Extra Space Storage was recently recognized by Utah Business during the magazine’s annual SAMY Awards event in January. The SAMYs celebrate the “Sales and Marketers of the Year,” recognizing outstanding teams and individuals for their measurable impact on company sales and marketing efforts. This year, Social Media Manager Andrew Todd represented the Extra Space Storage marketing team, taking home the award for Best Social Media Campaign.
“When I found out we won, I was ecstatic and humbled,” said Todd. “There are a lot of great companies and a lot of talented marketers throughout Utah, so knowing we came out on top is an incredible feeling. I couldn’t be more proud for our team’s hard work.”
The marketing team at Extra Space Storage has utilized social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube for several years now to strengthen brand awareness and boost website traffic. In 2019, however, the team adjusted their Facebook advertising strategy to drive more conversions—in this case, storage unit rentals. They wanted to test whether this channel could perform at a lower cost per acquisition than channels like paid search and display advertising.
As of September 2019, Extra Space Storage’s conversion volume on Facebook had grown 18 times year-over-year, and the average cost per conversion had dropped 89% (or by roughly $185). It’s estimated that the potential savings from this cost drop are around $2.9 million, which is an excellent win for Extra Space Storage marketing team.
The team believes these amazing results came from three main factors: a better understanding of the customer journey and what type of messaging works in reaching customers at these various points; diving deeper into Facebook’s advertising platform and creating lookalike target audiences; and utilizing geographically-based ad types that dynamically pull the nearest Extra Space Storage location for the person viewing the ad.
“It’s one thing to know and execute marketing best practices, but it’s another to understand your customer; that’s what made this campaign so successful,” Todd explained. “We took time to really understand what questions and objections our potential customers have at each stage of their storage rental journey, then catered our ads to their individual needs. Storage is more than just space; it’s about helping people to a better tomorrow.”
Extra Space Storage is proud to share these results and is excited for the continued progress and innovation of social media marketing efforts.
“We wouldn’t be talking about this award if it wasn’t for such a supportive marketing team, especially considering this is the second consecutive year we’ve been recognized,” added Todd. “I’m grateful to be working at a company where I’m surrounded by so many talented people who motivate you to do your best work and be your best self. This is an amazing victory for the entire marketing team!”
See the full list of honorees from Utah Business’ 2020 SAMY Awards here.
Meet the company leaders driving Extra Space Storage forward with sustainable and award-winning business practices on our company news page!