In 2021, coworking spaces have used tried-and-true marketing strategies to promote their sites. But in 2022, the competition is so fierce that these strategies are no longer effective or sustainable. A coworking space in 2022 needs to be creative in its marketing strategy to stand out among the many competing companies in the marketplace. Coworking spaces must break the mold in terms of innovative advertising techniques.—says Jeremy Ellis, the co-founder and chief innovator of LaunchPad CoWorking, Australia's first local multi-site collaborative workspace for future-focused businesses.
Indeed, the most challenging point about promoting a coworking space is that the strategies you applied this year may become useless next year. Especially when we are talking about 2021, which was the second year of panic and economic recession, and 2022, which is predicted to be the year of health and further economic recovery.
Let’s see which flexible workspace marketing trends are worth following in 2022 according to industry experts’ opinions.
1. It’s Not About Marketing But Member Experience
While preparing this article for publication I contacted more than 200 coworking business, real estate, and marketing experts to gather their forecasts about marketing methods that will work in 2022. 95% of the interviewed professionals assume that the coming year is not about promotion but customer experience.
The clients are already spoilt with comfortable work environments offered by coworking spaces and require intangible benefits of workspace membership such as a special vibe, community spirit, fun events, and more.
If you provide all these, customers will naturally become the evangelists of your coworking brand, will willingly share your content on socials, leave reviews, and tell their friends about how awesome you are, which is the best promotion you could ever get.
It's not about the marketing method, it's more about the special perks and benefits you offer to your members. This is what makes or breaks a coworking space. For example, I was recently working in a great-looking coworking space that was fairly pricey. Due to Covid, they didn't have any special perks and benefits such as member events or team-building activities. Yet, they kept the prices the same. As a result, it was fairly empty. I've now moved on, but if I was staying there for an extended period of time, I would have considered canceling or reducing my membership. For me, it wasn't worth it.
The coworking space I'm at now is much cheaper, albeit it is in a different city altogether. There are tonnes of social activities going on and you can pick and choose what you go to. It's why I chose this one over any others in the city. Make sure your coworking space has outstanding perks and benefits. — Ravi Davda, CEO of Rockstar Marketing
Not unlike any other professional service, consumers want to feel like they can't find your offer anywhere else. When it comes to deciding between your coworking space and another, it's your membership perks that ultimately seal the deal. These include incentives like referral bonuses, discounted rent for loyal members, and even free visits to attract new prospects. While these perks may lower your short-term profit, they more than make up for it by securing repeat business and strengthening your reputation. Customer loyalty always pays for itself, so consider it a wise investment. — Gregory Yong, Chief Experience Officer at Convincely
First and foremost, the best way to promote a coworking space is to host events that all members of the office can enjoy. A lot of people would like to attend events hosted at a typical coworking space because it's an interesting place with so many new people. If there's enough demand for such events, they'll happen naturally.
The second step is to promote the benefits of being part of a community as well as understanding what coworking spaces offer their members. They're inclusive spaces not just for those starting out on their career path, but also for people like freelancers and entrepreneurs who need to work in an office and can't afford their own space (or don't want it). Coworking spaces offer reliable Wi-Fi, parking, meeting rooms equipped with projectors or screens, and workspaces with extra power outlets. Most coworking spaces provide free coffee and water as well as all-day breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for those who don't have time to take a break and want to keep working so this is one way they can save money. — Catherine vanVonno is the President and CEO of 20four7VA
I would get a competitive edge over the competitors by offering greater perks and benefits for existing or previous clients. I would offer discounts to my clients for referrals. Once or twice a month, I would open my coworking space to the public to experience different benefits that we offer, such as complimentary snacks or a game room. I would hold happy hours frequently, which would act as a networking opportunity for up-and-coming corporations. A happy hour would give a friendly vibe to the place, making people feel at home, eventually translating into them joining our coworking space. — Sai Blackbyrn, CEO of Coach Foundation
In 2022 the importance of curating an environment for like-minded individuals comes to the foreground as leaders work to re-establish a semblance of company culture, yet keep the space intimate enough to ensure comfort among employees.
Additionally, establish a culture within the space itself: host free and public author talks, art shows, even weddings if the venue allows, to showcase it in a new light and bring people together, potentially new people. Illustrating the diversity of uses of space will effectively and organically market it to others. — Gene Kansas, the founder & CEO of Gene Kansas Commercial Real Estate
2. Focus on What Has Been Missed
Since the start of the pandemic, people have been missing so many essential things, such as direct communications, public gatherings, sharing ideas face-to-face. They are really tired of the restrictions and are looking forward to making up for the lost time and opportunities.
Offering potential customers things that have been missed in 2020-2021 can become a great marketing strategy for 2022.
We've had so much fear about going back to work and we've had the benefits of working from the comforts of our own home. However, we've also missed out on a lot of things and these can be played on. We've missed the community, face-to-face interaction, informal chats, someone to share our lunch with. Most vital in my opinion, working alone means we have no one to bounce ideas off of. We get stuck in our heads and it stunts our growth and creativity. Being in a coworking space with other people brings ideas, innovation, and collaboration. That's what I would focus on. — Emma Williams, Chief Research Officer at HIGH5
One strategy that I would recommend adopting is to focus on the unique aspects of coworking that businesses and freelancers have missed since the start of the pandemic. This means highlighting the organic social interactions that coworking spaces provide, as well as the wide range of amenities and perks such as cleaning, printing facilities, networking events, equipped kitchens, modular layouts, and world-class end-of-trip facilities.
2021 was all about highlighting the flexibility that coworking spaces provide, with many businesses opting to join on a month-to-month basis as a result of the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the pandemic. However, as the situation continues to stabilize heading into 2022, we expect businesses to trend towards seeking value for money by committing to longer lease terms or larger spaces. Additionally, we anticipate a surge in demand from remote workers who may begin to become frustrated with working from home. This trend of frustrated workers represents an exciting new target audience, one that is motivated to find affordable and flexible workspace in prime locations. — Harrison Sharret, Digital Marketing & Content Manager at Prime Office Space
3. Promote Health and Safety
We are still learning to live with COVID-19. So, safety stays a concern for many people. It’s a good idea to assure the customers that your workspace follows all health and hygiene protocols using subtle marketing messages.
For instance, you can tell about covid certificates scan integrated with your access control system or about your meeting room booking system that takes care of 15 mins maintenance slots between bookings.
I think coworking spaces must introduce promoting health and safety to the front of their marketing in order to really thrive through 2022. Does everybody still care about Covid? No, but it could very quickly change with a new variant, and ignoring that some people do remain cautious could lose you out on a massive segment of potential customers.
A good way to market yourself, without needing to be extremely focussed on Covid is by pitching weekly slots, instead of daily, while leaving weekends free for cleaning ready for the new slots. This can highlight that people are working in the space alongside the same people for the full week (no extra worry with daily changes of workers) and that you clean the space between each changeover. Rather than the obvious marketing of 2020 and 2021 that seemed more like health and safety notices, as we move slowly towards more normality, I would expect to see more implied safety through marketing spaces like these, without it feeling like the core focus. — Zac Surprenant, Marketing Director at Bennett Packaging
After surviving a fear-filled year of the Covid-19 pandemic, getting vaccinated is an act of patriotism. As more vaccines become available. One way you can promote your coworking space is by offering a free coworking pass or freebies for Covid-19 vaccine recipients. Only a few businesses operating nationwide have offered vaccine-related promotions to the general public. — Tyson Downs, Titan Web Agency
Generate recurring revenue and offer exceptional customer experience at your shared or coworking space
4. Use Multiple Channels and Promotional Techniques
Some things never change and in 2022, an average consumer still needs to hear about your flexible workspace through three or more channels before making a purchase decision. Besides, these days in addition to your perks, a customer will check your COVID safety.
So, make sure to implement the right mix of marketing techniques to meet customers where they are including SEO, social media, paid ad retargeting, and more. Over time, you can combine these strategies as part of your B2B marketing and brand awareness
When promoting a coworking space in 2022, prioritize the use of different promotional techniques. With social media growing at such an alarming rate, it is more important than ever to emphasize using this medium when promoting your services. This can include running Facebook ads to target specific keywords and hashtags representing a potential customer's interests. For example, a shared workspace could target the keywords "coworking" and "startup," then run ads that contain a compelling photo or infographic about the benefits of coworking. It is also vital for a coworking business to have a strong web presence to rank on search engines. The site itself should be tailored with some carefully chosen keywords while keeping in mind how it will look to customers. — Jeremy Ellis, Co-Founder& Chief Innovator of Launchpad CoWorking
Social media is going to continue to be a hot and effective focus in 2022. I believe that a strong social media strategy is vital to the success of coworking spaces in the year ahead. With the trend of employees working remotely continuing, it is more important than ever to target potential clients and customers in ways that seem most natural to them and their environments. I think marketing strategies that highlight convenience, ease of use, and value will be the ones that are most well-received by a truly mobile workforce.
We have three areas of focus at Grow Hub GR – we promote our spaces through corporate partnerships, organizations looking to provide coworking or on-site work location with flexibility, and who may also be in need of workforce, talent development, or marketing growth services. Entrepreneurs in growth mode, 3-5 years looking to expand operations and connect with more wrap-around support services, extending out beyond their home and into a community to grow with. Education partners, working hand in hand with secondary and collegiate universities to develop certification programming, entrepreneurial support services, and life /skills training. If you want to effectively promote your coworking space, you can’t do it alone. Having the best community partners will help ensure success and occupancy. — Stephanie Kolakowki, the founder of Grow Hub GR
A virtual tour of the space will allow you to highlight its features and what makes it unique. It can help potential members get a feel for how they would enjoy working in your coworking space. It's also worth highlighting any efforts made to adhere to CDC social distancing guidelines.
The average consumer will make purchase decisions using three or more channels when researching a product and your COVID marketing strategy mix needs to meet them where they are. Reliable channels to reach consumers include SEO, social media, paid ad retargeting, and review marketing. — Tyson Downs, Titan Web Agency
You need a strong presence on as many platforms as possible (especially Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). Center on visual content, video marketing became a trend in 2021, I believe that It will grow stronger in 2022. — Adam Korbl, the founder & CEO at Amplify Ventures, Fill App, and iFax
The use of social media will be the number one channel for promoting your coworking space. You can advertise it by listing all the benefits, amenities, and pictures. Forums like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter will be preferred for promoting your workspace. — Perry Zheng, CEO & Founder of Cash Flow Portal
The three things I think are essential are content, community, and consistency. If you have these three things next year when brands invest in coworking spaces, your space will be better positioned to win the bid. Marketing for coworking spaces typically has a lot of common ground with marketing for restaurants or other non-traditional workplaces. It would be best if you talked about the various benefits of working from home, high-quality office space within walking distance capable of fitting your budget, intimate and collaborative community setting, and competitive pricing relative to traditional office leasing.
One more way to promote a coworking space is by using a virtual office service. That will give you the appearance that you have an actual physical location that people can check out. — Daniel Veiga, the founder of Danny Veiga Marketing
The internet can be your best friend by creating a social media strategy that generates regular content and puts key hashtags in place. For example, Instagram Stories allow for regular quick glimpses into life at the coworking space which may interest different followers who've never been there but are interested in a culture outside their home towns.
Facebook Lives are another option although they focus on interactivity whereas Instagram provides more stories over time rather than live streams of real-time action on one platform.
Both provide visuals and appeal but it's important to think about the strength of each platform. — Catherine vanVonno is the President and CEO of 20four7VA
5. Marketing Based on Location
It become even more critical for coworking business in 2022 to ensure that local listings are verified and kept current on various search platforms. Since you attract customers primarily on a local level, Google My Business listing provides valuable information about your work hours, services, and geographical location. This is one of the key factors in search and you can’t miss the cool visibility opportunities marketing localization gives.
The biggest differences between coworking marketing trends in 2021 and 2022 are based primarily on location. This is because more traditional landlords and landladies will enter the coworking office industry in 2022. They'll be able to offer cheaper rates to companies and new start-ups. This also means more businesses will relocate from urban areas to the suburbs, which will equate to shorter commutes from home to their work environments.
Put a listing for your coworking space on search engines like Google. Make sure you list important information like trading hours, location, facilities you offer, and your rates.
Offer potential customers a free trial of your facilities for one day. This way, they can test out your service and make an informed decision on whether they want to rent out your space before committing to a lease agreement. — Robert Brandl, CEO of ToolTester
To Take Away
I would like to finish our coworking marketing trends roundup with a quote by Mike Jones, CEO at Resound Creative, brand consultancy that specializes in helping commercial real estate (including coworking spaces) brand and market their businesses:
2022 will be drastically different from 2021 for coworking spaces as the world moves towards a new normalized situation in the tail end of the COVID-19 pandemic. For coworking spaces, it will be particularly important to attract new members who are looking for that middle workspace - not at home but not in their corporate office. Many remote workers are finding that working only at home is tough: the challenges of a good physical setup (like quality internet and space), as well as separation from real-life human contact, will be drawing many to look at flexible alternatives. Coworking spaces will be in the perfect position to help.
It will be crucial that coworking spaces reach these people, particularly those working remotely for larger organizations. Outreach campaigns to companies to provide coworking options for remote employees will be critical. As well as providing clear benefits to being a part of a vibrant community in the workspace.
Of equal importance will be providing a safe and effective workspace for members. This means getting safe-and-clean workspace certifications as well as considering more privacy for members in the desk and private office space setup. If you are investing in your space to make it clean, productive, and community-oriented, you'll be well on your way to having a great year in 2022.
Hope this was helpful. If you are still thirsty for coworking space trends 2022, go ahead to explore them here: Top 13 Coworking Space Trends 2022—Experts’ Predictions on the Future of Flexible Workspace
