5 Tips to Accelerate Your Self Storage Business

Ready to take your self-storage facility to the next level? Whether you’re just starting out or looking to grow, the following five strategies can help boost bookings, streamline operations, and increase revenue. By leveraging modern technology and smart marketing tactics, you can accelerate your self-storage business growth and stay ahead of the competition.

1. Enable Online Move-Ins

Imagine being able to rent a storage unit at any hour without waiting for office staff. Enabling online move-ins means your customers can book, sign the lease, pay, and access their unit completely online – even at midnight on a Sunday. This 24/7 convenience translates into more conversions, as most customers shopping for storage online intend to reserve and pay online if given the chance. Offering a fully contactless rental process not only appeals to modern tenants (who expect instant service), but also lets you capture reservations you might otherwise miss outside of normal business hours. In short, an online move-in option turns your website into a virtual front desk that never closes, driving higher occupancy and happier customers.

2. Automate Billing & Reminders

Stop spending your days chasing late payments and manually sending invoices. Automating your billing and payment reminders can save you huge amounts of time and drastically reduce overdue accounts. Self-storage operators who leverage automated billing workflows report saving 4–7 hours per week at every facility on average. Systems like autopay and scheduled SMS/email reminders ensure that tenants are billed on time and nudged before payments become late, so nothing falls through the cracks. In fact, offering an autopay option has been shown to significantly decrease delinquencies – one study found 57% of renters without autopay ended up paying late fees, a problem easily solved by enabling automatic payments. The result is a steadier cash flow, fewer awkward collection calls, and more time for you to focus on growing the business instead of doing back-office paperwork.

3. Use Data to Optimize Pricing

Are your rental rates set just once and then forgotten? If so, you could be leaving serious money on the table. The biggest self-storage operators use dynamic pricing – adjusting rates based on demand, seasonality, and occupancy – much like airlines and hotels do. By tracking data such as your facility’s occupancy levels, local market rates, and seasonal trends, you can make data-driven price tweaks to maximize revenue. For example, you might configure your system to automatically raise the rent for a unit type once it’s 90% full, or offer a discount on units that have sat vacant for over 30 days. These continual adjustments ensure your prices stay aligned with market demand, so you’re not undercharging when units are scarce (nor overcharging when you have many empties). Embracing a dynamic, data-informed pricing strategy helps capture the true value of each unit and avoid revenue loss that occurs when rates fall out of sync with the market. In short, let the numbers guide your pricing – your bottom line will thank you.

4. Prioritise Customer Reviews

In the self-storage business, reviews are marketing gold. A stream of 5-star customer reviews – especially on Google – builds trust with potential renters before they ever contact you. Remember, consumers trust the opinions of their peers far more than any ad copy you could write. Plus, quantity and quality of Google reviews are a huge factor in local SEO rankings. This means that facilities with better reviews tend to appear higher in “storage near me” search results, driving even more traffic and bookings. Make it a habit to ask every tenant to leave a quick review when they move in or move out. Respond to reviews promptly and professionally, showing that you value feedback. Over time, a robust profile of positive reviews will not only boost your online visibility, but also give prospects confidence that your facility is the right choice – effectively turning happy customers into your most persuasive sales team.

5. Make Access Easy with Digital Entry

Don’t let limited office hours or cumbersome locks stand in the way of a new rental. Embrace digital access control so customers can move in and access their units easily without needing a manager on-site. For instance, you can install smart keypads or Bluetooth-enabled locks and automatically send new tenants a unique gate code or digital key as soon as they complete an online rental. Modern cloud-based access systems can integrate with your management software, meaning tenants are instantly granted or denied access based on their payment status. This keeps your facility secure while removing the manual work of monitoring who’s paid. More importantly, automated entry systems let renters move in on their own schedule (24/7). You’ll reduce the need for staff to be physically present at all hours, which saves labor time and money. In summary, making access hassle-free through technology improves the customer experience and enables truly contactless move-ins – a win-win for you and your tenants.

Pro Tip: Leverage an All-in-One Automation Platform

Implementing these tips is far easier when you have the right tools in place. Consider using an all-in-one self-storage management platform (like Alyta) that ties everything together – online rentals, automated payments, dynamic pricing, review management prompts, and digital gate access – in a single system. Such modern platforms make it simple to automate and grow your facility without the headaches of clunky old-school software. In fact, with Alyta you can automate, manage and market your self-storage business all in one place. The investment in a comprehensive solution often pays for itself through time saved, fewer mistakes, and higher occupancy. By embracing technology and automation, you position your self-storage business to run efficiently and scale up profitably in today’s competitive market.