Marketing a coworking startup in an increasingly crowded market is a challenge that requires continually fine-tuning messaging and a smart lead generation strategy. So, how do you create game-changing value propositions and reach potential customers at the right time? One key to success is to gather feedback from real people at every step of the customer journey.
Ads, social media, and website analytics only get you so far—especially when leads come from multiple sources. If you don’t know much about your users, it will be hard to turn them into members—even if all of your marketing is otherwise brilliant.
Here are a few important basics to know:
- Structure a feedback collection strategy to the marketing funnel so it can be customized to where the potential member is in their decision-making.
- Make sure leads can offer feedback at every touchpoint.
- Adapt the feedback collection method to where the user will encounter it.
- Develop member personas to help customize feedback questions.
- Use the feedback to narrow down target member personas. It matters if a lead is new to your city, especially if they’re looking for houses for rent in Los Angeles or looking for Brooklyn apartments for rent, because this information will come in handy when making conversation in a sales meeting or creating more detailed targets to market.
Collect feedback during crucial customer journey points
Lead generation & qualification
The goal in this phase should be to pin down: how potential members reach you, how to get more of them to engage with your brand, and how to convert them into qualified leads.
The methods in this part of the funnel depend on the communication channel. For website visitors, add a quick website feedback form. Or, if you have enough social media followers, create polls. For email marketing subscribers, ask for feedback by allowing them to reply to your emails or send out a survey. You can also link to feedback forms on your website and social media accounts.
Questions to ask:
- How did you first hear about us?
Your user may have learned about you by clicking on an ad, receiving the link from a friend, seeing someone tagged in one of your page’s photos, or attending an event. This is where you find out specifically what brought them to you so you can double down on the most efficient awareness channels.
- Why are you looking for a coworking space?
This question will help tailor your marketing message to the needs of users, as well as identify what initially triggers the interest of potential members to use a shared space.
- What makes for a great coworking space?
After finding out why your users need coworking spaces, learn about their preferences to stand out over the competition.
Coworking space tour/conversion
The perfect moment to nail down brand messaging and conversion points is when you’re actually talking to leads. At this stage, you’ll get valuable feedback because you can ask follow-up questions and see firsthand how potential members feel about the brand and physical space.
This situation is likely a face-to-face tour or a phone call, so use the interview method. You can also send a feedback follow-up email to leads who weren’t ready for conversion in the past. It’s a great tool to reconnect with potential members who may have changed their minds in the meantime.
Questions to ask:
The basics:
- How did you first hear about us?
- Why are you looking for a coworking space?
- What makes for a great coworking space?
Case-specific questions:
- What triggered your decision to meet with us?
By asking this question, you’ll not only find out what channels and messages to double-down on, but also where your most qualified leads come from if using a scoring system.
- What are your main concerns about joining a coworking space?
This question will help address member concerns in your advertising, so ask about coworking spaces in general, focusing on safety, meeting rooms, or amenities.
If you haven’t talked about them during the tour/meeting, ask the basics:
- How did you first hear about us?
- Why are you looking for a coworking space?
- What makes for a great coworking space?
Case-specific questions:
- What are the three main reasons why you decided to join our coworking space?
Now is the time to learn exactly what you’re doing right.
- What were your main concerns about joining our coworking space?
Ask about your brand specifically, not coworking spaces in general. This is when you should address possible weaknesses.
Leads who haven’t converted
It’s great to know all of the reasons why your members chose you, but the best feedback will come from those who didn’t move forward. You only need to ask one question: What stopped you from joining our coworking space?
You’ll either find out more about the challenges future members face, or how to improve your pitch and services.
How to ask good questions:
- Ask as few questions as possible.
- Refrain from using leading questions.
- Try to ask about specific use cases.
- Keep your rating scales consistent.
- Avoid asking too many open-ended questions. If you do, try to formulate them as follow-ups to closed questions, and don’t make the open questions mandatory if using survey software.
- Allow room for free-text answers in multiple-choice questions; you might get unexpected useful information.
Finally, make sure you store all of the information you receive in an easily accessible place and keep notes on each member’s interaction history. Be sure to collect feedback on an ongoing basis. People are increasingly open to the coworking lifestyle, but a robust market segment also comes with increased competition for operators.
To engage your current and potential members efficiently—and get an analytics and accounting software that will allow you to focus on your business development strategy—book a YardiKube demo today.