The pandemic has changed expectations when it comes to what people crave from a digital experience, including the way we consume emails. However, the basic concept behind email marketing is to send the right message to the right people at the right time. How do we accomplish this as coworking space operators? Start by taking a look at these three key areas within your email marketing strategy to see if they can help boost your efforts.
Email marketing as a retention tool
Your coworking space newsletter is a superior marketing tool. With the right strategy, newsletters can be a powerful retention tool that communicates the uniqueness of your brand, delivers value, and promotes engagement amongst your members. It can ultimately lead to new members as well! Newsletters packed with relevant and engaging content will hold the attention of your readers. Not sure what to put in your newsletter? Consider your member events as a great starting point. As a coworking space operators, events should be a consistent part of your operation and you can build your newsletter around them, because:
- It creates a stream of fresh content (event announcements, updates, reminders, recaps).
- People will share it. They don’t like going to events alone, and they like being the one in ‘the know’.
- It shows that your space is where the local business community gathers and engages.
- It creates new imagery for your newsletter. You can only show photos of your space so often.
- It attracts potential speakers and other programming opportunities.
- Include events of other organizations in your ecosystem, including other coworking spaces. It creates goodwill, whether or not the other organizations reciprocate. It positions you as the go-to source of what’s happening in your business community.
Bonus Tips:
- Include a call to action (CTA) for every event. Be creative with RSVP/Register links: “Save My Seat,” “Count Me In,” etc.
- Be selective when including other organizations’ events. Curate quality over quantity.
- Don’t forget to also promote your space, memberships, services, etc. Your newsletter is still a sales & marketing tool.
Email marketing as an acquisition tool
As a marketing channel, emails are still a very effective way to connect with your sales leads, particularly when it comes to inbound email marketing strategies. These are leads in your database that have already opted-in and expressed an interest in your space, so you want to treat these warm leads with the utmost care. Kim Seipel, Marketing Manager for Pacific Workplaces and CloudVO offers these tips:
- Plan your email marketing campaigns in advance. Include your email campaigns as part of your content calendar. This way you can time your sales emails in unison with any press releases or special offer announcements.
- Leverage your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool or your email marketing platform to create segmented lists. Then leverage these segments to create content that is specific for each group instead of sending the same message to everyone. For instance, if you are running a promotion for Dedicated Desks, segment your leads to those who showed an interest in full-time/dedicated workspace. Relevant and timely emails increases your open rates which leads to higher chances of conversion.
- Keep the entire customer journey in mind. Seamless user journeys are a must as users expect to be treated like a valued customer from the outset. This means having a clear call-to-action (CTA) so the user knows what to do next (i.e. Get Offer, Buy Now, etc.). Once the user clicks that ‘Get Offer’ button, make sure the checkout process is easy and intuitive. Pro tip: Ensure the offer matches the content of your email – no clickbait! For instance, if your email offers a free Coworking Day Pass, don’t send the user to a page where they have to purchase something else at full price in order to receive the free day pass. Don’t be sneaky – it won’t serve you.
Authentic personalization
Personalization is not necessarily a new concept when it comes to email marketing, but people are seeking more personal connections post Covid so we encourage you to approach your emails with your authentic voice in mind. Whether it’s a sales email or your newsletter, consumers and members are looking for a more personal connection with brands. To hyper-personalize your campaigns, you need to combine the power of data, analytics, and automation. Email marketing tools like Mailchimp and Constant Contact allow you to segment your lists, set-up workflows and run reports on every campaign to see where adjustments can be made. The more you know about your recipient, the better your campaigns will be. Having a unique voice that is tuned into the needs of your community and potential new members will pay off in the long term.
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