For years, everyone already knew that the very concepts of how and where we work were changing in a number of ways. Over the course of the last decade, for example, working from home and flexible working environments were well on their way to becoming the new norm — it's just that thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, few people could have predicted that this "new norm" would solidify quite as quickly as it did.
One of the best examples of this changing evolution of working and productivity absolutely takes the form of coworking spaces: that is, a shared space that business people, specialists, and even entrepreneurs can use to not only mimic an ordinary working environment but to also surround themselves with like-minded individuals who may be working on projects that are similar in nature to their own.
According to one recent study, there were approximately 19,000 coworking spaces located all over the world as of 2019 — used by more than three million people at the exact same time. The United States alone has more than 80 million square feet of these flexible workspaces available, and make no mistake: this is one trend that shows absolutely no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Of course, numbers like that are great if you're looking for a coworking space. If you're the owner and operator of one, they make one thing abundantly clear: competition is already fierce and it's only going to become more so as time goes on.
Which demands the question: how to effectively promote your coworking space on social media channels like Facebook and Twitter, both showing people what you have to offer and standing out from your competitors as well?
Thankfully, the answer to both of those questions is clear. If you truly want to make the best possible impression while promoting your coworking space on social media, there are a few key things you'll want to keep in mind.
Promote the Benefits and the Opportunities of Coworking Spaces
By far, one of the best ways to promote your coworking spaces on social media involves focusing less on the space itself and more on the potential that space can help unlock.
In other words, you want to craft compelling, relevant, and highly shareable content that focuses on the benefits of this type of situation over something that may be a bit more traditional in nature.
Networking
For example, one of the biggest benefits that coworking spaces often bring with them involves more networking opportunities for members than ever before. By being in close proximity to other successful professionals, people are giving themselves the chance to make the type of connection that can further their own businesses and careers. You're not necessarily going to have that in a more "traditional" environment.
Collaboration
Along the same lines, coworking spaces are also known for the many ways in which they empower collaboration. Working in a shared space with others creates an environment where collaboration can occur faster than ever. You never know where a quick conversation may lead — it could easily allow someone to discover that project management expert they didn't know they needed or that employee who can really generate the results they've been looking for. That person in the shared space next to you may become a friend, or they could become your next digital marketing consultant — you never know unless you strike up a conversation.
Productivity Boost
Finally, the boosts to workplace organization and productivity alone are often more than worth making the jump to coworking spaces for most people — it's just that they don't necessarily realize this at first. As a result, this is definitely another one of the major advantages that you're going to want to lean into with your content — reiterate time and again that you'll simply be more organized and you'll get more done here than you likely can at home.
Sure, a lot of people have created their own home offices in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But there are also a lot of distractions that you'll never be able to totally eliminate at home. Someone with kids will absolutely need to give special attention to their children. The house needs to be cleaned and other chores will need to be done. Packages are constantly getting dropped off.
Work/life balance
But if your coworking space is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, you've created a separate space where someone can go whenever they need to get into "work mode" where they can get more done than they could through alternative means. Not only will this go a long way towards increasing productivity, but it can also help someone create a better sense of their work/life balance — which for many will be among the most important benefits of all.
Generate recurring revenue and offer exceptional customer experience at your shared or coworking space
Visualize the Savings Opportunities
Another great way to promote your coworking spaces on social media involves capitalizing on any opportunity you can to visualize the very real savings that participants will get to enjoy.
When someone is renting a physical office space, there are a lot of costs that they'll have to deal with above and beyond simply rent.
- They'll have to deal with utilities.
- They need to be able to somewhat predict how much space they'll need to make sure that it is available before they actually need it.
- They need to consider whether or not the layout of the environment needs to be modified to support the way they like to work.
All of these costs can add up quickly — not to mention every minute they spend thinking about them is another minute that they're not driving revenue for their organization.
With a coworking space, however, all of these concerns are a thing of the past — people can simply work the way they've always wanted. This is why a lot of the content you create needs to speak directly to this fact, and you should do so as visual as possible.
"Hidden Costs" Infographics
You could create an Infographic that breaks down all of the "hidden costs" of maintaining your own physical place of business, for example, allowing someone to see just how quickly these costs can add up. Oftentimes people don't realize how much they're really spending unless they really stop to think about it — and this is a great way to force them to do exactly that.
Saving Opportunities
Then, you could outline all of the savings opportunities created by your coworking space. You could go into detail about some of the perks you (might) offer like free coffee and snacks. You could visualize both the amount of money someone is spending on a more traditional working environment AND the amount of money they can save every month at the exact same time.
Visuals are Better than Text
Plus, human beings are visual learners — they always have been, and they always will be. Not only will people better understand what you're talking about if you pair your ideas with relevant visuals, but they'll also retain that information for far longer as well. Visual content with this type of message is also more likely to be shared on social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram, too.
In addition to just being a great way to craft compelling content, this also allows you to create more effective collateral when compared to something like a blog post or white paper that is heavily text-based.
Final Thoughts
In the end, there's a reason why estimates put the global market value of coworking spaces at a massive $26 billion — they truly offer professionals of all types access to a wide array of different benefits that they simply won't be able to find anywhere else. This was always true, but it's become crystallized in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that we're still firmly in the middle of.
But at the same time, it's beyond clear that you're up against a great deal of competition — which is why your social media marketing efforts are so important. Rather than focusing on the bells and whistles of your space, focus your messaging on the very real benefits that people will get to enjoy as a result. To that end, marketing your coworking space on social media is not too dissimilar from marketing any other product or service.
It's not about what your coworking space can do in a high level, general sense. It's about what it can do for the very precise audience you're targeting. If you make sure that your message is value-driven - and you make sure to reiterate why coworking space is such a good idea — you'll always be able to enjoy a steady stream of new leads coming right to your door. That's not just how you make sure you keep the new clientele coming in at the volume you need to sustain yourself during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's also how you create the strongest possible foundation so that you come out on the other side of the pandemic all the better as well.
The article was written by Payman Taei. Payman is an avid technologist and the Founder of Visme, an easy-to-use online tool allowing anyone to creating and share professional presentations & infographics right in their browser. He’s also the Founder of HindSite Interactive an award-winning web design and web development company in Maryland.
