5 Free & Low-Budget Ways To Market Your Virtual Office and Mailbox
Give your virtual office a boost with these marketing tips and tricks.
- By Stephanie from PilotoMail
- June 21, 2022
In a small business, the budget can be tight, resources limited, and time is money. Promoting your virtual office and virtual mailbox offering can seem a bit of a challenge.
We promise it doesn’t have to be. There are plenty of ways to market your space without spending any or much money. These strategies can be 100% free and don’t require a ton of resources or time.
The key? Think digital. Create a digital footprint and keep it up to date. Make sure your business has an online presence and is searchable. How else will people know about you? Get yourself out there.
5 Low-Budget Ways to Market Your Virtual Office and Mailbox
1. Blog
Create a blog on your website and keep it up to date with relevant information for potential customers. Take some time to find out what content your readers (target audience) want to discover and consume. Write articles that include relevant keywords that customers will be searching for in your area.
Best places to grab a quick lunch with coworkers in your city? We’re reading that. Why a virtual mailbox is better than a P.O. box? Tell me more. An overview of the entrepreneurship ecosystem in your area? Bookmarked.
Why is it important? By using relevant keywords, you are optimizing your web pages and blog content to boost your website’s SEO (Search Engine Optimization). It positions your website as a relevant answer to your customers’ questions. Blogs in particular can offer better and more creative opportunities to rank in search engines.
Get creative. Just make sure to include those keywords and an attractive call to action to lead your reader to the next step.
Free*ish* SEO tools:
- SEM Rush (Free Trial)
- Google Analytics
- Wordstream
- Wordtracker
- SEO Analyzer by Neil Patel
2. Be Regularly Active on Social Media
Keeping a social media presence and making sure it fits your brand style is another way to stay relevant online. Posting content regularly will keep your readers’ attention piqued and when potential customers are doing their research, you look like the place to be.
As a coworking space, you are not selling a product that people consume daily (like food) or buy on a whim. Two posts a week are doable. You could use social media to share those blog articles you’ve been working on!
We usually recommend having a professional photographer on retainer or hiring a content creator. They will help you show off your brand and produce high-quality content.
3. Listings
As a business owner, you want website visitors, and lots of them. Listing your coworking space in relevant directories and platforms helps your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and potential customers find you.
There is a range of platforms available to sign up your space. Sites like Google let you simply list your website and contact information. But, the coworking and events industry has games too. Integrated website services are becoming increasingly popular with users and offer benefits for operators too.
- Listing Platforms: There are dozens of online brokers available to advertise your space. Some are free to use and save time for consumers looking for a business address or office space. The most well-known sites dedicated to Flex spaces are Coworker, Instant Offices, Deskpass, LiquidSpace, Alliance, and Preferred Office Network (PON).
Generic Listing Pages such as Google Maps / My Business: After you claim your business profile, complete every section of your Google My Business account: add your business hours, contact information, website, primary and second category, up-to-date photos, company description, and frequently asked questions. Better yet, make sure to answer questions promptly, collect and respond to reviews, and set up messaging. You can even add your memberships and services. Consumers can then book tours of your space, visit your website, call you for additional information, etc. “But…why?” you ask. “They can just search my website for the information.” Customers can get the information directly from Google’s results pages without clicking websites. As more of your potential members or mailbox renters are interacting with businesses through Google than your website, you’ll want that profile to be optimized for quality engagement and conversions. As you optimize your listing, Google will rank you higher in local search results.
Coworking Networks: We would also recommend joining community networks of coworking spaces, such as Global Coworking Unconference Community (GCUC) and Global Workspace Association (GWA), to get brand exposure and connect with coworking spaces around the world that could refer you customers.
4. Launch a Referral Program
Consumers trust recommendations from colleagues, friends, and family more than any other source of information. When they are looking for a specific product or service, they will most likely reach out to those close to them before investigating on their own. It’s the magic of word of mouth.
For coworking spaces, referral programs can be a great perk to offer your existing customers.
With a referral program, a coworking space can reward existing members when they share your memberships and services with others, and become members. In exchange, you can offer existing members incentives such as a gift card, discounts on their monthly membership, credits such as additional day passes or conference room hours, and even swag.
It’s a great way to attract new high-quality members at a low cost.
5. Open Your Doors For Free Community Events
Another way to get people to visit your space is to invite your members, non-profit organizations, and even small businesses to host events that are open to the public and free of charge. Tech meetups, hackathons, and business organizations can bring in potential customers and help your space transform into a hub for the community.
You could also elevate these partnerships in exchange for exposure to your brand. Negotiate to have your space included in social media content and event flyers. As host, offer a quick introduction to your space and give a warm welcome before the show starts. It creates brand recognition and is a great way to make visitors aware of your space as more than a venue.
About PilotoMail
PilotoMail is a mail management platform powering mailroom automation and virtual mailboxes for the remote workforce. By giving mailrooms a digital-first makeover, mail operators can deliver outstanding services all while managing large volumes of mail efficiently, complying with all postal regulations easily, and increasing revenue effortlessly.