5 Marketing Tips for Coworking Spaces

In the digital age of startups, freelancers, and remote workers alike, there is no disputing the popularity of shared workspaces is on the rise.

With more than 43% of UK employees recently finding themselves working from home, the demand for coworking spaces is likely to continue to grow.

So whether you are a new space fresh to the coworking world, or an already established place looking to revamp your marketing plan, we want to provide you with some tips to help you out.

1 – Create a high-quality website

2 – Use social media to your advantage

3 – Advertise in your local area.⁠

4 – More than just coworking

5 – Gift Memberships

First off, the foundational principles of marketing state you will need to determine who you ideal client is, what their needs are, and demonstrate how you will meet those needs.

“Marketing a coworking space is far more than simply placing ads stating you have office space for rent”, says James for Coworking Resources. “You have to develop a content marketing strategy, which appeals to the needs of clients”.

So where do you begin with marketing your coworking space?

1. Create a High-Quality Website

Start at the heart. Having an easy-to-use and well-designed website is the key aspect to any marketing strategy. Your website is a prime place to let visitors know what you have to offer. ⁠

Remember to include relevant information any potential members may be looking for:⁠

~ Your opening hours,⁠

~ Where you are located and how they can travel there,

~ Your pricing model / Any memberships you offer,

~ Your contact details,

~ What amenities⁠ are available,

~ High-quality images of your space,

~ Upcoming events you’re are hosting,

~ What you are doing in response to COVID19,

~ and anything else you feel is relevant to your ideal client.

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Your site should indicate how prospect members can book a viewing of your space. Include links to your blog if you have one, and any social media pages that support your workspace.

A professionally created website is one of the best ways to exhibit your space and convert visitors into members.

2. Use Social Media to Your Advantage

Social media is a great way to showcase your space through content marketing.

“Content marketing is a long-term strategy that focuses on building a strong relationship with your target audience by giving them high-quality content that is very relevant to them on a consistent basis.” – Neil Patel⁠⁠

Not only does social media allow you to freely advertise your memberships, news, events, and prices, but it is also a way for you to grow your brand awareness. ⁠

Social media marketing is most effective when you know your ideal client inside out. When you know what they are looking for from a space, you will be able to talk to them in a way that resonates with their needs. Let your ideal client know what sets your space apart from your local competitors.

Looking for ideas to get you started? Consider posting:

• Members of the Month – Shine a light on your members, and introduce them to your online community.

• Provide tips and tricks – do you have a productivity hack up your sleeve? Share it with the online world.

• Behind the scenes – What is going on in your space? What are you working on? People are naturally curious, and love to peep behind the curtain so share your work in progress with them.

• Benefits of your space – What does your workspace have to offer? Show it off and explain why potential customers need this in their lives. How could a particular resource benefit their lives?

• Invite them to events – Use your social media channels to spread the word about any upcoming events, talks, or masterminds you have planned. You can even use social media as a way to discover which type of events your members would like to see.

• Share your blog posts – Provide snippets of your work and encourage your followers to hop over to your website to read your blog. The aim here is to get as many people on to your website as possible; an environment you have full control over.

• Who is running the show – Whether it’s you, the space owner, or your host who is in charge of the daily runnings of the workspace, share a little about yourself to your audience. Put a face to the name and make your brand stand out. By doing this, you will add personality and making your space relatable.

There is so much you can talk about on your social channels. These are just a few ideas to help you get started.

You can also use social media to build an online community around your workspace.⁠ You can engage with people from all around the world or keep it close-knit with an online community feature for members only. The beauty of social media is that it’s entirely up to you, and you can do whatever feels right for you and your space.

If you are ready to take it up a notch, you could consider paying for targeted ads across Facebook and other channels. ⁠There are many articles online that walk you through this, if you don’t already know how to carry out paid ads.⁠

When it comes to using social media to market your space, find out where your ideal client is hanging out online and get on there to show off your workspace!⁠

Search engine optimisation (SEO) can also support your efforts with content marketing, so you make the most from this advertising method. ⁠Check out our Step-by-Step SEO Guide for Beginners for further information.

3. Advertise in your Local Area

Everyone who is working from home in your area right now may not know that your space exists. If appropriate, ask other local business to promote your workspace in their premises, and offer to do the same for them.

Consider advertising near transport hubs to spread the word about your space. This method is excellent if people are currently travelling further than they need to for work. They might not realise that your space is just around the corner. Think about where commuters will pass through daily, and have at least one ad in that area. ⁠

If you are based in the city centre, don’t forget about business travellers. Quite often, professionals have trouble finding somewhere to work, hold interviews, or host a one-off meeting, that isn’t a coffee shop or bar. So make sure your ad is in a place where they will see it. ⁠

Above these, if you are a suburban workspace, you could consider renting a billboard for rural areas.⁠

4. Use your Space for More than Just Coworking

Utilising your space as an event venue, after hours, is a great way to advertise your workspace.

By hosting events, you are inviting nonmembers to check out your space while they engage in a positive experience. ⁠Once they see what your space has to offer, they are more likely to become a member, or tell a friend who may find your workspace beneficial.

Take into consideration what type of events would benefit your local community. It could be networking evenings, workshops, guest speakers, or a pop-up from a local seller. ⁠

Keep in mind that you don’t always have to be the one to organise and host these events. Open your space up to your members, local sellers, or guest speakers who are touring the country, to use for their private functions.

Using your space for other means, is an excellent way, not only advertise and market your workspace, but also to get to know your community too. ⁠Whatever type of event you decide to host, don’t forget to share it on your social media channels.

5. Gift Memberships

Have you ever thought about gifting memberships as a means to spread awareness of your workspace?⁠

Gifting memberships strategically, can be very good for promoting your space and attracting new members. ⁠

Consider donating memberships to local freelancers, startups or remote workers. ⁠This will urge these people to visit or even hold gatherings in your space. All while spreading the word to others about your workspace.

In return, you could ask them to write a short review for your website. You can share this review with your followers on social media too. Having social proof, in the form of a good review, is sometimes the one thing that seals the deal in converting website visitors into members.

When you are first starting as a new workspace, gifting memberships can be a great way to kickstart your coworking community.

When should you start advertising your workspace?⁠

From our experience, the earlier you start, the better. ⁠As soon as you have begun the repurposing of your space, start spreading the word about it.

Share your progress with the world, and get people excited about what is to come! ⁠

Before you open, you will want to have members ready and waiting to join to ensure your space is thriving. ⁠This initial build-up will let people know there is a new space coming, so they can plan to sign up, tell their friends, and follow you along on your launch journey.

Even after your doors open, ensure you keep up with consistent marketing, to build a community around your space, share news and events, and ultimately encourage new members to join. ⁠Plus, the more you document and show off your workspace online, the more you can see how much progress you have made with it.

So there you have it – 5 tips for marketing for your shared workspace

1 – Create a high-quality website

2 – Use social media to your advantage

3 – Advertise in your local area.⁠

4 – More than just coworking

5 – Gift Memberships

When you run a shared workspace, remember you are offering a valuable service. The key to marketing that workspace is to make it more valuable than your local competition. When you can do this, you will fill your workspace with incredible members, and stay full.

Good luck!