COVID-19 has forced hospitality brands to adapt and diversify in order to survive. Hotels and hostels have expanded their offering to include coliving and rentals; restaurants and bars have turned into takeaways and shops overnight; and brands have taken their experiences online with virtual events. And many of these hybrid models are here to stay.
Our latest series – Hybrid Hospitality – will give you all the advice and strategies you need to effectively adapt your marketing to this new type of hospitality.
In this post, we’ll be sharing our expertise on how to market a coliving space. The coliving concept is growing rapidly in popularity with enquiries for coliving spaces surging 136% over the past year in London alone. And we’re not surprised – younger generations especially are craving the community, flexibility and freedom that coliving provides.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our clients have opted to convert their sites into coliving spaces in response to this demand. If you are an existing hospitality business who has recently converted part of your space into a coliving space, then we recommend starting with the first blog in this series which is all about how to market your hybrid brand to multiple audiences.
Let’s get started with tips on how to market a coliving space to potential members…
GET AHEAD WITH SEO
Assuming you already have your website up and running, you are going to want to make sure it’s search engine optimised so potential members can easily find you. Start with keyword research – list down search terms people may be using and then use a tool like Google Keyword Planner to drill this down further.
You’re going to want to ensure your website copy and elements such as meta descriptions, page titles and URLs include relevant keywords. Don’t forget to add alt text to your images, too. Ensure you have built your site map, check the site is mobile friendly and check loading speeds.
Also, it probably goes without saying, but ensure your Google Business listing is live and contains all the correct information.
Continue monitoring your site’s performance and remember – SEO is a long-term process.
Side note: if you don’t have your website up and running yet or need support with your SEO, feel free to get in touch and our team will be happy to chat through the services we offer.
RAMP UP YOUR CONTENT CREATION
Creating content for your website is one of the most effective ways to improve your organic search rankings and boost your brand’s discoverability. The content you produce needs to be relevant to your target demographics, informative and inspiring. Whether you are creating a blog for your brand or weaving content throughout your site, we recommend sitting down and brainstorming the kind of topics your potential members would be interested in.
It’s really important for your target audiences to feel that you truly ‘get’ them, so think about how you can tap into their emotions. For example, as one of the main motivators for those using coliving spaces is the opportunity to meet new people and be part of a community, blog posts on topics like making friends in a new city or local hangouts in your area are very likely to drive traffic from the right kind of people to your site.
PROMOTE YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD
Location is everything when it comes to coliving. If you’re only staying in a city for a few months, then you want to stay in the best area, right? Your members will also want to hit the ground running and explore the local community when they arrive – and it’s your job to help them out.
We recommend creating a downloadable neighbourhood guide packed with local insider tips about your area. This a great way to capture your target audience’s interest and give them another reason to choose your coliving space over your competitors.
From sharing information on the best local cafes to work from to the undiscovered outdoor beauty spots where your members can relax during their downtime, this document is a valuable tool for both your members and your marketing. Just make sure you keep it regularly updated as things can change fast – we recommend a refresh every quarter.
GET YOUR EMAIL MARKETING IN CHECK
Your email marketing strategy should address each stage of your member journey, from initial interest through to post-stay.
The first step is to set up a waiting list for your coliving space with a sign-up form and place this prominently on your website to gather valuable data from potential members. This could be displayed via a pop-up when they visit a particular webpage, a call-to-action button or on its own custom landing page. If you do opt to create a destination guide, as we described in the last step, then you can use this as an incentive for users to sign-up.
You also need to consider how you are going to be utilising the mailing list you are working hard to grow. There’s little point in investing time growing this list and then leaving it to lie dormant – doing this means you will miss out on member sign-ups and revenue. We recommend creating a monthly email newsletter so that you are keeping in touch with the potential members are on your list. Make sure your newsletters are full of valuable information that your target audience would be genuinely interested in (and want to read more of!). Throw in any special offers you are running and relevant updates on your space, then add a killer subject line and you’re good to go.
Next, let’s consider how to communicate with members who are already booked. Personalised pre-move-in mailers are a must to give your members all the information they need ahead of their big move. This personal touch will also reassure them that they have made the right decision to join your community. Once members have signed on the dotted line and moved in, they will want to be kept updated on what’s happening locally as well as any events happening in your space and practical information they need to know. A members newsletter is a great way to communicate this – we recommend sending these fortnightly.
Last but not least, be sure to keep in touch with past members when they move out. While they might have left you for now, keeping in touch and checking in with a quarterly email makes it more likely for them to recommend you to their peers as well as potentially return as a member in the future.
Scared of sending out a mass email with ‘Dear test…’ or driving your list to the unsubscribe button? We’ve got you – drop us a message and let’s chat about how we support you with your brand’s email marketing.
FOCUS ON COMMUNITY BUILDING
As we mentioned above, one of the main motivators for those using coliving spaces is the opportunity to meet new people and be part of a community. It can be difficult to meet people when you move to a new place so your focus should be on creating and maintaining a thriving community of members – and communicating this through your marketing.
You could organise monthly meetups, welcome brunches, family dinners – anything to bring members together and make it easy for them to connect. Be sure to capture this to share on your social media channels and encourage your members to share posts on social media (and tag you) to showcase the experiences that your followers could have if they opt to use your space. FOMO is a powerful thing!
INVEST IN PR FOR YOUR BRAND
Whether you are preparing to open your doors or are one of the ‘older’ kids on the block, investing in PR is essential to boost awareness of your business, get the word out there about your brand and position you as a market leader.
Securing quality press coverage is no mean feat – you can’t simply copy and paste your property description, send it out and expect the features to roll in. To catch the attention of journalists, you will need to think about what makes your coliving space newsworthy and how you can creatively communicate this. As a first step, think about who you want to reach and which publications they are likely to read. Our top tip? Avoid sending a cookie cutter email to a huge list of journalists – take the time to tailor your message to each person you contact and your success rate will be much higher.
UTILISE THE POWER OF PAID ADS
Paid ads are one of the most powerful ways to reach your target audiences on a wide scale, informing them about your brand and converting them into a member.
For paid social ads, you can use the sophisticated ad targeting on Facebook Ads Manager to tailor who you are trying to reach by interests, behaviours, age and locations. Your ads simply won’t work – and will ultimately waste your time and money – if you do not utilise this targeting feature.
Ensuring your Pixel is correctly set up, we also recommend running retargeting ads – this means that you are able to show your ads to those who have previously visited your website, converting them from interested potential members into confirmed bookings.
Another effective paid ads platform to drive bookings is Google Ads. Using this PPC channel means that you pay a fee to have your website displayed on the search engine results page (SERP) when someone types in specific keywords or phrases. The SERP will display your ad to those who search for keywords or phrases that align with those that you have chosen. This means that your potential members will see your ad when they are actively searching for something related to your brand which boosts the likelihood of them visiting your website, finding out more about your brand and enquiring.
Taking the time to find the relevant keywords that your target market are searching for is key. If you are new to Google Ads or aren’t totally confident using the platform, we recommend keeping your keyword list to between 5-10. Our free guide below can help take you through this process.
COLLABORATE WITH INFLUENCERS
Collaborating with the right influencer for your brand is one of the best ways of building trust with potential members and getting the word out there to people you may not have been able to reach via your own organic channels. Influencers spend a lot of time building engaged, loyal communities within their chosen niches and working with them allows you to tap into these audiences.
But how do you know who is the ‘right influencer’? Well, you want to find someone who’s content and audience aligns with your brand. They don’t need to have millions of followers – in fact, micro-influencers with heavily engaged audiences can have a much bigger impact in terms of the return on your investment.
For example, if your coliving space is targeting digital nomads and remote workers, it would make sense to reach out to an influencer who has already built up a following in this niche.
Instead, have a think about what you want to promote and the kind of people you are trying to reach. For example, if your coliving space has a coworking space attached or is set up to appeal to remote workers, you might want to approach influencers in the digital nomad or business space who have an engaged following.
We often get asked about proving return on investment with influencers and we can understand why brands are concerned. Agreeing to work with any influencer who contacts you without considering their audience, interests or values will not benefit you and your business. Be sure to ask for past results in the form of a media kit – complete with case studies from past collaborations – and always send over a contract to be signed so that both parties are clear on the deliverables and timeline of when the work is expected.
DIG INTO YOUR DATA
There is little use in having platforms such as Google Analytics set up if you don’t actually utilise the data they collect. On a monthly basis (at least), make sure you take the time to review where your web traffic is coming from, which content is driving the most traffic to your site and the platforms that are converting bookings. When it comes to social media analytics, assess your most popular – and least popular – posts to develop an understanding of what resonates with your audience. This valuable information can then inform your marketing tactics going forward, ensuring that you replicate your successes and avoid any potential pitfalls.
In addition to this, it’s important to be tracking your paid social ads via Ads Manager – a number of our clients struggled to see ROI on the ads they were running prior to working with us and it continues to be a common theme among businesses we speak with. Using Ads Manager, we recommend checking insights such as reach, unique link clicks and conversions on a frequent basis to ensure you are getting the most bang for your buck. The same goes for Google Ads where you need to be keeping an eye on insights such as average CPC, CTR and conversions.
There is so much data at your fingertips to help you inform your marketing strategies – it’s fundamental to your brand’s success that you use it.
Noted down plenty of tips on how to market a coliving space? Keep an eye out for upcoming posts in our Hybrid Hospitality series – next up, we’ll be talking all things coworking…
