Hi David. We have been around for only a few months (in Buenos Aires, Argentina) and learning a lot every single day (thanks to everyone in this group, btw, this group is an incredible resorce, and I'm happy to be writing some thoughts here for the first time!). Things that we have been learning and which have been important in our case:
- selecting people who understand the concept and would be willing to help promote the space (may take longer, but its a stronger path; also offer discounts for clients when any of their referral signs up) - presence in local cafes, restaurants, where freelancers are working by themselves (flyers, agreements to offer catering services for events or business meetings in our meeting room) - presence in social media and blog with relevant content about the coworking field and issues related to the interests of your target market - google adwords - try networking with other spaces to have relevant press coverage, focusing on experiences of users rather than amenities/ facilities of each space - pricing is a delicate issue when the concept is new and a huge part of the value is intangible...as other threads mentioned, i wouldn´t have too many options, those schemes are very confusing...and I would not have any type of free offerings (these did not work for us). Instead, we now have people try the space paying the daily rate (or a number of hours they can use during a 30-day period) and then if they sign up for any plan, this payment is deducted from the first month... - invite coworkers to present their profiles in a blog, and share that content through social media... The bottom line I think is communicating the underlying values behind coworking. And the way you do this and the way you relate with members of the space and with the community in general will gradually show the underlying values of your space...this will attract certain clients who share these values, who will in turn (in the long run) become the main channel to spread the word...this takes time, but its the road we have chosen to travel! Hope this helps. best! Paul On Tue, Jan 17, 2012 at 1:54 PM, David Otalvaro <[email protected]>wrote: > I'd hate to use the term "evangelizing" because of the religious > implications, but one of the greatest barriers I have encountered is > educating people on the concepto of coworking. This has been a real > challenge to get people on board. I'm aware of the alternatives > Jelly's (We are active participants in #JELLYWEEK 2012), Events, etc. > But I am curious about how others have entered in developing markets. > > Our Coworking Space is located in Cali, Colombia and after a few false > starts we've launched in Jan2012 to coincide with #JELLYWEEK.this is > only our second Jelly Day (We've opted for a WeekLong Jelly) but have > seen since our publicity campaign (Mosty social media, and previous > contacts) that people are a bit reluctant because they are not aware > of the concept. We've also send informative campaigns, (read > powerpoint presentation via slideshare, and reference to youtube > videos). So to all coworking spaces abroad, how have you spread the > word? > > > I appreciate any feedback > > David > Coworking Tequendama > http://coworkcali.com > @coworkcali > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Coworking" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. > > -- tel: (5411) 5219-6658 skype: paul.iribarne [email protected] www.espaciocespedes.com <http://www.facebook.com/cespedescoworking> <http://twitter.com/espaciocespedes> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
