Re: Finding new coworkers

[Shenoa Lawrence]

Something that's been successful for us is direct invitations. We also do some of the programs you mention, but also incorporate reaching out to people in a specific way.  Being proactive and sending messages from person to person is where we see the most successes.  I think it also sets the stage for later friendships/partnerships within our group. We're still fairly new and experimenting with what works, but so far this has been very helpful.

Keep in mind that you are building something that people WANT to be a part of. Talk about how it's the biggest and most exciting thing that's happening in your town. We're mid-sized, and I do honestly think that there's nothing as innovative as what we're building. I'm willing to bet it's the same in your town. Talk big, think big, dream big!

Shenoa Lawrence
Room to Think
http://rm2think.com

[Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking]

There are a lot of previous posts on this subject that I would recommend checking out. Just search 'getting members' and you'll find several previous discussions and good discussions.

The most important part is to clearly describe what coworking is, to encourage your current members of the community to do things together at tech meetups/networking events/lunch-ins etc., open your space up to the community for Meetups and similar events. Your space looks beautiful and the more exposure it can get the better. While they are in there you need to lift the message higher and talk community and coworking principals.

There is a good chance that worry about SEO shouldn't be to high of a priority because people in your area aren't searching for shared office space or coworking too much because they don't even know that it exists (coworking is still new in most areas). You need to be out there publicly talking about it and sharing the vision of coworkers throughout the world. When you don't have many members yet it is important to talk about the ideas behind coworking to drive interest. You can't just talk about the physical amenities because in small towns people generally have bigger homes and a comfortable home office - the message is the community, the ideas of a support system, separate work/life balance.

Make sure you are doing the basics:

Flyers in the coffee shops. Somewhat effective, but easy to do.

Craigslist. Surprisingly effective in Denver and Toronto

Open the space to Meetups

Invite the local media

Offer Free Trials. Some places do one days, other do five days.

Ask members to write a testimonials

Facebooks ads to adjacent interest. You will need to put your marketing research cap on but target people that may be future coworkers but don't know about coworking yet. I.e. Freelancers, graphic designers, work for IBM (when IBM doesn't have a campus nearby)

I know it can be really tricky starting a coworking space, especially after a year when you only have a few members. I helped open a space up in Toronto after just moving there and not having a network of people. After 4 months we only had 9 members or so and that is in a big city. It may also be that a town cant support a large coworking space yet because it is a young and growing movement. 

For your situation, I would talk to guys at Durango, CO space because they are in a small town of 18,000 and might be able to offer more specific advice.

Good luck.

Craig