Post-COVID Marketing Tips for Coworking and Flex Spaces

To help you maintain good financial stability in the post-COVID world, in this post, we share some coworking marketing tips that will help you bring more customers to your space.

Еven though the virus is here to stay the world is slowly adapting to the new rules. Coworking and flex spaces all over the world are cautiously reopening their doors.

But the revenue that spaces now generate is a lot less than it used to be.

In the long term, the flexible workspace industry will benefit from the pandemic. Experts expect an increase in the adoption of the flexible workspace model, demand for shorter leases, and а need for collaboration space. And this is already happening in some regions of the world.

But till then you have to keep your business financially strong. We know how tough this could be.

But the good news is that office space is still an essential asset. Even though people are predominantly working from home they still need coworking spaces.

It might be because they need a proper workstation. Or they need a quiet place because at home they have their dog barking and their kids fighting for toys. Whatever the reason, there’s still a demand for real office space.

And if you have the right approach you can attract the right customers to your space and keep your business sustainable.

In this article, you will find some tips that will help you do that.

Just a note: As with every marketing process, what you do depends on how much money and resources you can invest and what Customer Lifetime Value you expect each new client to bring.

Communicate your safety measures

The health of your customers and your team is priority number one! Following a regular and extremely strict cleaning and disinfection procedure is not enough, though. To make people feel safe at your coworking or flex space, you should communicate the measures you are taking often enough. And clearly enough.

People need to be sure that you are doing things right. You might have extremely strict disinfection procedures. But if you are not communicating this well enough – on your website, in the space, within the community – people might not feel safe to come to your workspace. Simply because there’s no visibility on the measures you are taking.

So take the time to share this information on your website, social media channels, newsletter, and all other digital channels you use. Of course, make sure you communicate this in the space too – signages on key places, talking to leads and active members, etc.

Understand your customers so you can attract more of them

Your pre and post-pandemic customers are a great source of information about how to approach your marketing efforts. The more you know about the people that are already using your space, the more you’ll be able to figure out the right approach to attract more of them.

Of course, with COVID-19 things have changed. Your target audience might now have new requirements, you might need to adjust your business model (find more on future-proofing your business in this guide).

But in all cases, answering these five essential questions will help you understand your customers:

• Who is using your space?
• Where did they find it?
• Why are they using it?
• When are they using it?
• What is important to them?

Let’s provide some more context here:

Who is using your space: Are they individuals, companies, non-profits? What commonalities do they have? Did you find that people book your space to meet with clients? Then, you might want to promote your space as ideal for professionals that need great meeting rooms to help them convert leads into customers.

Where did they find it: Is it from a Google search? Is it from a marketplace? Once you figure out the main source that drives customers to your space, you might want to invest more time and resources into that source.

Why are they using it: Is it to meet clients? Is it for calls? Is it because they are sick of working from home? This will help you figure out your marketing approach. It will also give valuable insights about what to focus on in your service that these people will appreciate.

When are they using it: Is it at the beginning of the week? Is it for a whole day or in the mornings only? Knowing the peak and the downtimes will allow you to make more educated decisions about your business and offers.

What is important to them: Is it the location? Or safety measures? They might choose your space because it’s close to their home, for example. Find out what makes people come to your space and not to your competitors. And use it to attract more people.

To collect and access this data, the following methods could help you:

• Introduce a CRM platform
• Use short surveys (e.g. people can fill them in on a tablet in your space)
• Collect data manually (talking with every customer when they come into your space, phone calls, etc.)

This is also important if you decide to pre-sell your coworking space.

Invest in SEO and content marketing

Follow good foundation SEO practices such as refining your page content, improving page load speed, and paying attention to URLs and meta descriptions. Here’s a great article (and a nice video included) presenting the SEO essentials it’s good to focus on.

Use keywords you want to rank for and try having some variations. For example, “coworking space”, “office space on demand”, “shared space”. Of course, it’s not about stuffing your webpage with keywords but about using them strategically and where appropriate.

Don’t forget to optimize for phrases such as “coworking space in (your city/neighborhood)”. This might be extremely helpful in bringing new leads to your website. Have in mind, though, that the so-called local SEO has its specifics. Here’s a guide on what local SEO is and how to take advantage of it.

It’s also worth investing time in creating a content strategy as it will help you drive traffic to your website. Blogs, tips, how-tos, and any other information that’s useful for the people you want to attract to your space, have a great impact, not only on search engine optimization but also on your overall brand reputation. If you’re looking for more specific tips on this topic, check Cat Johnson’s blog about content marketing for coworking spaces.

Make low-commitment services bookable through your website

Low-commitment services could be a day pass, a meeting room booking, a hot desk plan, etc. Basically, these are the services that don’t need tens of levels of approval and contracts to be signed. And your potential customers can buy online directly.

But first, let’s take a close look at the customer journey. Your potential customers ideally would have the following digital path:

Search in Google → Visit your website → Look for information → Make a decision to request (or directly buy) a service.

Once people land on your website, they should have an easy and intuitive experience! Any friction in the process could end up in people abandoning your website and going to your competitors.

A good way to make low commitment services bookable through your website is to expose their live availability to the public and allow people to make a purchase directly.

One of the options to do this is via the OfficeRnD coworking management software. OfficeRnD allows you to create an e-commerce check out experience on your marketing website.

With the platform, you can create a branded public page, list the services you chose, and link to that page from your marketing website. You can also expose a booking calendar for your meeting rooms. This way, you provide visitors with an easy, fast, and convenient way to buy from you.

Make a good first impression and add extra value

You can never make a first impression twice. And this happens even before customers enter your space. People would most probably send requests to various spaces, and the most responsive space provider will definitely make a good impression. Try to get back to them as soon as possible, ideally within a couple of hours or even minutes, if you can.

Providing an excellent level of hospitality is an essential element of every successful coworking business. Being kind and helpful on the phone (and in the first place—answering your phone!) is a good move. Small things like listing what public transport passes near your space or what are the good places to have lunch around can also add extra value to your offering.

Advertise online

Google Ads could be useful, but you need to make sure your website is competitive. This means having nice photos, valuable content, and enough information to help people make a decision.

When paying for Google Ads, keep in mind the Customer Lifetime Value each new client brings. If your ads bring people who are going to use your space just once, you’re probably wasting more money on Google than you’re getting back in return.

Retargeting is another useful method when a lead has showed interest in your space but hasn’t yet made a purchase. Retargeting will allow your ads on websites they visit from this moment. Chances are that they’ll come back to you once they’re ready to buy since they’ll remember your brand as an option.

Take advantage of marketplaces

Marketplaces like Coworker and LiquidSpace allow you to reach more people than by relying solely on your own channels. These websites generate tons of traffic on a daily basis so they can connect you with lots of potential customers.

They have filters like location, services, amenities, and more, so people can get results that match their needs. The presentation here is important, too. Make sure you’ve included enough information so people can understand what you offer. Also, don’t miss to include high-quality photos which will enable you to stand out among all others on the list.

We hope these tips will help you keep your business sustainable during these challenging times. We’ll also update this on a regular basis with new ideas so keep an eye on the post.