Growing a self storage business isn’t just about increasing your advertising spend or adding more units to your site. It’s also about building smart, strategic relationships with businesses in your local community.
These relationships enable you to engage in a variety of opportunities within your community that you may not have known about.
Research shows that businesses with strategic local partnerships see a 27% higher growth potential, indicating that collaboration can significantly boost development and market reach.
For self storage operators, this means tapping into steady referral streams, gaining community trust, becoming the top choice in your community when people need storage, and creating long-term value, all without the higher costs associated with traditional marketing.
In this article, we’ll explore 12 types of local partnerships that can help you grow your facility and make an impact in your community.
Why You Should Pursue Local Partnerships
Local partnerships are often-overlooked growth strategies in the self storage industry, yet they offer huge potential.
Businesses that form local partnerships report an 18% increase in revenue, often achieved through resource sharing, mutual promotion, and enhanced credibility.
Whether you’re a new facility trying to get your name out there or an established operator looking to boost occupancy and community presence, forming strategic partnerships with local businesses and organisations can deliver steady, qualified referrals and long-term visibility.
Below, we cover just some of the reasons why you should consider forming local partnerships:
You gain trust and credibility
When a local business refers customers to your self storage facility, they’re endorsing your company. That’s more powerful than traditional advertising because it’s rooted in existing customer relationships.
People are far more likely to trust recommendations from someone they already do business with than an ad they scroll past online.
You tap into a pre-qualified audience
You want to attract customers who genuinely need storage, not just a little interest from a broad audience. That’s another thing that local partnerships provide.
By aligning with businesses that serve people during key life events, such as moving, downsizing, and renovating, you put your brand in front of individuals who are already primed to need storage.
You boost your brand visibility in your community
Local partnerships go beyond referrals. They also help establish your business as part of the local ecosystem, not just a facility on the outskirts of town.
The more your brand is associated with well-known local names, the more people will associate you with reliability and professionalism.
This kind of marketing builds familiarity and keeps your facility top of mind for when people need storage. It’s a long-term strategy that builds momentum over time.
You create low-cost, high ROI marketing channels
Local partnerships don’t require massive advertising budgets or complex tech stacks. In many cases, all it takes is a phone call, a discussion with a business owner, and a bit of creativity.
12 Strategic Local Partnerships to Expand Your Reach
Below are some creative ideas that you can use to form strategic local partnerships to help broaden your reach and maximise your impact in your local community:
1. Charities and non-profits
Partnering with charities and non-profit organisations can help you strengthen your local brand while also filling underused storage units.
Additionally, 96% of business owners agree that community engagement supports business success.
These organisations often run seasonal campaigns, events, or donation drives that require flexible storage, whether it’s for furniture, clothing, equipment, or supplies.
By offering discounted or donated space, you not only support a good cause but also earn goodwill, visibility, and potential long-term customers.
Some great ways to do this include providing free or discounted short-term units for initiatives, offering long-term reduced rates for operational storage needs, or collaborating on community drives.
As you can see below, this self storage company in the UK has launched a partnership with Cancer Research UK (CRUK) as part of a national drive to collect items for resale. This resulted in them being featured in the local news, driving brand visibility:
2. Moving companies
Partnering with local moving companies is one of the more direct and effective ways to generate high-quality self storage leads.
This is because these businesses work with people who are actively relocating, which is a group that often needs temporary storage during the process.
By building strong referral relationships, you can turn movers into a consistent sales channel.
To make these partnerships work, offer clear benefits to both parties. This could be a referral commission for every new customer sent your way or a reciprocal arrangement where you refer your customers to the moving company.
For example, you could approach a reputable moving company that serves residential clients in your area. Together, you could set up a referral programme: every time they refer a customer who books a unit, they receive a referral fee.
In return, you display their brochures at your reception area and recommend them to customers booking a unit ahead of a move.
3. Residential and commercial real estate agents and brokers
Real estate agents and brokers are in constant contact with people who need storage, from homeowners preparing to sell to renters moving between leases, and even businesses relocating or renovating their premises.
By aligning with local agents, you can position your facility as the go-to storage provider for clients in a transition period.
These partnerships can be even more fruitful if you offer exclusive discounts to clients of partnering agents and provide promotional materials that agents can share during listings and closings.
You could also run co-branded campaigns tied to seasonal demand, such as “Sell Faster: Declutter with Discounted Storage.”
Let’s say you strike a deal with an agency that handles both residential and commercial listings. You offer their clients 15% off their first three months of storage, and, in return, the real estate company includes your storage offer in their welcome packs to buyers and sellers.
4. Home staging companies
Home staging companies aim to make homes look spacious, clean, and appealing to potential buyers. This often means clearing out personal items, excess furniture, and clutter. But where do these belongings go during the staging process? Ideally, your storage facility.
By partnering with home stagers, you can position your facility as the trusted storage solution that makes their job easier and their clients’ homes sell faster.
You could offer bundle discounts on storage for staging clients, create referral agreements with incentives for the staging company, and provide flexible short-term rental options.
Imagine you connect with a staging company that works with real estate agents across town. You offer a staging storage package, which is a 30-day discounted rate on certain units with easy access terms and weekend availability.
In return, the staging company could include an offer in their client presentation for your storage space, and you provide branded boxes and a clean-out checklist to make the process smoother.
5. Home renovation and remodeling contractors
Renovation and remodeling projects often mean homeowners need to clear out rooms temporarily, store furniture safely, or protect their belongings from dust and debris.
This creates a clear need for short-term storage, making renovation contractors an ideal referral partner for your business.
By partnering with these professionals, you can offer value-added solutions that make their service more convenient for clients while generating new leads for your facility.
Effective ways to collaborate include offering contractors a custom storage referral rate when they refer a client and creating renovation storage packages with short-term flexibility and easy access.
You could build a relationship with a contractor specialising in kitchen and bathroom remodels. They often need clients to empty rooms before starting work. You could offer their clients a 20% discount on four-week storage units and supply the contractor with branded flyers outlining the offer.
Their clients appreciate the convenience, and you gain a steady stream of short-term rentals that often convert into longer stays when projects run over schedule.
6. Sponsor sports teams
Sponsoring sports teams, especially youth, amateur, or community clubs, is a great way to build local brand awareness. While it’s not a direct referral partnership like working with contractors or real estate agents, it puts your self storage brand in front of hundreds of local residents on a regular basis.
It also keeps your storage company top of mind when people need your services.
This strategy is particularly effective for facilities in towns or suburbs, where word of mouth plays a significant role in consumer decisions. People remember and trust brands that support their community.
This storage company made headlines when it announced that it would be sponsoring a local race car driver, earning them publicity and brand awareness:
7. Local event organisers and festivals
Local events and festivals often require temporary, flexible storage solutions for equipment, suppliers, and materials before, during, and after an event.
Partnering with event and entertainment organisers can open up new business opportunities while increasing your visibility within the community.
Some ways to do this could be providing discounted short-term storage for event setups and breakdowns, offering last-minute or overflow storage solutions during busy seasons, or sponsoring events in exchange for brand exposure on marketing materials at the venue.
This storage business has partnered with a local sports entertainment company to move and store its belongings for each event. The entertainment company issued a press release announcing the partnership, meaning the storage company gained brand exposure:
8. Car and RV dealerships
Partnering with local car and RV dealerships can unlock a unique customer segment for your self storage business.
Many dealerships need secure, clean storage for vehicles, whether it’s for overflow inventory, customer vehicles awaiting pickup, or seasonal stock like RVs and trailers.
By offering flexible, vehicle-friendly storage options, you can become a trusted partner who helps dealerships manage their space efficiently.
Ways to collaborate include providing dedicated outdoor or covered storage areas specifically designed for vehicles, offering special rates for dealership inventory storage, or encouraging dealerships to refer customers who need personal vehicle storage.
Imagine establishing a partnership with a local dealership that has limited space during peak season. You offer them discounted monthly rates on outdoor parking spaces adjacent to your facility, plus secure indoor units for smaller parts or accessories.
The dealership refers customers needing off-season RV storage to your facility, and you feature the dealership on your website as a trusted partner for vehicle purchases.
9. Home improvement stores
Home improvement stores serve customers who are often carrying out DIY projects, renovations, or seasonal upgrades. All of these can generate a need for extra storage.
Partnering with these stores allows you to tap into a consistent flow of local customers who may need space for tools, materials, or furniture during their projects.
You could offer exclusive discounts or promotions to store customers, place brochures or flyers at checkout counters and customer service desks, or provide storage solutions for store inventory overflow or seasonal stock.
For example, you could team up with a popular home improvement store that agrees to display your flyers at their monthly promotions, where customers get 10% off their first month of storage.
10. Car shipping providers
Car shipping service providers work with customers who need to transport vehicles across long distances, often requiring secure storage before pickup or after delivery.
Partnering with these providers can open a steady stream of referrals from customers who need safe, flexible storage solutions during the shipping process.
To create a valuable partnership, consider offering short-term storage packages tailored for vehicle storage, providing secure outdoor spaces for suitable cars, or collaborating on co-branded marketing to reach vehicle owners planning shipments.
You could partner with a regional car shipping company that often needs to store vehicles temporarily between shipments. You offer them special discounted rates on storage units and outdoor parking spaces.
The service provider includes your facility in their customer communications as a trusted storage option, and you provide branded flyers for their offices.
This collaboration may help you fill storage units during off-peak months while providing the car shipping provider with a reliable storage solution for their clients.
11. Property management companies
Property management companies oversee residential and commercial properties, working closely with tenants, landlords, and contractors.
This puts them in an excellent position to refer customers who often need storage, whether it’s tenants between leases, landlords preparing a property for new occupants, or businesses undergoing renovations.
Collaborating with these companies can generate a healthy stream of storage referrals, particularly if you offer flexible solutions and understand the unique needs of property managers.
Strategies to make the partnership work include offering discounted pricing for tenants and landlords referred by the property management company, providing move-in or move-out storage bundles to simplify transitions, and supplying co-branded marketing materials for onboarding packages.
Let’s say you build a relationship with a local property management company overseeing dozens of apartment buildings and small commercial units. You offer their tenants a “Move-In Ready” package that includes 20% off storage for their first two months.
In return, the property management firm includes your flyer in their new tenant welcome packs and refers landlords who need to clear units between tenants.
Over time, this relationship generates regular bookings, especially during peak rental turnover seasons.
12. Nursing homes
Transitions into nursing homes or assisted living facilities often involve downsizing, which typically creates a need for self storage.
Families may not be ready to part with furniture, personal belongings, or heirlooms, especially during emotionally sensitive moves.
By partnering with nursing homes, your storage facility can become a trusted solution during these life transitions.
To build strong partnerships in this space, it’s a good idea to offer compassionate, hassle-free storage packages tailored for downsizing families, provide information for facility staff to share with residents and families, and make it easy for adult children to manage move-ins remotely through things like online booking.
For example, you could connect with a respected nursing home in your area and create a simple flyer outlining your “Senior Move Support Storage,” which is a flexible, month-to-month package.
How to Manage Your Facility’s Growth Once You Form Local Partnerships
Local partnerships are a practical and cost-effective way to grow your self storage business.
When you align with companies and organisations that already serve your ideal customers, you create targeted opportunities for referrals and increased visibility.
Each partnership listed in this article can help your business fill units while offering added value to your local community. These relationships often compound over time, turning one referral into many.
If you need to manage growth more efficiently as your network expands, Stora is the ideal solution. Our software gives self storage operators the tools they need to streamline operations, automate bookings, and handle payments.
This enables you to focus on building meaningful local partnerships and scale sustainably.
Get a free Stora demo today to discover how our platform can support your self storage business as it grows.
