There are over 50,000 self storage facilities in the U.S. and 2,060 in the UK. If you’re planning on investing in your own business, you’re up against some stiff competition.
However, if you manage your self storage business well, you have a good chance of beating the competition and making a substantial profit.
Some self storage owners prefer to use a management company to run their business, but we recommend starting with the basics yourself.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about managing your own self storage facility to see success and drive revenue.
What Is Storage Facility Management?
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Storage facility management is the day-to-day operations and strategic oversight of a facility to ensure its efficiency, profitability, and customer satisfaction.
It involves handling all the aspects of the facility, from customer interactions to maintenance, security, and financial management.
Effective storage facility management requires organization, technical knowledge, and customer service skills to meet the needs of both your business and customers.
Sales and Marketing
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Sales and marketing are critical to the success of self storage facilities because they drive occupancy rates, generate revenue, and help your business stand out in a competitive market.
The average occupancy of storage facilities is 96.5%. To generate consistent success, you need to maintain high occupancy levels. Effective sales and marketing strategies attract new customers and retain existing ones, ensuring your self storage units remain rented.
The key element of marketing your self storage company is driving potential customers to your website to learn about your offering and book their storage units.
Let’s look at three marketing tactics you can use to drive traffic to your website and get more bookings:
➡️ Pay-per-click (PPC) ads
You can use advertising platforms like Facebook ads or Google Ads to target local customers searching for self storage facilities. This type of marketing is called PPC advertising, and it can help you reach a highly specific audience.
The average return on investment (ROI) for PPC is 200%, making it a good investment for your business.
➡️ Social media advertising
Almost 60% of social media users check their profiles daily. Leverage social media to promote your self storage facility by creating engaging posts to showcase your services, customer reviews, and discounts or promotions you’re running.
➡️ Search engine optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization refers to optimizing your website to ensure people can find it when they use search engines to look for something.
More than 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine, so you must ensure your site is visible in search results.
Optimizing your website may improve its ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs), increasing the chances of local customers finding it and opting for your services.
➡️ Customer relationship management (CRM) platforms
Previously, self storage facilities had to use cold calling and similar tactics to attract new customers. However, much of the sales and marketing process can now be automated and handled remotely through your website alongside a CRM.
Most businesses see their sales and revenue increase by 21% to 30% after implementing a CRM platform.
Using a CRM like Hubspot means you can:
👉 Capture leads when people visit your self storage facility’s website.
👉 Store these leads and track them.
👉 Send automated emails to follow up with customers and share more details about your facility.
👉 Send discounts to people who haven’t yet rented a unit.
Taking Bookings
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How you set up your bookings platform will directly impact customer convenience, operational efficiency, and revenue generation.
The booking process can determine whether a potential customer chooses your facility or a competitor’s.
Customers will prefer facilities with a seamless booking process, especially when they are in a hurry to rent a self storage unit.
An intuitive online booking system ensures customers can check availability, compare unit sizes and prices, and reserve a unit without hassle. This also means they don’t have to visit your facility in person to make a booking.
A booking system integrated with your website can help you manage reservations, keep track of available units, and give you a clear view of your occupancy rates.
With the right software, you can connect your booking system to the locking mechanism on your self storage units. This means customers don’t have to visit your site to collect keys. Instead, a code is sent to their mobile phones that allows them to open their units themselves.
Website Management
Source: Freepik
A good website is essential for self storage facilities because it acts as a digital storefront, often making the first impression on potential customers.
Just as a well-maintained physical storefront attracts walk-in customers, a professional and user-friendly website draws online visitors and converts them into paying customers.
Beyond conversions, your website is also the ideal place for customers to make bookings and manage their storage services. It makes things convenient for them and provides an excellent customer experience.
Websites that are well-managed and perform well can achieve conversion rates above 10%.
Below are some of the ways you can manage your storage facility website to drive conversions and convenience:
💻 Plan downtime at a convenient time
Website downtime for maintenance or updates is sometimes necessary, but planning it during periods of low traffic, like midnight or weekends, ensures minimal disruption for customers trying to make bookings or access information.
💻 Install updates and patches
Updates and security patches are essential to protecting your website from vulnerabilities. Hackers often target outdated systems, so timely updates safeguard sensitive customer information, such as payment details and personal data.
Many updates include performance enhancements, bug fixes, and improved functionality, ensuring your site runs smoothly and offers an optimal user experience.
💻 Ensure your information and pricing are up to date
Accurate pricing and unit availability builds trust and reduces customer frustration. Outdated or incorrect information, such as showing unavailable units as available, can lead to a negative perception of your facility and even lost business.
💻 Keep your content updated
Search engines favor websites that consistently update and refresh their content. Regularly updating blog posts, FAQs, and your service pages helps maintain or improve your rankings in search results.
Updating blog posts and other older content can increase your traffic by nearly 96%.
Additionally, regularly adding helpful content to your website, such as storage tips, moving guides, or seasonal advice, can attract and retain customers.
⭐️ Get the Ideal Self Storage Website with Stora Stora is an all-in-one self storage management tool that offers comprehensive website design services. Our websites are expertly designed to generate leads, drive conversions, and rank well in SERPs. |
Customer Onboarding
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In the past, onboarding new customers meant self storage facility owners or their staff had to show them around the site. As mentioned earlier, it also meant that customers had to visit self storage properties to sign their leases and collect their keys.
Now, using the right automation software, customers can access their units via an app or a code. This can enhance operational efficiency and satisfy customers.
Another way to streamline onboarding your customers is to send them comprehensive videos and how-to guides on accessing and using their storage units so that you don’t have to walk them through this in person.
Servicing Customers
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Customer service is the cornerstone of success for self storage facilities. Beyond offering secure and easily accessible units, facilities must prioritize exceptional customer service to build trust, foster loyalty, and maintain a competitive edge.
You need to ensure your staff can be easily contacted via phone, email, or online chat to help customers at a moment’s notice. This is known as omnichannel support, which can turn 89% of customers into loyal ones.
You should also provide up-to-date and clear contact information on your website and within your facility so that customers can reach you whenever they need to.
Additionally, you may want to consider maintaining a physical presence at your storage facility. Below are some pros and cons of doing so:
The pros of having a physical presence
✅ Personal interaction: In-person communication allows your storage manager or other staff to address customer inquiries, resolve issues, and provide a personal touch, fostering trust and loyalty.
✅ On-the-spot assistance: Staff can immediately assist with tasks such as explaining unit sizes, helping customers access their units, or troubleshooting issues like tech malfunctions.
✅ Enhanced security: A physical presence may discourage theft and vandalism as customers and potential intruders know staff are on-site.
The cons of having a physical presence
❌ Higher operational costs: Employing on-site staff adds to labor costs, particularly if coverage is required during extended hours.
❌ Facility expenses: Providing amenities for staff, such as office space, utilities, technology, and break areas, increases overhead expenses.
❌ Dependent on staff availability: If staff are unavailable due to illness, vacation, or turnover, customer service and operations may be disrupted.
Facility Maintenance
Source: Freepik
Maintenance can extend the lifespan of your facility’s assets by up to 33%. Storage facility maintenance is the ongoing tasks and processes required to ensure the property is safe, clean, functional, and aesthetically pleasing to your customers.
This includes both routine upkeep and addressing unexpected issues to maintain high standards of operation.
Maintenance tasks typically include:
- General cleaning: Keeping units, hallways, and common areas clean and free of debris.
- Repairs: Fixing damaged unit doors, locks, gates, lighting, or other equipment.
- Pest control: Preventing and managing infestations to protect stored items.
- Security system checks: Regularly testing surveillance cameras, alarm systems, and access control systems.
- Facility inspections: Checking for structural issues, leaks, or signs of wear and tear.
- Upkeep: Ensuring the facility looks appealing and well-maintained, both inside and out.
Chasing Late Payments
Source: Freepik
Over 55% of invoices issued in the U.S. are paid late. When customers don’t pay on time, it can become a big headache for storage facility managers. It also impacts your revenue and the amount of admin you have to do.
Using the right automation tools allows you to automatically overlock units when monthly rentals aren’t paid. This means that your customers can’t access their units until they make a payment.
This saves you time and resources and makes customers responsible for access to their units.
With Stora’s auto overlocking feature, your storage units will automatically be unlocked to reactivate access once a payment clears.
Security
Source: Freepik
Storage facility security is the measures and systems you put in place to protect your property, customers’ belongings, and the overall operation of your facility from theft, vandalism, and other security threats.
Effective security creates peace of mind for customers and ensures your self storage facility’s reputation and operational integrity are upheld.
So, what does storage facility security involve? Let’s unpack a few key aspects:
🔒 Regular maintenance of security equipment: All security systems, including surveillance cameras, access control systems, alarms, and lighting, must be regularly inspected and maintained to ensure proper functioning.
🔒 Proactive repairs: Faulty equipment, such as a broken gate keypad or malfunctioning camera, should be fixed immediately to avoid vulnerabilities.
🔒 Periodic testing: Conducting routine tests of alarms, locks, and access control systems ensures they respond as expected in emergencies.
🔒 Active surveillance: CCTV cameras should be strategically positioned to monitor critical areas, including entrances, exits, storage units, and communal spaces.
🔒 Remote monitoring: Advanced security systems allow staff or third-party security companies to monitor your facility remotely, ensuring it is always under watch, even during off-hours.
🔒 Timely response: When an alarm is triggered, or suspicious activity is detected, staff or your security personnel should respond quickly and assess the situation.
🔒 Emergency protocols: Clearly defined protocols for responding to break-ins, vandalism, or unauthorized access ensure quick and effective action.
Monitoring Performance
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Regularly monitoring key performance metrics, such as occupancy rates and storage facility ROI, is crucial for the success and profitability of your business.
These metrics provide insights into your business’s financial health, operational efficiency, and market competitiveness.
Tracking occupancy rates helps identify seasonal patterns, periods of high demand, and underperforming times. For example, the most demanding time of year for self storage is May through September, the most common season in which people move into new homes.
This information allows you to adjust your pricing strategies—like discounts or dynamic pricing—to optimize revenue.
If your metrics reveal that your business isn’t performing well, you can adjust your strategy and make changes to ensure profitability.
Having the right self storage software in place and ensuring that as many of your systems are integrated with it as possible will help you measure your key business metrics.
Why Stora Is the Only Tool You Need to Manage Your Self Storage Facility
Stora is an all-in-one self storage facility management tool that allows you to automate your entire business. From your website to sales and everything in between, Stora makes storage management practically hands-free.
Some of the features we provide to help you manage your storage facility include:
✔️ Auto reservation: Our software automatically allocates units to any new bookings from your website, making one-minute move-ins possible.
✔️ Auto access: You can connect your smart entry system with our tool to give customers access to their units via an app or with a code.
✔️ Auto availability: Your storefront will always be set up to match your unit availability. Stora will switch the status of any unit type to collect bookings or leads to match if units are available or not.
✔️ Overlocking of units: Set Stora to instantly lock out tenants whenever they miss a payment and automatically reactivate access once the payment clears.
✔️ Key business metrics: Stay updated with real-time insights into your key metrics. You can monitor current occupancy, keep track of your month-to-date revenue, and manage outstanding balances.
✔️ Tools for day-to-day operations: Manage your property and get instant access to site maps, as well as upcoming move-ins and move-outs.
Visit our website to request a free Stora demo and learn how our tool can simplify self storage facility management.
