What Poor Visuals Are Costing Your Self-Storage Business Without You Noticing
Outdated or poorly designed visuals could be silently driving customers away from your self-storage business. Learn how better imagery can boost trust and conversions.
Your self-storage facilities might be clean and secure, but if your brand appears to be stuck in the past, you’re leaving money on the table. The same applies when your website’s layout, logo, or other visuals are poorly designed or fail to resonate with your audience. Common blunders, such as neglecting visual hierarchy, ignoring white space, or choosing overly stylized fonts, can harm your image, leading to missed opportunities.
On the positive side, you can fix most issues yourself with basic tools like an image resizer, background remover, or photo editor. For example, removing distracting backgrounds can make your photos look more professional and focused. Even minor adjustments to lighting and contrast can level up the quality of your visuals.
While you might not think twice about images when it comes to a self-storage business, they actually make a bigger impact than you’d expect. Here’s why they matter and how to leverage them to drive more bookings.
Visual Communication Is More Important than You Might Think
Did you know that our brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text? Considering this aspect, it’s no surprise that first impressions are visual. From your homepage to the photos you share on social media, every visual detail influences customers’ perception of your brand.
When someone is considering renting a self-storage unit, they often seek visual reassurance. Basically, they want proof that your facility is well-maintained and secure. That’s why your website and marketing materials should include:
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Professional photos of the exterior and interior units
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Images featuring clutter-free spaces with fresh paint, smooth floors, and well-ventilated areas
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Close-up shots of gated entryways, security cameras, and access panels
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Clear signage with your branding
Such details tell potential customers, “This place is secure, taken care of, and worth my money.” The impact is even greater when your website and marketing message align with these visuals. If your photos showcase a modern facility and your copy reinforces that with descriptive language like “24/7 monitored access” or “climate-controlled units,” you’re creating a consistent brand experience.
The truth is that visual communication can make or break your business. Would you trust a self-storage company whose website looks like a ghost town, with dark, blurry photos, outdated signage, and poor-quality graphics? Probably not.
Visuals fulfill more than just an aesthetic role; they’re your first “handshake” with a potential client. And if that handshake is limp, you risk losing their interest and trust.
Bad Visuals Could Be Holding You Back
The images you use to market your self-storage business impact the customer experience and, ultimately, your profits. Bad visuals make you look unprofessional, which in turn can:
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Deter potential customers
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Cause cognitive overload
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Dilute your brand message
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Undermine your marketing efforts
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Increase advertising costs
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Erode customer trust
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Signal low value
For example, a cluttered website with poor visual hierarchy makes it harder for visitors to find the information they need. Plus, it can pose challenges for customers with visual impairments, resulting in a subpar user experience.
Not only do bad visuals kill first impressions, but they also increase your marketing costs. A well-thought-out SEO strategy and great ad copy cannot compensate for poor imagery. This means you’ll end up overspending on marketing and advertising just to reach—and hopefully convert—the same audience that compelling visuals could have attracted organically.
On top of that, when your website design and visuals look cheap, customers may assume your service is too. This aspect alone can keep you from attracting high-value clients and building a strong brand.
How to Create More Compelling Visuals for Your Business
Creating engaging visuals is an art, but that doesn’t mean you need a full team of photographers, graphic designers, and other professionals to get it right. Instead, use smart tools and strategies to produce compelling imagery that supports your branding efforts.
Ready to give it a try? For starters, follow these best practices:
Make a Good First Impression with the Right Typography
Select a font size and style that integrates seamlessly with your website’s layout. Opt for legible fonts like Georgia, Helvetica, Open Sans, Quicksand, or Verdana, which are easy to read and look great on screens of all sizes.
Before choosing a font, preview it on different devices, platforms, and marketing materials. Also, check both light and dark modes to make sure legibility remains strong across themes.
Reuse Existing Assets
Chances are, you have more than enough photos of your self-storage units. They may not be perfect, but you can improve them by making small changes like:
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Removing objects (e.g., cars, dumpsters) that don’t add value to the shot
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Adjusting the brightness and contrast
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Applying a consistent color tone
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Adding scale references, such as a moving box or step ladder
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Overlaying text to highlight key features (e.g., "10x10 climate-controlled)
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Retouching minor imperfections
Next, organize and share your photos strategically. For example, you can create a virtual sequence to guide viewers through the experience and help them see themselves using your space.
Incorporate Video Content
In a Wyzowl survey, 98% of consumers reported watching explainer videos to learn more about a product or service. 87% admitted to making a purchase after watching a video, and 91% said video quality impacts their trust in a business.
Leverage this trend to show potential customers what it’s like to use your facility. Create and share walkthrough videos, meet-the-team clips, and educational clips featuring helpful tips on how to stack boxes safely, protect fragile items, and related topics.
For instance, you could record a two-minute video showing the main entrance, keypad access, drive paths, hallways, and a few storage units. It’s a simple, effective way to build trust and get more bookings.
Another idea is to share video testimonials. Ask happy customers to record a 20-second clip after moving their belongings. They could talk about their experience, how easy the process was, or why they chose your self-storage facility over others.
This type of content serves as social proof, making your brand appear more credible and trustworthy. Plus, getting video testimonials costs you nothing. All you need is a satisfied customer, a phone camera, and 15-20 seconds of their time.
Create and Use Templates
Each online platform has distinct requirements for image size and format. The same goes for marketing materials, such as flyers, catalogs, and brochures.
With that in mind, use templates to save time and maintain a cohesive visual identity. Think website image templates, social media post templates, poster templates, and so on.
Say your marketing strategy revolves around Facebook. Create a series of templates like “Unit of the Week,” “Storage Tip Tuesday,” or “Seasonal Deals” for the images you plan to share. This approach ensures consistency and can increase brand recall.
Diversify Your Content
Posting photos of your self-storage units is essential, but engaging your audience requires a strategic approach, not just snapshots. What you should do is strive for diversity and share visual content that gives customers a reason to care.
For instance, use a mix of behind-the-scenes shots, 3D floor plans, storage tips, and user-generated content. Make your storage attractive to business customers by creating infographics and diagrams that clearly show how your units solve their problems.
A good example would be an infographic that compares your cost per square foot to leasing a traditional warehouse. Or a flowchart explaining how easy it is for local businesses to receive deliveries directly to your facility.
As a final word, consider your target audience and overall marketing message. Your visuals should reflect what your ideal customer values, whether that’s security, simplicity, or convenience. They also need to complement your copy and highlight the selling points you want people to remember.