02 Jun 2025
For value-add investors entering the self storage space, marketing and digital presence are not post-closing line items, they’re front-end considerations that can dramatically impact lease-up timelines and overall returns. With rising customer expectations and increased competition, having a strong marketing foundation is critical not only for growth but also for underwriting accuracy.
Here’s how to think about digital marketing as a strategic asset, and how you should budget to stabilize your facility effectively.
Marketing should be one of the first things evaluated when sizing up an investment opportunity. If your plan depends on increasing occupancy or raising rates, a professional website, paid search presence, and strong local SEO will be essential to hitting those goals.
Digital marketing is not just about spend, it’s about speed to stabilization. The faster you fill units, the sooner you reach NOI targets and increase the value of the asset. For value-add deals, that timeline is everything.
At a minimum, your facility needs a modern, conversion-friendly website with full online rental capabilities. Think mobile-first, easy-to-navigate, and fast. If prospective tenants can’t complete the rental process on your website in under two minutes, you’re losing business.
You also need to be showing up where storage shoppers are looking. That starts with a fully optimized Google Business Profile, complete with updated hours, high-quality images, and recent reviews. Showing up in the local map pack can often make the difference between winning and losing a rental.
Search engine optimization (SEO) ensures you’re ranking for local terms like “storage near [city name]” while paid ads on Google can fill the gap when organic visibility isn’t enough. For new facilities or those in lease-up, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a direct path to generating demand.
Marketing costs should align with your facility’s phase. For properties in lease-up, a good benchmark is to budget $200 to $400 per unit that needs to be filled. This includes website work, ad spend, SEO efforts, and any needed branding or content.
For stabilized properties, expect to spend $100 to $200 per unit annually to maintain occupancy, manage churn, and defend against competitive encroachment. These are real numbers to include in your pro forma, not wishful estimates.
Marketing is most effective when it’s proactive. Waiting until occupancy stalls or competitor activity increases often means you’re already behind.
Market context is key. Use tools like Radius+ to analyze local supply, pricing trends, and seasonal shifts. This helps you understand how competitive your market is and how aggressive your marketing strategy needs to be. If your market is saturated with REITs or top-tier operators, you’ll need a more sophisticated and consistent digital plan.
Lease-up timelines typically range from 18 to 36 months depending on market demand, unit mix, and operational quality. Align your marketing budget and strategy to match this pace, and don’t forget to measure performance. Track customer acquisition cost and compare it to the projected lifetime value of each tenant to ensure your marketing spend is efficient.
Digital marketing is one of the most controllable levers you have to influence revenue. A strong online presence can shorten lease-up timelines, increase brand trust, and improve tenant retention. That means better net operating income and higher facility valuations.
If you’re investing in a value-add facility, make sure your marketing plan is just as strong as your CapEx plan. Done right, your digital presence becomes an asset that compounds over time.
Whether you’re buying your first facility or scaling a growing portfolio, marketing is now a foundational component of the self storage playbook. Underwrite it early, invest in it smartly, and measure it like any other growth initiative. Tools like Radius+ can help you seize the opportunity, while services like StorIQ’s are here to help storage operators implement high-performing digital systems that drive measurable results.
Want the exact steps to take to improve your marketing? Book a call here
John Reinesch and StorIQ help drive measurable growth for self storage owners by maximizing move-ins and scalability. They act as a true partner that helps convert quality traffic into high-value tenants so our clients can scale with confidence. With over a decade of experience in digital marketing and customer acquisition, John developed a process for building marketing strategies that deliver move-ins on autopilot. John has used this exact process to successfully grow his clients' self storage businesses and his own business.
