In the world of self-storage, we’re fortunate to offer a physical, tangible product as opposed to virtual or digital products like many companies of our time. And, our properties lend themselves to great photographs! I’m talking about pictures of the buildings themselves as well as the management office, sample units, moving truck, RV-parking spots, specialty units for wine storage and more.

That said, as someone who regularly audits self-storage websites, I’m always surprised that images are so incredibly underutilized. For example, I was recently touring the website of one local facility, and there were only three images in its online photo gallery. Two of them were stock photos and not even of the facility itself!

This article is about to change everything. Get ready to take your self-storage digital marketing to the next level with the savvy use of website images.

Types of Images

Before we dive into specific implementation strategies, let’s cover four main image styles that can—and should—be found throughout your self-storage website:

Invest in Your Photo Gallery

Now that we’ve covered the four basic image types, let’s look at how they can be used on your website. Your photo gallery is the most fundamental.

These days, consumers are very busy. The want and deserve to know exactly what they’re going to experience at your facility before visiting. That’s why it’s so important to feature a gallery on your website that includes many images of your property. Here are some tips for developing one:

Feature a ‘Homepage Hero’

When your customers arrive on your homepage, what’s the first thing they see? It should be a huge image of your facility, the absolute best photo from your gallery! When creating and choosing your “homepage hero,” be mindful of the following:

In marketing, it’s all about that first impression. As prospective customers reach your website, it’s your homepage hero that will drive it. Draw consumers in with an inviting scene.

Leverage Infographics to Tell a Story

In terms of image strategies, this one is a little more advanced and costly. That said, the best things in commercial real estate and marketing always require a little extra effort.

Have you ever experienced an infographic? I’m talking about those long, fun graphics that are full of stats and value. At my company, we’ve created two: “Self Storage Rental Guide” and “Top 10 Fun Things to Do in Roseville, Calif.,” which our newest location. Infographics like these accomplish many goals:

In the world of marketing, images have so much value. They show up in search engines and social media networks. They even get shared via e-mail! The infographic can truly “go viral.” In fact, I consider infographics a pillar of my content-driven marketing strategy.

Want to create an infographic? It’s a four-step process:

Incorporate Images Throughout Your Content

A website isn’t just an image gallery, a hero image and an infographic. It’s a web of valuable content including pricing information, addresses and directions, topically relevant blog posts, frequently asked questions, how-to guides, and more. Images always draw the eye and add value. As such, I look for any opportunities to leverage them throughout my entire website. Here are a few tips to spark your creativity:

Go through every single page of your website and identify where images exist and are needed. Come up with a strategy to add them to pages that look like a barren sea of text. Don’t forget those alt tags! (Knowing it’s impossible to have a custom photo or graphic for all pages, this is where stock photos can come in handy.)

Identify pillar pieces of content on your website (typically, these are pages that are linked directly from your homage) and over-invest in them. For example, I recently revamped our “self-storage tips” article. Not only did we completely rewrite it, we commissioned five custom graphics, knowing it’s one of the most prominent pieces on our website.

Do you have a blog? If not, create one. Blogs are great places to showcase images that might not make as much sense elsewhere. For example, do you have a fun team photo from your last 5K race? Why not share the story and photo on your blog? This creates a personal connection with your readers and prospective customers.

Your website is no longer a dot.com destination. Now, it’s a distributed platform, available via a variety of venues including social media profiles. As an extension of your website, your social media sites should consistently feature breathtaking images!

Start With Baby Steps

While all this may seem intimidating at first, especially if you haven’t incorporated many images on your website, don’t get overwhelmed. The beauty of digital marketing is it’s all about incremental progress.

Invest some time in your marketing plan. Break down the complex sea of opportunity into simple, easy steps. Focus on one new strategy at a time, and realize that your website is a living, evolving entity that’ll experience new updates on a regular (weekly or monthly) basis. Looking a few years out, take comfort in the fact that your website will be filled with incredible photos and graphics, those that truly reward you and your perspective customers.

Ian Lopuch is a business and marketing executive and a general manager with deep roots in technology. He’s also an investor with a lifelong obsession for cash-flow. As a partner at Carlo Development LLC, the company behind Smart Self Storage, Lopuch’s responsibilities span marketing and growth, commercial real estate development, technology, and executive leadership. He previously held leadership positions at some of Silicon Valley’s fastest growing startups. To reach him, call 650.241.9124; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.smartselfstorage.com.