September 13, 2021

Creating a Unique Identity for your Coworking Space

Guides

As the flexible working revolution sweeps across society, there are more coworking spaces and neo-offices popping up in every town and city.

For those entrepreneurs looking to set up their own space, entering the fray is becoming more intimidating with competition rife. Established operators already possess a large market share, marketing prowess, and long periods of trying and testing solutions.

In order to ‘make it,’ you have to hit the ground running, at speed and with focus.

So, how do you stand out from the crowd? Read on to find out how to create a unique identity for your coworking space.

Carve your Niche

It seems that when an operator becomes larger and acquires more sites, they lose an element of personality along the way. Take WeWork as an example, they forged their own aesthetic, a very successful one that continues to inspire interior design choices in the industry, but they did not adopt this boilerplate at all when setting up spaces in different global locations. We would always recommend abstaining from creating a monoculture.

Instead of falling trap to common influences and Pinterest boards, be brave, be bold, create your own space. People are attracted to personality. If you enjoy oriental art, hang some up. If you enjoy films, why not buy some movie posters? You are sure to find your interests resonate with others, and even if they don’t, you will inspire curiosity.

Be Community Focussed

In an increasingly global world, people are spending most of their time in the digital sphere, as a result, many are turning back to their local community for real human connection. Use this trend. If you can cement yourself as a key player in your community you will quickly find people joining your space. Word-of-mouth is arguably the best form of marketing and you can accelerate this by inviting local businesses and playmakers to give talks and presentations at your site.

We would also suggest you form partnerships with other businesses to encourage growth and reinvestment in the area. You could arrange discount haircuts/gym memberships for your community. Get involved with a local charity and encourage your members to sporadically volunteer. Anyway, you can have a positive impact on your surroundings and make your members feel part of something will increase your numbers.

Take a Step Back

You could hand over creative control to your members. Wait, what?!

Hear us out… Within limits, of course, we don’t want egg fights in the kitchen, but we do want people to feel involved. Why not make your space interactive?

There is no better way to achieve this than bestowing agency and freedom.

This could be as easy as posting everyone’s photo on a wall and asking them to write messages beneath.

You could have a lego building area where giant constructs are built, or a book exchange so the literary landscape is always shifting rather than those same weathered magazines.

You could even start using polls to decide what happens to your space. A democratic vote on art for the walls and office layout could make for some interesting choices.

Hopefully, these ideas give you a headstart! If you would like to chat about your own space we’re always happy to oblige.