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This article is part of the school of coworking course through Archie. Make sure to check out the other articles to learn more about how to start a coworking space business.Â
Social media is a huge part of today’s marketing world. It can help your coworking space grow exponentially if done right, which is why you should focus on trying to make the most out of it.
Step 1: Choose your social media platforms
It’s no secret that social media platforms have become huge in the business world. Promoting your coworking space can be very beneficial, but in order to do it you must first figure out which platform(s) to use.
In order to find out, you must figure out who your audience is and which social media platform pertains more to them, in order to gain more memberships in your space. Below we’ve highlighted the most popular social media platforms that there are, and who they’re mostly geared towards.
Platform Options:
- Facebook: Facebook is the classic social media platform that everyone should use. It has roughly 2.98 billion monthly active users, which means that people from all demographics are likely to be on there. A Facebook platform is a great way to promote your coworking space. A good idea is to create a Facebook page with all the right information, pictures, and any updates you may have and ask your members to follow you on there.
- Instagram: Instagram is also almost as popular as Facebook, with about 1 billion active users per month. This platform is great for people who use mostly their phones (since it’s a mobile app), and for people who are into visuals. Almost 70% of Instagram users are younger than 34 years old, with 32.1% of users being between 25-34. If you plan to advertise to younger age groups, then Instagram will be the platform for you. Instagram has many features that you can use for your coworking space but mostly focuses on images.
- Twitter: Twitter is great for engaging with your followers and audience quickly and efficiently, however, it may not be the best option if you want to put out more thought-out posts, as Twitter only allows for very short texts to be written out at a time. A great option, however, would be to try and use Twitter to connect with your members, send updates, or even have a platform solely for customer service in your coworking space.
- LinkedIn: LinkedIn is another good option if you want a more serious tone for your coworking space. Although LinkedIn is mostly used for professional networking you could also use that to your advantage. You can try connecting with all the businesses that are in your space and have them endorse you or vice versa. This could be a great way to reach out to other companies that are looking for coworking spaces for their team.
- Tik Tok: Tik Tok is perhaps the newest big platform that has been put out yet. Tik Tok is a video-based platform and in order to succeed, you must create engaging, fun, short video content in the style of most Tik Tok users. This platform is mostly geared towards Generation Z, and you must be very well versed in how to make successful videos. If done properly your coworking space can be booming with young people who want to find a place to work or study.
Whatever platforms you choose to use, you must first understand your coworking space and its audience. Figure out who your members are, or who you’re trying to target and try to focus on that platform. Also, look at what kind of content you are trying to put out there. If it’s mostly updates or text content then Facebook and Twitter may be for you. If you’re trying to show off your coworking space with pictures of your conference rooms or hot desk areas, then Instagram may be the right choice. There is no right or wrong. Try and do what you feel is best.
Step 2: Build a brand and a community
After you’ve decided which platform(s) you are going to use, you have to understand how to use them. The best way to do so is simply by being social. You have to be able to create an active community in your online presence that can also transfer to real life. For example, you could create Facebook or Linkedin groups that are dedicated to the members in your space and to having them network together.
Your members are going to be from all kinds of places. Although you may be geared more towards a specific group of people such as freelancers or companies, the people that will fit those roles will have various different backgrounds. A great thing to remember is that no matter what, the one thing that they all have in common is that they are all sharing your space together. As you are creating an online community and bringing them all together, you will increase your brand’s reputation as one that cares for its clients.
Tip: Another great benefit of having online group communities is that new or potential members can join, allowing them to see and experience the community of your coworking space first hand.
Step 3: Try Social media advertising
Advertising online has become a big part of marketing. Ads are now on every social media outlet and can be attributed to many companies who take advantage of the new social media age. This can be a good option if you want to promote your coworking space, but it can also be very costly, so you want to make sure you put a lot of time and effort into it so that you can get the most out of it.
Online advertising can be great because it can target specific audiences from certain regions where your coworking space may be located. The best two ways to advertise online are through Google Ads or Facebook Ads.
- Google Ads is a great way to drive traffic to your coworking space website, but it can become quite pricey. Google will allow you to pay for your ad to be displayed at the top of the search engine, however, they will charge you for each click on your ad, so you absolutely have to make sure that your website is clean, optimized, and has quality content.
- Facebook Ads are also a great option. They will be much cheaper than Google, even being able to start with only $10. Facebook is also great because it will provide you with a step-by-step resourceful guide about promoting posts on your coworking space page. The only downside of Facebook is that it is only geared towards Facebook users. So if your coworking space mostly targets companies, then it is probably not the way to go. On the other hand, if your coworking space targets freelancers then it could be a great investment.
Step 4: Promote your members
A fantastic way of building up your brand and getting more organic promotion is by partnering up with your members themselves and showcasing them and their business on some of your social media posts. This will not only serve as an incentive for your members to join your coworking space, but you will also be getting organic promotion from the people that follow your members’ business.
A great way to do this is to start by dedicating a day every week to take a post and highlight one of your members. This way, you will constantly have content for your social media, and you will be giving attention to your members. Think about a structure for it all. For example, if you are using Instagram, have a consistent way of posting, like taking a picture of them working in your coworking space. Also, think about the text. Write a caption reflecting their work in your space, and try to be consistent in the style with everyone you are promoting.
Something that may surprise you is that you will also most likely get attention from people or businesses that are related to the members that you are showcasing.
Step 5: Curate the content you are posting
You want to be as intentional as possible when it comes to curating your content on social media. Businesses often have the tendency to only promote their space and post nothing of real value other than advertisements. Your followers are not going to want to see that, and people who aren’t your followers won’t do so unless you give them something worth following.
Creating social media content for your coworking space should not just be about your space and your space alone. Instead, you should focus on what it is your audience really desires to see. For example, if you have a lot of freelancers who are working in your space, a great idea would be to put out content directed for them, like how they should manage their time for productivity. This will increase your chances of them wanting to follow your social media page.
A good rule of thumb that most businesses should follow when advertising is the 80/20 rule. 80% of your content should be valuable and relevant content for your members, while the other 20% should be promotional. This is good as it will give your social media more value and trust, and your followers will want to stick around for the great content and in turn see and participate in the promotional material.
Step 6: Be active and engaged
Last but not least is being active and engaged with your social media pages. Being consistent with posting will help you build your brand and increase your likelihood of getting followers and people engaging with your content.
Figure out how often you would like to post. A great idea is to post every day, but if that can’t be done then try sticking with once a week. Once you’ve found the perfect amount of time you’d like to post, be consistent with timing. Try to make all posts at the same time. There is a great deal of science behind the best time to post on social media. Each social media platform is different, generally, it is best to post in the morning. After you’ve set a time then try to schedule your posts and stick to the schedule as best as you can.
✅Tip: Consider making a good amount of posts beforehand. This way you do all the hard work before, and all you’ll have to worry about is posting them on time.
Another aspect of being engaged in social media that you have to think about is your response rate. If people are commenting on your posts, asking questions, or even sending you direct messages, you’d like to make sure that you give them all the attention, and respond quickly and efficiently.
Conclusion
Social media promotion can bring your coworking space a lot of new clients and can help you build your brand tremendously. Knowing how to do it well is a crucial factor in whether your social media efforts will succeed or not. Choosing the right social media, curating your posts, and building a community are all key ways of your social media promotion for your coworking space going well. Focus on what is most important for your space and be consistent in what you put out.
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