written by Joe Robison of Coastal Creative - a San Diego-based reprographics company
An office space can communicate company identity to both employees and clients, making a company’s physical location one of the most prioritized tools for branding. The most iconic modern brands have done a great deal to invest in branded interiors for their offices; but with the rise of the remote workforce, modern offices are beginning to look a lot different. With more than a million people working out of coworking spaces in 2017, what does this trend mean for brand marketing? Can a coworking space still offer powerful branding potential?
Obviously coworking doesn’t give you the opportunity to inscribe your logo on the walls and outfit the entire office with your brand’s colors. But it does afford you many other unique marketing opportunities that you would be remiss to overlook. Here are several unique ways that coworking can generate traction for your brand:
A place to plant your roots (and your Geo-tags)
Place is one of the strongest markers of identity, and so having a set location for your business is an important part of establishing your brand. Even if that space is shared, such as in a coworking space, having a physical address lends a legitimacy to your business that working out of your home just can’t provide.
Not only is it highly unorthodox to conduct meetings with clients out of your home office, but there are a lot of services your business will be ineligible for without a commercial address. Residential addresses don’t qualify when it comes to getting your business on Google Maps, Groupon, Yelp, Foursquare, and many other important marketing and social platforms.
Coworking provides your company with a legitimate business address without the enormous overhead cost of a traditional office space. This is incredibly important if your SEO strategy includes directories or your social media marketing strategies include Geo-tagging.
Networking opportunities galore
A coworking space generally has a calendar packed with networking events, a considerable advantage of your membership. But even in the day-to-day of coworking life, the frequent opportunities you’ll have to discuss your business with like-minded individuals can lead to business collaborations, word-of-mouth momentum, and new clients. Plus you can learn a lot from other professionals who may have valuable insight into your industry or a particular undertaking.
These kinds of interactions can also be helpful for your content marketing. Blog about your main takeaways from an event held in your coworking space. Swap guest posts with the writer who sits at the desk across from you. Let the busy and creative folks around you serve as a theme in your company’s social media. In a coworking environment, there is plenty of relevant and compelling content to be found that’s ripe for posting.
You have a built-in audience and distribution network
By virtue of sharing a space, your coworking peers will automatically have more interest in your company than they otherwise would. That means the ice is already broken when it comes to sharing news and promotional materials. It also means that you have the attention of a group of professionals, some of whom may work in adjacent fields.
If you are only just getting your e-mail newsletter and social media accounts set up, your coworking space can be a great springboard for getting your first couple hundred subscribers or followers. If you’ve invested in offline marketing collateral and merchandise like pens or vinyl stickers, you have a convenient and diverse group of folks you can hand them out to.
Easy access to fresh perspectives
Sometimes you and your employees are too involved in your branding and marketing objectives to view them clearly. But lucky for those of you who work in a coworking space, the diverse and knowledgeable people around can offer you candid feedback about how your company is perceived. Being able to easily run a slogan or image by a fresh set of unbiased eyes can help you avoid an echo-chamber effect. Plus, chances are there are at least a handful of design and marketing experts working within a two-desk radius of you.
About the Author
Joe Robison is the Marketing Director of Coastal Creative, a San Diego-based reprographics company that works on a wide variety of design and large format printing projects. Due to the digital nature of his work, he spends a great deal of time working out of coworking spaces. You can read his thoughts about SEO and Digital Marketing on his blog.
