Coworking Marketing Weekly – #4 Social Stand

Hey there,

Georgi from Cobot here!

I'm writing this week’s newsletter from my hotel in Paddington, London.

I am here to visit the Workspace Design Show 2025 🇬🇧 which, by the time you’re reading this, will already be underway.

Since arriving in London this morning, I've noticed that I have never been exposed to as many advertisements as I have here - billboards, DOOH (digital banners), TV ads… I even feel that YouTube has increased the number of seconds I must watch an ad before I can skip it.

And all of this advertising has led to something very predictable - I don’t remember a single ad or brand that I have seen today.

Arguably the world's most iconic advertising space - Piccadilly Circus, before it was famously turned into a monstrous single digital billboard in 2017.

There is too much noise

There are way too many empty company voices shouting from all directions. Even in our own bedrooms, every time we open our phones to look something up, we are bombarded with at least 10 ads. At this point, we don't even notice them.

So what are the chances of your independent coworking space standing out in this oversaturated digital jungle? They're actually quite high, if you play your cards right. And it’s mostly because of the trait that most coworking spaces and independent businesses (like Cobot 🙂) share: authenticity.

A strong way to show authenticity

The most important product that coworking spaces offer is their community, and a great way to attract more members is being authentic by taking a stand on social issues that are important to you. Of course, you may discourage someone from visiting your space if their views don’t align with yours, but the loyalty you will receive from the ones that do will far outweigh that. Also, do you really want someone in your community who doesn’t share your core values?

How to take a stand on social issues (4-step plan)

1. Rely on your core values and mission

The first step of expressing a social stand properly begins with one of the first steps of founding your space - defining its values and mission. If you haven’t already done that, there are many resources online on how to write good company values and missions. You might even be inspired by the core coworking values.

2. Express authentically

If you're going to make a statement, make it right. Don't bullshit your audience, mean what you say and be clear. It might go without saying, but you shouldn't use this opportunity to promote your business: this isn't the goal and there are better times for advertising.

3. Maintain dialogue

It is very important to listen to your community and maintain an open dialogue. If you change your mind on the matter or want to add something else, don't be afraid to communicate it. People will notice!

4. Offer action

It's great to communicate about a social issue, it's even better to find a way to help the people affected by it. Spend some time to think about how you as a person and a business owner can act on the position you support. This is also a great opportunity to involve your community!

Example:

I genuinely really like the message Cobot made during the BLM protests in 2020. This was long before I joined (or even knew about) the company, but this authenticity was one of the reasons I joined the team. (hey, another bonus, like-minded people want to work for you!)

That's it for this week! Thank you for reading and maybe I'll see some of you at Workspace Design Show 🇬🇧 later today. Send me an email or message on LinkedIn if you are here and want to meet.

The topic for next week is:

"How to create engaging social media videos?" 🎥

with Lenny Leiter from workish.berlin 🇩🇪

Reply to this email if you have any questions, disagree with something I said or have a suggestion for a collaboration/future topic. I'm always happy to stay in touch!

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See you next Wednesday and happy coworking! 🥳

Georgi from Cobot Coworking Software

Coworking Software

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