Been wanting to open a coworking space for a number of years and we recently moved to a larger retail/office space and we have room to test out the idea.<p>We opened a few weeks ago and have just started to ramp up on promotion. I was wondering if anyone else out there had any success in promoting a coworking space outside of a major city where there is little to no tech culture and quite a smaller population.<p>What marketing/promotion strategies do you find helped, didn't work, etc. We bootstrapped this project but have a little capitol to invest if there is a potential for solid return. For reference, you can check out http://cowerking.com
I helped to launch a co-working space in a community of 12,000 in the Sierra Foothills. (Although I can't claim any credit at all for its current implementation. :-) You can check it out at <a href="http://sierracommons.org/" rel="nofollow">http://sierracommons.org/</a><p>Contact Robert Trent there at (530) 265-8443, tell him Rob thought he might be willing to talk to you. If you can get him to slow down for a few minutes, he'd probably be very willing to tell you all about what he's done.<p>In short, they've managed to take a run-down space above a restaurant, and turn it into a beautiful co-working space. I think they managed to fill every available desk within the first couple of months, despite being (IMO) way pricey. They've done a lot of it through grants, so definitely ask him about that.<p>If you'd like to know anything else about the project and can't get ahold of him, feel free to drop me an email -- address is in my profile.<p>EDIT: Just to be clear, all I did was start a "solopreneur" group in the area, and shortly afterward, start pitching the idea of a co-working space. Eventually, I met Robert Trent, who had some extra office space and graciously opened it up to anyone who wanted to give it a shot. He and I debated different models for a co-working space. I disagreed with some of what he wanted to do, and eventually lost interest. He took the project the rest of the way and ran with it, and has done a truly amazing job of pulling it all together. It's still not what I had originally imagined, but he's the one that actually made it happen, and it's certainly successful. So, all props to him.
Ok, as someone who rotates amongst coworking spaces quite a bit, I agree with people saying that your daily drop-in rates are too expensive. First and foremost, you need to build a community. You need a <i>lot of people</i> to be doing daily drop-ins and then aim that some will convert to being monthlies. So, the daily drop-ins should be something like "you can come in 7 times for free, and then pay $5 or $10 / day". You essentially want people to compete for the free seating.<p>$325 is very reasonable if you get a desk, a locker to keep your stuff, and a key for 24/7 access. If you think that you can charge $325/month and yet have people be there just Mon - Fri 9 - 5, you are <i>absolutely</i> delusional - that's just too expensive for not that much benefit.<p>Look at <a href="http://citizenspace.us/" rel="nofollow">http://citizenspace.us/</a> for an idea of what it should be like.
Maybe you can enlighten me about what I'm getting here? It's $20/day if I want to drop in and work? What are you offering me that a coffee shop or bar does not?<p>Or the $325/mo? But I don't even get to keep my stuff there?<p>Do I get access to a conference room or a receptionist or something like that?
Drop the price for a single day to 5 or 10. Encourage free try-outs. Offer to hold Meetup events there for free, and find some of your own guys to do the first few ones on topics that will draw local groups. Contact people who run local meetups and offer the space to them. That's how I ended up at hackerdojo.com.
9-5 seems a bit rigid to me. I can spend all day at Borders or Starbucks, and it would only cost me zero dollars . Better yet, I can just stay home and avoid the hassles of having to pack up every night.
On top of that the Asbury Park location in itself is plenty of reason not to want to go in the first place.<p>If you are going to provide a co-working space, find some value for your clients.<p>One more thing..would you pay $20 per day to go use some space in Asbury Park? the answer would be a resounding NO for most people, so you simply have to come up with something other than just the space to attract people.<p>For people unfamiliar with NJ, Asbury Park has a reputation for being a "high crime area" , whether its deserved or not, I have no idea. The actual situation may also have changed, but for me and a lot of other people, Asbury Park would not be number one on the list of places I want to go and hang out.
Having worked for a coworking company for a long time, I can't emphasize how beneficial craigslist is. Obvious I know, but a HUGE percentage of clients came from there and you can't beat the price. Post often (3-4 times a day), as real estate ads get buried quickly.
Sounds difficult if there are not lots of home based entrepreneurs and home office workers in your area. Do you have any idea about that? Any stats?<p>Here are a couple of links that might give you some ideas:
<a href="http://webworkerdaily.com/2009/04/14/coworking-in-rural-places/" rel="nofollow">http://webworkerdaily.com/2009/04/14/coworking-in-rural-plac...</a>
<a href="http://www.mail-archive.com/coworking@googlegroups.com/msg05810.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.mail-archive.com/coworking@googlegroups.com/msg05...</a><p>This is an interesting area to me. I have been toying with the idea of opening a co-working place myself. Let me know if you want to talk. Contact at <a href="http://en.origoterra.com" rel="nofollow">http://en.origoterra.com</a>
Dan
This is really awesome feedback. Thank you for all the constructive criticisms - we're actually going to be modifying things a bit based on everyone's suggestions. Just a heads up - our pricing scheme is based on what the local market is getting for office space/etc. A typical office space in town typically goes in the $600-$700/mo range (not including utils, internet, etc) so at $325 we are hoping there is enough of a demand...
Maybe you could profit from the apparent weakness of the location? Target small-time entrepreneurs and try to connect them with the more tech- or finance-savvy crowd. People setting up web shops. Small-time contractors getting all the accountants and call services they need.