By John R. Eisenbarth

s the storage game keeps evolving, and more competitors move into your trade area, the old saying “build it and they will come” just doesn’t cut it anymore. With so many ways for customers to shop around and rent a unit, you need to make sure you’re covering all your bases to drive traffic, both online and in person, and turn those leads into rentals. This article offers a few simple checkpoints to help ensure you’re not falling behind—nothing fancy, just some good old-fashioned blocking and tackling.

It’s one thing to get the inquiry, but what really matters is how you handle it. You need someone who can deliver gold-star service while also knowing how to ask for the sale and actually close it. We don’t want just a property manager. We need someone who truly listens to the customer, gets their story, figures out what they need, and confidently recommends the right solution with clear features and benefits. Then they ask for the sale. If there’s an objection, they handle it and ask again—with a genuine smile and real interest in helping. This kind of approach has to show up everywhere: in person, over the phone, at the sales center, and even online via chat.

There’s a lot to be said about that first impression; whether from a drive-by or their initial visit after reserving online, customers must see what “right” looks like at your facility. A clean, presentable and welcoming facility will strongly help attract people to your facility. It does not matter the age of the facility, as you can make a 10-, 20- or 30-year-old facility look very nice.

A good way to truly assess this is by entering your facility as if you were a customer, right through the front door. When you enter as the customer, it gives you a better perspective of how the property is presenting itself to the consumer. It’s important to consider the entire frontage, including the landscaping, main signage, banners, and office, as well as the overall property look and the message you want to deliver to those passing by. Ensure all these elements are top notch so they effectively communicate the value of your storage facility to anyone who sees them.

Lastly, make sure your team members aren’t using all the prime parking spots closest to the office. Leave those for your customers and park your vehicles behind the gate or somewhere else.

If you do not have a great digital platform featuring all the necessary tools, you’re at a significant disadvantage and will lose inquiries. It is critical to have a modern website enabling online rentals or reservations, bill payments, and direct integration with your self-storage software. Key features should include pictures, drone video, chat support, and effective pricing and promotions, including value pricing, if possible, mirroring the “saver, value, and premium” tiers found in many other industries. Once your website is established, test its functionality, ease of use, and customer-friendliness and verify that your facility’s information is well-presented with an easy move-in process.

Now that you have this incredible website, it is time to manage all the other aspects to capitalize on the highest online ranking possible. Two ways you can do that is through search engine optimization (SEO) or pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. SEO is the practice of improving a website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results pages for relevant keywords. This involves writing relevant content and optimizing your site’s structure and user experience so that search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo have a positive experience when crawling it. This helps them rank your site higher, leading to more top placements in organic, unpaid search results.

Regarding PPC, its necessity varies across markets. Depending on your trade area’s competition, you might need to give your website a paid boost. This means building a strong paid advertising campaign to ensure your site appears on the first page of a self-storage search above organic rankings to drive immediate results.

It’s also really important to claim and manage your Google Business Profile, as this allows you to control your online presence across all Google services.

Another important element is to ensure all your information in online directories is consistent and displayed exactly as you intend.

Also consider third-party aggregator platforms like SpareFoot that serve as online marketplaces for self-storage, enabling facility owners to list their units and acquire new customers, generating additional demand.

Lastly, let’s talk about the importance of online reputation management. Strong, positive reviews on platforms like Google and Yelp, especially those with five-star ratings and detailed comments, significantly increase your credibility, enhance your online presence, boost your ranking in search engine results, and ultimately drive demand.

It’s still very important to understand, connect with, and support your local community. There are many opportunities to build relationships, whether with nonprofit organizations, charities, schools, PTAs, sports programs, apartment complexes, local businesses, real estate agents, or by establishing customer referral programs. By getting involved with others, offering support, and helping with their causes or needs, you’ll often find they reciprocate by supporting your business if a storage need arises or through word-of-mouth referrals.

While renting self-storage units is your main moneymaker, you can really boost sales by offering extra products and services. These additions not only bring more people through your doors but also add to your income. Things like truck rentals, boxes, and packing supplies are perfect examples. They help you meet those other needs that pop up when people are looking for a storage unit. After years in this business, I can tell you that most people won’t rent a unit without also needing boxes for packing.

It’s a good idea to set up your office like a retail business. This approach allows you to become a one-stop shop, attracting extra business you might otherwise miss.

As technology has evolved, it has given you the ability to capture demand and rent units outside of traditional office hours. Implementing a sales center to handle calls, manage chats, and process internet leads, combined with offering electronic ID-verified move-ins, will significantly enhance your ability to capture as much business as possible.

To conclude, take a hard look at your current operations. Challenge your perception of what “right” truly looks like, make changes where necessary, and open up your business to bring in more demand through many different channels.