Facebook advertising, as most of you already know, will be one of the best and easiest to use when it comes to letting out a self-storage unit. This is due to the reason that more than 2.8 billion users are active on Facebook on a monthly basis which gives you a chance to reach lots of people with different backgrounds. Whether you want to market your self-storage unit to local renters or are looking to go beyond your local geographic area, Facebook’s advertising tools can assist you in effectively promoting this device.
Why do Self Storage Advertisers Always Prefer Using Facebook in their Advertisements?
Outlining the methodology, it is pertinent to be aware of the reason that portrays Facebook as the best bet when it comes to marketing a self-storage unit:
- End User Penetration: There is the potential of using a local self-storage facility and a network of connections helping you to reach out to those who need storage units most.
- Smart Targeting: With Facebook, you know the people you want to reach with the ad and give them based on demographics such as where they live, what they like, and what activities they do, which increases the chances of them purchasing a storage unit.
- Cost-Effective: Attention is paid to the fact that advertising on Facebook can be done within a budget since you can set a daily or a total limit over your spending so that you do not go overboard in your marketing.
- Engagement Opportunities: Potential renters can be directly reached out and answered by your replies in the comments or through questions in the direct messages which assists in gaining confidence and speedier sales.
Step 1: Create a Business Page
First things first, a self-storage provider will have to create a Facebook Business Page even before they start promoting their self-storage unit. This page will be updated regularly as your business will be having offers, ads and general updates, this page will have all the action.
To create a Facebook Business Page:
- Navigate to the Facebook home page and tap on Create.
- Click the Page and select the Business or Brand.
- Provide requisite information of your business, (name, category, address and description).
- To make your page more appealing, you can upload profile and cover photos.
Step 2: Prepare Engaging Ad Content
Renters will have motivation to appeal if there is something that has captured their imagination. Here is what you need to do to prepare your ad:
High-Quality Images and Videos
- Photos: Offer clear and well-detailed pictures of the storage unit taken both inside and outside the room. Washers end up within a washer storage unit and want to see how big they are and how clean.
- Videos: In addition, a brief video of the facility can serve the purpose of a video and make the advertising easier and more effective.
Catchy Headlines
Your headline needs to be snappy and accurate in no more than a few sentences. E.g.: self-storage_LORES, ‘Quick availability of affordable self-storage units in [City]’ or ‘Well protected and in a tranquil environment Self-storage for Rent!’
Detailed Description
- In the ad description, try to include critical information such as unit size, unit location, pricing, features, security, and existence of amenities. Move attention to the important actions that can be taken by your clients such as 24 hours accessibility, temperature control, and camera systems.
- There should be an effective CTA in all cases. For instance: “Reserve Your Unit Now!”, “Pizza Please Call for More Information!”, or “Only a Few Units Left, Rent One Today!”
Incorporate Keywords
Phrases containing specific terms are commonly searched by the target market. Phrases such as “self-storage unit for rent”, “cheap storage in [City]” or “storage unit fosters climate control” would attract the market where these ads are displayed. This will improve the ranking of your ad in terms of SEO to a larger audience through Facebook search.
Step 3: Target the Right Audience
Reaching an audience that is potentially capable of utilizing your ad is an integral step to make sure the ad for rented storage units is seen by potential customers. To assist you here, Facebook provides adequate mechanisms as follows:
Location Targeting
Geotargeting can be used to concentrate on one specific market of the customers who are located within a certain distance of the self-storage facility. For instance, users who stay within a say 10 mile radius of your business can be targeted.
Demographic Targeting
Target the users of a certain age group or people who belong to a certain income bracket or marital status. Relocating individuals, organizations and downsizing may be in greater need of additional space.
Interest-Based Targeting
You can reach out to those people who are interested in buying or selling property or are in the process of changing homes, both scenarios usually involve the use of self storage. These are likely users who might be in the market for a self-storage unit.
Custom Audiences
If you have a database of existing customers or running a website which receives good traffic, you may proceed to use Facebook Custom Audiences feature when ‘advertising’ to those retargeted customers. Further, you can find potential customers like your existing ones by using Lookalike Audiences features extending the scope of your business marketing.
Step 4: Establish Your Advertising Strategy
Once your content and targeting is ready, it is now the best moment to establish your campaign, in this case, the Facebook ad campaign. Here’s how to do it:
- Access the Facebook Ads Manager and press the button “Create”.
- Choose the primary aim of your campaign. In the case of self-storage, these are the most common objectives:
- Traffic: Get potential renters to visit your website or a specific landing page where they may find more details, or reserve a unit.
- Messages: Get people to write to your business through Facebook Messenger.
- Lead Generation: Obtain contact information from willing prospects through Facebook lead generation forms.
- Set Your Budget: You can set either a daily or a lifetime budget depending on what is the amount you wish to spend. You can start with moderate level budget and change it depending on results.
- Choose Your Ad Placement: You can run your ads on Facebook and in its other mobile applications: Instagram, Messenger and Audience Network. In terms of self-storage, you may restrict yourself to ads placing in the Facebook News Feed and Marketplace only.
- Schedule: You can set your ads to run either indefinitely, only stopping when you decide to, or have specific start and end dates for your ads.
Step 5: Monitor and Optimize Your Ads
As soon as your ad goes live, the next important thing to do is track the performance of the ad. Facebook Ads Manager gives the ability to check metric performance as impressions, clicks, conversions, and cost per action among others.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to Watch:
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): This indicates the number of people who clicked your ad . Generally, a larger proportion translates to more appropriate ads targeting the right audience.
- Cost Per Click (CPC): This indicates the rate you are charged for all the clicks that your ad receives. In case, this value is seen to be extremely high, review your targeting or ad message in relation to the goal of the ad.
- Conversions: Find out the number of leads who reached out to you, booked a unit or performed any other call to action aimed on the advertisement after clicking.
A/B Testing:
Determine which elements enhance the effect of your ad by testing different elements. Change header sticks, photos, buttons, or targeting and other tactics to test their impact.
Conclusion
Advertising packs of self-storage units on rent through the Facebook platform is a proactive approach to reaching potential customers and getting your rentals occupied in a short time. It is also equally important to ensure engaging contents while targeting and monitoring performance of the advertisements if the efforts are to be rewarding.
With the help of this guide, you can take the first steps in designing a highly effective Facebook advertising campaign for your self-storage company.
