Embarking on the journey of building a brand – especially one that belongs to a relatively new category – is no child’s play. It entails bridging the existing gaps in the sector while staying true to the brand vision. The competition may be significantly low, but so is the general awareness around the category. And this is where the challenge lies.
With renewed focus on flexibility, mobility & suiting the work preferences of the millennial workforce, most companies are adapting Coworking spaces. As per a Colliers International Report 2019l, the big jump in expansion has been in the last five years, between 2014 and end of 2018, where the number of flexible workspace sites expanded by +205% while the number of operators expanded by +138%The growth potential of the category is undoubtedly enormous, but how does one build the brand is a question that hovers around.
Here are the 5 steps of organically building a brand in a high-growth and new category.
Positively impact the stakeholders
Coworking spaces naturally have multiple stakeholders – landlords, brokers, tenants& own employees. Starting with the direct stakeholders is the most reasonable way of going forward as it gives one the leverage of word of mouth. It is a synergistic partnership where each stakeholder has a crucial role to play and reap benefits in return. For example, the landlord will only gain if more people opt for the coworking space. Again, the greater the number of tenants, the more popular the coworking space is likely to become. This in turn adds value to the tenant’s office location while also providing greater networking opportunities. It’s imperative that each employee/staff of the coworking space becomes a brand custodian & delivers as per the brand promise to the stakeholders at every step of the way.
Identify the high-impact touchpoints
Customers are everything to a brand; they are the reason the brand exists in the first place. Hence, identifying the right touchpoints is an integral part of brand building. For a coworking space to grow its brand, leveraging cost-effective yet highly impactful touchpoints is the key. Office buildings are the most effective to grab attention of office goers. Attention seizing building facades & signages at the entrance never go unnoticed and serve as high visibility touchpoints. While having hoardings and signages at prime locations can do the trick, there’s nothing cheaper and effective than online engagement, which brings us to the next step.
Focus on real conversations/engagements online
The target audience for most coworking spaces is millennials, which is why a strong social media presence is crucial. Creating the brand’s own niche and building a community on social media can go a long way in ensuring maximum engagement. For example, sharing relevant content and latest industry news, celebrating members’ successes, covering and promoting brand events, and raising awareness around causes close to the brand are highly effective in creating a conversation and building a community. It also goes on to show that the brand cares about its customers, thereby boosting brand image and presence.
Effectively use PR
A good public relations campaign is the backbone of building a strong brand image across offline and online channels. The PR campaign should essentially aid the brand’s objective of creating a niche. PR can be used as a robust tool to build thought leadership and establish a strong recall value. It is important to ensure that PR communications are consistent across all channels to achieve maximum impact.
Build brand partnerships
Affiliate marketing has been around for years and is one of the primary ways to drive traffic and generate sales. Coworking spaces can leverage this to reduce cost per lead while benefiting from the partner brand’s customer base & brand reputation.
Establishing tie-ups with brands by offering value to their customers through discounts on products/services is the right way. Coworking spaces can partner with BFSI companies, business hotels, retail brands, cab providers, etc. to delight customers on both sides. When done right, it also reflects brand’s genuine care for customers.
Coworking spaces are seeing a steady rise, thanks to incredible technological advancements and a shift in work cultures towards more flexible schedules. And if their branding game is top-notch, the opportunities to grow are tremendous.
