With more than one million people working out of coworking spaces in 2017, digital nomads, freelancers, and entrepreneurs from all over the world are singing the praises of a work life without a fixed location.
For those who only need a comfortable space with internet and power in order to get their work done, coworking offers numerous advantages: no lease, flexible access, travel opportunities, and endless coffee to boot. But can coworking actually give your digital business an edge?
As a digital nomad, chances are the traditional office life was never your thing. If you dread the idea of formal networking events filled with name tags, business cards, and elevator pitches, you are certainly not alone. But even if you hate networking, there is no denying its importance for building brand awareness and connections.
Lucky for those who work out of coworking spaces, networking is built into your day-to-day work life and offers many casual and authentic opportunities to connect with other professionals. Simply chatting with your neighbors can lead to collaborations, new clients, and word-of-mouth momentum. Plus, these conversations are friendlier and more authentic than formal networking events.
And if you're one of those networking stars who can really rock a formal networking event, most coworking spaces offer a calendar packed with meet-and-greets.
Despite significant evidence of the importance of content marketing, too many small or new companies tend to regard an active blog and social media presence as an afterthought.
Coworking spaces, however, offer an environment that can make it easy to fill up your content calendar. The busy people and productive atmosphere around you can serve as a theme and backdrop for your social media. The onsite workshop or speaking event you just attended could be a great topic to blog about. Perhaps that freelance writer who works at the desk across from you would make a great regular contributor to your company blog. And maybe you can swap guest posts with someone who works in an adjacent field.
Your coworking peers can be a great springboard for getting your first few hundred emailing list subscribers or Instagram followers. Since you work out of the same space and interact regularly, these folks will automatically have more interest in your company than they otherwise would. This means the ice is already broken when it comes to sharing company news and content.
Many coworking spaces even offer a member directory, where you can easily connect with your peers' social accounts and get follows back. And if you've purchased branded marketing collateral like stickers, pens, t-shirts, etc., you have a convenient group of professionals to hand these out to.
Though today it's possible to handle most aspects of running a business from the cloud, the fact remains that having a physical business address is an asset in terms of legitimacy and practicality. Many coworking spaces recognize this, and offer you a postal address as part of your membership.
Aside from having a legitimate place to meet with clients that isn't your kitchen table or a neighborhood Starbucks, a commercial address tied to your coworking space can make you eligible for many important marketing platforms.
You need a commercial address for Google Maps, to claim your Yelp page, to participate in Foursquare, and be recognized as a geo-tag on social media. This address will also be incredibly important if your SEO strategy includes directories.
Joe Robison is the Marketing Director of Coastal Creative, a San Diego-based reprographics company that works on a wide variety of design and large format printing projects. Due to the digital nature of his work, he spends a great deal of time working out of coworking spaces.