From 32 to 600: How SAM Grew With Marketing at the Core with Melissa Stiles

Melissa Stiles, Chief Marketing Officer of Storage Asset Management (SAM), shares her journey from answering a blind ad to leading one of the largest third-party management companies in self-storage. Overseeing marketing, revenue management, business development, and communications, Melissa has helped SAM grow from 32 stores to nearly 600.In this conversation, she explains how her team evolved into a full-service, agency-style structure with specialists in SEO, paid ads, social, and local marketing. Melissa dives into strategies that drive lease-ups, from influencer partnerships and community events to data-driven revenue management models. She also discusses how AI is reshaping SEO, what makes local marketing still matter, and why reputation and relationships remain central to SAM’s success.Key Takeaways:(2:47) Melissa’s Journey to become CMO and the growth of SAM(6:11) Developing the marketing team(9:45) Key questions to making a great hire(11:42) Case study for building a marketing strategy for a self storage facility(14:28) Strategies for a successful for lease up(17:24) When should you expect stabilization(18:27) Getting found with AI in the lease up process(21:32) The advantages of scaling up for a brand(23:50) Using data to impact operations(26:18) Revenue management tactics(27:53) The pride of making a real world impactResources Mentioned:Melissa Stiles | LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/melissastiles/Storage Asset Management | Websitehttps://www.storageassetmanagement.comStorage Sense | Websitehttps://www.storagesense.comCubby | Websitehttps://www.cubbystorage.com/Thank you for listening to “Students of Storage.” Be sure to leave us a 5-star review and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.#SelfStorageMarketing #StorageAssetManagement #StudentsOfStorage