Short answer: Track which channels produce move-ins, review results at least weekly with whoever runs the marketing, test copy, images and layouts, and only scale what works. Pair online marketing with offline work: referrals from nearby facilities, local business relationships, business associations and on-site events.
Online: measure, test, scale #
- Tracking. Set up tracking with your vendor or staff so you know which parts of each campaign are working. If you don’t track it, you can’t improve it.
- Weekly reviews. Review performance at least weekly and agree on adjustments.
- A/B testing. Test ad copy, images and page layouts. Spend cautiously until something produces move-ins, then put more behind it.
- Stay involved. Even if you don’t do the work, stay plugged into performance, metrics and decisions.
Offline: be part of the trade area #
- Call on other facilities and set up referrals for customers they can’t accommodate.
- Build relationships with other local businesses and join business associations.
- Host events at the facility.
- Send your customers to local businesses too; Mark finds it comes back as move-ins.
What works varies from property to property, even in the same city. Nothing is guaranteed, but Mark believes owner involvement and steady testing give a lease-up its best chance.
Related answers #
- How should you set goals and a budget for lease-up marketing?
- What should you focus on when opening a new self-storage facility?
- How should self-storage operators choose and vet vendors?
Source: Mark’s post Lease-up Marketing: A Strategy for Smarter Spending That Can Produce Real Results
