A newly constructed self storage facility opened its doors in January 2024. With zero established occupancy and little local recognition, the owners urgently needed to fill units to ensure positive cash flow. Typically, new facilities can take up to two years or more to lease up.
Summary
- Rapid Lease-Up: Achieved 93% occupancy by January 2025, just 12 months after opening.
- Strong Q4 Performance: Despite traditionally low demand, the facility maintained a positive net move-in trend, proving the effectiveness of targeted SEO and PPC.
- Significant Revenue Growth: Early occupancy gains helped stabilize cash flow far sooner than they predicted during their underwriting. They have started implementing ECRI’s (existing customer rate increases) to maximize revenue.
- Building Their Next Facility: They are securing land for their next facility due to the success of the lease-up process.
Challenges
- Zero Occupancy & Brand New Market Entry: No local awareness, making it harder to attract move-ins quickly.
- Competitive Landscape: Surrounding facilities already had strong brand recognition.
- Limited Online Visibility: Being new meant no online presence or local SEO traction.
- No proven ad campaigns or data to leverage.
Our Approach
- Local & Organic SEO Overhaul
- Optimized Google Business Profile for increased local search map rankings
- Refined on-page SEO to target high-intent keywords, boosting organic rankings
- Launched new website pages to increase our keyword visibility
- Strengthened domain authority through a link-building campaign
- Targeted Google Ads Campaign
- Focused ad spend on the most profitable high-intent keywords
- Ensured maximum visibility to capture users actively looking for storage within a 5-mile radius from their facility
- Website Conversion Audit
- Implemented a call tracking tool to evaluate which marketing channels drove the highest quality phone calls
- Identified technical and UX barriers preventing online rentals
- Implemented quick fixes for improved rental checkout process
- Launched new promos each quarter that helped maximize move-ins.
Key Results
- Rapid Lease-Up: Achieved 93% occupancy by January 2025, just 12 months after opening.
- Strong Q4 Performance: Despite traditionally low demand, the facility maintained a positive net move-in trend, proving the effectiveness of targeted SEO and PPC.
- Significant Revenue Growth: Early occupancy gains helped stabilize cash flow far sooner than they predicted during their underwriting. They have started implementing ECRI’s (existing customer rate increases) to maximize revenue.
- Building Their Next Facility: They are securing land for their next facility due to the success of the lease-up process.
Why It Matters
Opening a new self-storage facility involves steep challenges, particularly the race to achieve break-even occupancy.
This brand-new site captured local market share faster than expected by combining a data-driven SEO strategy, targeted Google Ads, and conversion-focused website optimizations. It allowed these operators to start working on their next facility development.
Ready for Similar Results?
Get a Free Marketing Plan tailored to your facility:
- Marketing Tactics Analysis to drive more online rentals and move-ins
- Promo & Competitor Rate Review to optimize your pricing strategy
- Conversion Rate Audit revealing what’s stopping visitors from booking
- Keyword Forecast identifies the highest-return search terms in your market
Contact us for your no-obligation Free Marketing Plan and discover how you can increase move-ins, even in the slow seasons.
