January is the busy season for many coworking space owners and operators, which means plenty of opportunity to capitalize on an increased interest in coworking.
But when it comes to marketing your coworking space, where do you even begin? Targeted paid ads? Killer social posts? Email nurture sequence?
In this Coworking Quick Tip, we’ll share with you five of the most effective marketing channels for coworking spaces to acquire new members in 2025.
1. Google ads
What makes Google ads or Google Adwords an effective marketing channel for coworking spaces? They are highly targeted and have a high-intent signal. That means if someone is looking for a coworking space near me in Google, the chances that they’ll convert is high. Google ads ensure that your website will be the one that shows up when these keywords are searched.
Running successful Google ads often requires the help of a professional – Reuben Lau is one such expert in this space. As President of Spacefully, he focuses on helping coworking spaces drive predictable revenue growth through many different channels, including google ads. He discusses it in-depth with Cat Johnson here including how audience signals can be used to make your google ads more effective.
Tips for effective Google ads for coworking operators
- Set a location radius to keep your ads hyper targeted
- Prioritize local, long-tail keywords such as “small office space in vancouver”
- Use negative keywords to exclude certain words and phrases from your ads
- Create a dedicated landing page for each keyword that speaks to exactly what you’re advertising
2. Local search engine optimization (SEO)
Next to Google ads, local SEO can be a highly effective marketing channel for coworking spaces. Local SEO is defined as the practice of increasing search engine visibility for local, brick-and-mortar, businesses. It involves some specific strategies that help coworking spaces rank in Google organically when someone searches for a keyword like coworking vancouver.
SEO is a long-term play and is in the process of being disrupted by AI making it a highly volatile pursuit. However, if you can crack the code on this marketing channel, your space can reap massive rewards, including a lower customer acquisition cost, for many years into the future.
Tips to master local SEO
- Create and optimize your Google Business Profile
- Ensure your name, address, and phone number are consistent online
- Add your listing to directories and citations
3. Facebook communities
Local Facebook communities are coming up more and more in the conversation around effective marketing channels. In a webinar last year, Adam Hyman, Founder at KoWorks, shared that he’s using Facebook communities to build relationships with target members and inform them on the benefits of coworking.
The key to using online communities effectively, such as those on Facebook or even Reddit or LinkedIn, is to be value additive. If it feels organic and helpful, people will be more receptive to whatever it is you’re selling when the time comes.
Tips for using Facebook communities effectively
- Be an active contributor and share expertise freely
- Share non-promotional resources that are genuinely helpful
- Partner with group admin to create value-add events, AMAs or promotions that feel collaborative – rather than spammy
4. Local partnerships
Creating local partnerships as a coworking space owner or operator can be a highly effective marketing strategy. You’re contributing something to the community that is a net positive, and there are many partners who would be excited to be a part of it, be it non-profits, local government bodies, or the coffee shop down the street.
One of our clients, Groundswell, was able to 10x their membership numbers both by investing in better coworking software and by creating valuable partnerships and relationships within the community.
Tips for developing effective local partnerships
- Determine the goal of the partnership and set clear expectations on both sides
- Become more involved in the community, be it though attending local networking groups or going to meet-ups hosted by potential partners
5. Referral
Finally, the marketing channel that reigns supreme for many operators in and around the world of coworking is referral. Members that tour your space via referral tend to convert at a higher percentage than other sources because the trust has already been built.
Creating a highly effective referral program and capitalizing on this lucrative marketing channel comes down to creating an offer that appeals to both the referrer and the referee and advertising it everywhere that you can.
Tips for increasing referrals to your coworking space
- Figure out your customer acquisition cost (CAC) and customer lifetime value (CLV) to help craft a cost-effective program
- Offer an incentive based on what your members value
- Gather feedback from your community at regular intervals to make the referral program more effective
Which marketing channels are most effective for your coworking space?
When it comes to discovering effective marketing channels for your business, it’s in your best interest to embrace experimentation, keep track of performance, and commit to improving upon your efforts month over month.
With a defined system in place, you’ll be more likely to understand what’s working and what’s not working so you can make better decisions and grow your business over time.
Curious to see how technology can support your growth goals? Learn how Optix can help you grow a more profitable business through automation.