“Not Another Desk”: How to Sell Experiences, Not Space

The offices of yesterday were spaces where people gathered to work. 

These static structures were organised around desks and meeting rooms layouts were hierarchical and reflective of the roles within the business. Organisations rarely deviated from the 9-5, with employees commuting to a centralised location. 

Then the rise of digital technology and remote work rewrote the rulebook. 

The office has been redefined: it no longer hinges on a centralised physical space and a rigid schedule. Videoconferencing enables teams to communicate wherever they are in the world. 

In essence, work is now defined by output, not location. The office has become primarily a collaboration space in which to nurture team relationships, and a vehicle for building a sense of culture and camaraderie. 

So for coworking operators it’s not about selling desks (it never has been). It’s about selling coworking experiences, member satisfaction and value-based coworking. 

Here are three ways you, as a coworking operator, can start to position your brand as an enriching experience rather than a physical building offering deskspace. 

1. Start thinking about coworking as an experience

Advertisers have been selling physical commodities as experiences for decades. 

And as you’re actually selling an experience – coworking – it shouldn’t be hard to take the same approach. Selling coworking as an experience will tap into your audiences’ emotions, identities and aspirations, making your brand feel more meaningful.

Experience-based advertising communicates feelings – how the customer will feel when they use the product or service, and what type of lifestyle it can activate.

Think about car adverts. Car ads these days are often cinematic in style, focusing on the freedom, sense of adventure or luxury they enable. You rarely see a car ad focusing solely on fuel efficiency or mechanical specifications. 

Travel and lifestyle brands do this too – instead of just a ticket or geographical location, their ads tend to sell relaxation, escape, personal growth and wellbeing. It makes the customer feel like they’re not just purchasing a product, but something that will align with their aspirations or enhance their sense of identity.

Promoting the coworking members’ experience should be at the heart of any marketing or advertising campaign for your space. Here are a few ideas and phrases to play with when positioning your coworking space as an experience: 

• A symbiotic community 
• A place where creativity and connection meet
• A space designed to inspire – natural light, ergonomic furniture, flexible layout
• Support, motivation and opportunity
• Spaces that energise your workflow
• Purpose over routine
• You’re in control of your workday
• A culture where ideas grow and productivity thrives
• Separate your work from your life 
• Memberships that fit your lifestyle

Storytelling is the key to selling experiences – using words to transport the audience into an alluring situation or prospect. Show them how coworking is going to enhance their work-life, solve any problems they might have or fulfil their ambitions. 

Adding testimonials and visual content will really bring your stories to life. 

2. Embrace relational marketing

Let’s take a few seconds to talk about transactional vs relational marketing, and how relational marketing is the way forward when it comes to selling experiences.

Transactional marketing is a strategy that prioritises quick, single sales as opposed to nurturing customer relationships. It uses tried and tested methods such as discounts and promotions, and can actually work really well if you want to grab some quick meeting room or day desk bookings, for example. 

But transactional marketing alone isn’t enough to entice longer-term members. 

Transactional marketing success hinges on the volume of sales you make, as opposed to member retention or engagement after the initial purchase or booking. 

Relational marketing, on the other hand, is all about nurturing those longer-term relationships with members so they continue to renew their membership plan. Success is measured in repeat business. It’s about building trust, loyalty and satisfaction, and it can only be achieved by prioritising the member experience. 

Here are five ways to embrace relational marketing:

• Customised communication – Leverage your coworking CRM and craft tailored email and social media campaigns that provide personalised content. This shows you value each members’ needs and preferences. 
• Loyalty programs – Reward longevity and loyalty with additional perks, such as discounts, invites to exclusive events or referral fees. 
• Two-way feedback – Always seek out members’ input on your services, amenities, and events programming, and implement meaningful changes based on this feedback. 
• Supportive environment – Highlight and promote member achievements, connect people with relevant opportunities, and create both in-person and digital networking channels to enable members to collaborate.
• Community engagement – Create a schedule of events, workshops, and social meetups to encourage interaction, collaboration and a sense of workplace culture.

3. Offer curated experiences and events

Of course, the only real way to sell more than office space is to offer things that don’t centre solely around work. Promote your social mixers, speaker series – and anything else that makes your space a fun, nurturing and social place to be. 

Your coworking space isn’t just a place to work, but an environment where members can feel inspired, connected and supported by both your team and their coworkers. Here are five approaches that will help you to curate your coworking events:

• Understand your community – Really get to know your members, and what they do and value. You’ll discover common interests and challenges through a combination of face-to-face conversations, surveys, and your engagement data. Use this to curate high-impact events.
• Balance professional with personal – While skills building workshops, seminars and business building clinics are important, don’t neglect your social scene; happy hours and themed lunches can encourage community bonding.
• Collaborate with partners and members – Your members, as well as local business and community groups make great hosts, so leverage them. As well as keeping events fresh and interesting, this approach can strengthen bonds and facilitate cross-collaboration and promotional opportunities. 
• Create signature experiences – What are your signature events? From monthly Lunch & Learn sessions to Founder Fridays, regular events that are unique to your space will create a sense of routine and anticipation.
• Personalise and develop – The likelihood is your events schedule looks different from year to year, aside from a few successful signature experiences. As well as being ‘as good as a rest’ change shows you’re listening and adapting to your members’ needs.

Ultimately, selling coworking experiences will enable you to create a coworking space that’s more lifestyle brand than desk rental. It’ll help you deepen member engagement and boost retention by making your space a creative destination in which people not only work – but thrive. 

If you’d like some guidance on how to start selling experiences through your coworking management software, get in touch with the Nexudus team today.