Four Best Social Media Strategies for Marketing Coworking Spaces

“If you build it, they will come” does not apply to your coworking and flexible office space website or other promotional platforms. Distribution is a vital element of getting your message out, and social media designed for your coworking business is the best bet for distributing marketing content to potential leads in your area.

Traffic from social media will make up 20-40% of your coworking website’s traffic, if you are consistent and optimize your content. The question then becomes, how do you convert that traffic into new members? What follows are best practices for optimizing each social media platform to bring in warm leads who are eager to get to know you, and your coworking space, better.

Instagram for Introducing the Beauty of Coworking

The United States is home to 116 million Instagram users. According to statistics, they are among the most educated, sophisticated, and high-earning social media users. In addition, Instagrammers are incredibly engaged with the platform, and more than 80% use it as their go-to for researching and learning about new products and services.

While you can’t link to your site directly from each image, you can link to your site’s pages, blog posts, and other content in your bio. Then, allow users to fall in love with your space through beautiful professional photography and videography. Feature events or video walkthroughs in your stories to give potential leads a sense of what it would be like to spend a day in your coworking space.

Because Instagram is such a visual medium, consider these best practices for your posts:

• Post consistently -- at least once a day, if possible. Instagram users are highly engaged and they want to see new content from you. Try posting at different times each day -- from early morning to late at night -- then track engagement to find the sweet spot for posting.
• Work with a professional photographer for attractive, hi-resolution photos that you can use in a variety of ways. Try to choose a bright, sunny day so that your shots look their best.
• Be sure to get a variety of photos, including interiors, details, social spots, workspaces, and exterior shots. If there are cool views from your coworking space, be sure to take some photos from a variety of vantage points.
• When members sign on with your coworking space, ask them to sign a photo release in order to use their likeness in promotional photos. Images that show how people function within your flexible office environment are especially engaging and effective.

Facebook for Top-of-Funnel Interest

In North America, there are currently 248 million monthly active users of Facebook. Facebook is a great place to share content, create conversations, and, through Facebook’s paid advertising, generate top-of-the-funnel leads for your coworking business.

Facebook Live video posts are incredibly engaging and offer a perfect way for you to film workshops and events in your space and share them in real time. In addition, Facebook’s Stories function allows you to create and share up-to-the-minute content or offer your followers a timely thought for the day each morning.

Here are some ways to make Facebook work for your social media for coworking strategy:

• Facebook works best when you properly define your audience. Identify your target market in order to make your Facebook campaigns more effective and more engaging. 
• Engagement is everything on this platform, and active users are highly engaged with all of Facebook’s features. Consider integrating Facebook Messenger into your outreach to keep the conversation going beyond the timeline.
• Remember that Facebook generally appeals to a somewhat older demographic, so differentiate your marketing and your messaging with a greater emphasis on personal content like testimonials and reviews.

LinkedIn for Targeted Prospecting and Broker Engagement

With more than 303 million monthly active users, 92% of the Fortune 500, and 90 million senior-level influencers, LinkedIn is the platform of choice for directly targeting companies, decision-makers, and brokers who can help you fill your space. 

If you want to put LinkedIn to work as part of the social media strategy for your coworking or flexible office space, you’ll need to emphasize the quality of your content. You won’t dazzle LinkedIn members with shiny objects. They are looking for more sophisticated information, so make sure you’re getting to the nuts and bolts of how your space can work for their budget, workforce, and location.

Here are the best ways to optimize your LinkedIn marketing:

• Make sure your profile is thorough and highly informational. Many LinkedIn users check out profiles and past posts when they are doing their research.
• Use your current LinkedIn connections to connect with new people on a consistent basis. Reach out to 2nd tier connections to gain a foothold in the companies and organizations toward whom you want to focus your messaging.
• Consider using Slideshare and whitepapers to repurpose your blog posts, videos, and podcast episodes. The more engaging (and shareable) your content, the more views you will get on this platform.

Twitter to Tie It All Together

Twitter is a natural platform for funneling leads to your other social media accounts and to your online content. It’s the glue that holds together your posts and helps direct engaged followers to your other platforms.

With integrations from Facebook, Instagram, email marketing platforms, and more, you can ensure that your Twitter is always updated with your newest and most exciting content. In addition, pre-schedule Tweets on a consistent basis throughout the day in order to ensure that followers can always find out the latest updates about you and your space.

Use Twitter to share:

• Upcoming events
• Content updates
• Hours of operations
• Invitations to Open Houses or Walkthroughs
• Video content
• Infographic versions of blog posts or video content
• Quote card graphics related to your content
• Motivational messaging geared toward your target market

Use our social media strategies for coworking and flexible office spaces to bring in a steady flow of online leads to your website. Then see how Upsuite can help you round out marketing for your coworking and flexible office business. Don’t forget to check out our upcoming guide to Marketing Essentials for Coworking and Flexible Workspaces.