banner in his office: “We’ve given away X dollars in gift cards—why didn’t you get any?”
The winning strategy is to make your referral program easy. Put it everywhere and make it seamless to use.
$-$$$ | Ongoing
Your self storage curb appeal may sound like just routine maintenance, but it’s an important cornerstone of your marketing.
People won’t store with you if they think you’re cutting corners. They won’t consider a space that looks uninviting. No matter how hard you try to market your facility, it’s hard for a potential lead to overlook an unappealing product. This is one thing you can compete with the REITs on—and if you don’t play, you’re out of the game.
Shane Rhyne asked participants in his referral program why they referred a friend or neighbor. Consistently, people sent renters Shane’s way because of his spotless facility. His advice for an independent operator contested by a REIT?
“A clean facility is worth more in the long run than any discount. That’s what they trust.”
In fact, the cleaning service used by Northshore Pellissippi comes once a week. He considers every cent of it money well spent.
Consider how your facility’s appearance affects your marketing and sales processes. Take a look at your storage facility from a renter’s perspective. As Shane put it, "If your bathrooms aren’t clean, if you have a burned-out bulb, potential leads won’t trust the rest of your service."
In short, beat the REITs because you’re a local who cares—and let your facility’s appearance tell that story.
$-$$ | Monthly auditing
You can’t spend as much ad money as a larger operator, but you don’t have to! Spend smart and spend in the right place for hyper-local results. Your renters are locals, after all.
Prioritize Google ads first. They still yield the highest results for what you spend. Target neighborhoods near you by name and geographic areas within 5 miles of you (or 10 if you’re in a very rural area). Learning how much to spend on self storage advertising can take some time to get right, but the important thing is to put your money where it matters most: ads that bring in renters.
You know the area better. You know where new neighborhoods are springing up. You know what locals actually call the area. And with a little legwork, you can learn so much more than the REITs—because they’re managing facilities across the globe or region.
They don’t have the time or focus to do a deep dive into local keywords. You do. Plus, you know a lot of it already!
So after your first phase of PPC advertising, you can get creative with your self storage pay-per-click ad campaigns.
Try focusing the language on your best amenity, or target a new area. Play around with targeting people who might commute past your facility. You can get that information by talking to your neighbors and renters. As with anything you spend advertising money on, track your results carefully and evaluate regularly.
Change tactics if a campaign’s not working. Your data will show you when it’s time to switch gears. Experimenting with PPC means you’re taking a risk, which is why it’s recommended to only do this after you’ve gotten everything else running smoothly.
$ | A few hours a month
Local outreach lets you compete where the bigger players can’t. Nobody feels especially connected to the out-of-town chain, but they can get connected to your business! As a small operator, you can signal to your neighbors that renting with you puts money back into their own community, and that you’ll treat them with fairness and respect.
Local business outreach is low cost by design. You’re usually only putting in a little gas money and some treats for the office you’re visiting.
Work together with your fellow locals. The end goal is simple. Local realtors, moving services, even auto dealers can recommend your business and take advantage of your referral program as an added bonus.
But there’s another angle here. Local businesses are also potential renters! And if you lean into what a local business needs, they’ll spread the word internally.
On the topic of marketing to local businesses, Shane Rhyne explained that he’s found success paying attention to businesses that already store with him—and he gets new leads from among their coworkers. For example, he added on an affordable office space when he noticed many of his commercial tenants were sitting in their cars trying to do work!
Listen to your commercial tenants, even ask them what they’re missing. Add on to your services to respond to their needs in a way that’s still budget-conscious. They’ll tell their friends and coworkers about your dedication.
Or, as Shane says it:
“Figure out what they need and we don’t have to do a lot of advertising, they’ll do it for us!”
FREE-$$ | Ongoing
Participating in your community by volunteering time or space can cost a little extra in money and effort. It puts your brand in front of potential leads. Frame yourself as a positive force in the community and give people another reason to search for your self storage business first.
How you treat your community shows. Brand awareness doesn’t directly convert to rentals, but giving people a reason to associate your name with something positive means they’ll think of you first when they need the extra care that goes into renting a storage unit. Sponsor a local team or charity, and people will remember you for it.
Get involved in your community by:
Community involvement doesn’t stop when your office hours end, either. As Mark Green of The Jenkins Organization puts it, “You’re always on stage.” Something as simple as helping out a member of your community after-hours can spark goodwill that people talk about. Catch his full story about a manager that went above and beyond on our Gabfocus: What the Best Managers Do (That Others Don’t)!
This is the difference between you and a REIT, and it’s one of the main reasons people choose you. Shane Rhyne offered his perspective: REIT employees are bound by corporate rules of behavior. They can’t get personal, but you can.
"REITs have to act like a corporate employee; you act like you’re a neighbor."
And if you’re thinking this approach ties in perfectly to your referral program, you’re spot on! Treat your community well, and they’ll be delighted to recommend you to a friend.
FREE-$$ | Daily upkeep
The first and most important step of competitive lead follow-up is answering the phone. It’s calling back immediately. You can’t beat the REITs on ad spend, but you can beat them on response time!
Your team should be following up on every lead. But how you go about it is what sets you apart as an independent operator.
Shane Rhyne explained how much importance his operation puts on his sales process. “If you’re trying to proactively figure out what problem you can solve and solving it for them, that’s how you compete with the REITs,” he says.
Talking to customers and finding out what they need from you goes a long way in selling your storage facility.
When you take the time to find out what a customer really needs, you’re investing in their satisfaction. And when you seek out ways to make it easier for them, they’ll recognize it.
One of the things that separates you from a larger operator is the personalized approach you can offer.
You can personalize lead follow-up by:
How much time does following up in a personalized way take out of your day? Could you find the time elsewhere? And above all else, when you do follow up, are you staying consistent with your goals?
Gathering some data can help answer this question. Of the leads you have come your way, how many turn into renters? Where in your sales process do you lose them? Are you consistently getting people to show up for a tour or rent a unit when you email them or talk to them on the phone?
At the end of the day, nobody really likes dealing with a faceless chain that doesn’t even have time to talk to them.
You can give people the human connection they’re looking for while taking advantage of modern automation for customers who prefer that route. No matter what you do, make yourself the choice that leads to connection, empathy, and exceptional customer service.
Because the REITs can’t do that as well as you can.
Automation can save you time with lead follow-up. At some point, you’ll have to answer the question of whether or not to automate your messaging with potential renters. Are leads slipping through the cracks because you can’t get to them? It may be time to set up automatic lead messaging.
But before you take that step, see if you can reallocate time and energy to lean on what makes your self storage facility special: the personal approach.
Like any refinement step, digging deeper into self storage follow-up methods will give you ideas on how to grow your process!
FREE | Local research once a year
Self storage value pricing costs you nothing to set up on your website—assuming your web developer can do it. Value pricing gives your renters a choice. They’ll see they’re getting the better deal on a lower-priced unit or understand why they’re paying more for a more valuable amenity or location.
And as a local, you can go deeper than a large operator. Getting connected to your community gives you a chance to understand what amenities are more valuable in your area, and which ones people don’t really care about. Collecting data month-to-month also lets you see which units are in high demand and which ones serve you better as the cheap option.
FREE | Ongoing
How you set your prices communicates value and choice. But how you show transparency says everything about your business practices. How do you let renters know they can trust you when it comes to rates?
If you increase a rate, explain why. Whether it’s a new security system or an upgrade somewhere else in the facility, renters will respect the fact that you were up front with them. Getting that extra level of care and respect goes beyond what a REIT can do. Especially given the way the big players handle rent increases.
How often do you raise your rates? Consider a predictable interval that you can communicate to renters. They won’t get that kind of communication from one of the REITs.
We’ve seen the pattern before. A REIT moves into town, offers market-crashing introductory rates, and then preys on your neighbors with aggressive rent increases. And the hardest part is, warning potential renters about the danger of renting with a REIT just sounds like bad-mouthing the competition.
On the other hand, you can’t compete with a REIT’s discounts. The goal isn’t to outbid them. The goal is to make your customers feel they’re getting their money’s worth. You’ll give them a better service than the REITs. It’s a matter of showing it.
So when you’re looking at self storage discount plans or concessions to entice renters, you need to plan smart.
When we asked Shane Rhyne about discount plans, he gave us his bottom line about discounts. His facility doesn’t offer a free first month—he calls it “a tax on people who are bad at math.” He goes on to say, “You have to get them to understand, I’m not playing games with the numbers here,” he says, “My rate is 150, theirs is 75.”
Instead, he advocates for avoiding the “low price” conversation entirely. “I have to justify to the client why my price is a good price - why it’s worth the money.”
Because if you’re always on sale, you’re saying, “Our price is too high. Wait until it’s on sale.”
Justify why you’re a good investment. Consider the amenities you offer. Come up with examples of your superior customer service. You won’t beat the REITs on price. But you will beat them by having something renters want more than just a low price.
Consider something like Northshore Pellissippii Storage’s Neighbors Promise Rate—a 12-month guarantee that locks a renter’s rate in for a year. You’re showing a renter up front that you’re committed to keeping their rent at the same rate you advertised.
A 12-month rate-lock costs nothing to implement. Even if you don’t have it at your facility, you can start it as early as today!
It’s not that you can’t run discount plans or offer concessions when you need them. You might need to adjust your rates if the REITs are pricing their storage units so low you can't even compete. But don’t let them trick you into fighting in an arena you’re not equipped for.
If you’re going to use a discount plan, make it clear and concise. 20% off three months’ rent means your renters won’t be surprised when their rate increases. But is it better to run that special, or lock their rate in for a year and at an overall lower price? This will vary by your market. Some communities look only at the price, while others will appreciate the transparency and simplicity of a no-nonsense rate.
And given how effective referral programs are, your money may be better spent there.
Still interested in running smart discount plans or offering clever concessions? Here are a few we’ve seen work for independent self storage operators:
Your budget isn’t limitless, of course. Lowering your prices does mean less profit. Running discount plans is as much a matter of transparency as what you set your rates at. At the very least, guaranteeing that your rates won’t increase for a least a year lets you give potential renters something the REITs won’t.
Use our sample self storage marketing plan for independent operators as fuel for your own campaign! This sample can get you started, but it’s up to you to make it yours. With your solid marketing plan, you’re ready to get in the ring and take on the REITs.
Phase 1: Strong Foundation
Phase 2: Compete with the REITs
You’re a local, and the REITs aren’t. But just being a local isn’t enough.
You need to lean into it and give your neighbors a reason to store with you!
Build a solid foundation for your self storage business with a converting website and Google Business Profile. Foster trust within your community by showing up for your neighbors. Incentivize giving you a chance with referral programs and discount plans. After that, prove you’re worth their trust with exceptional service that builds a connection.
Easier said than done, sure. But you’re up to the task. The surest way to compete with the biggest players in the industry is to fight in an arena they can’t even reach: connecting with your neighbors.
Want to dive deeper into self storage marketing tactics? Learn more about how to stay competitive as a local self storage business:
Win where the REITs aren't with local business outreach
Convert More Leads: Best Follow-Up Methods for Self Storage Managers
