Now is not the time to relax your content and community outreach.
Now is the time to lean into your story, your purpose and your community.
Resist the temptation to isolate and create some content instead.
Tell your stories and share your vision.
Here are 13 content ideas to keep your members engaged during the pandemic.
1. Updates
Don’t make your members wonder what is going on with you, the space, their membership, their mail etc. Communicate clearly and regularly with them.
2. Vision
Where do we go from here? No one knows for sure, but now is a great time to share your vision for where you’d like to take your space and community. Let people in on your big picture and involve them in making it happen.
3. Community Spotlight
I’m seeing a lot of initiatives being created to support local businesses everywhere, connect people, and innovate solutions to some of our most pressing problems and challenges. Who is doing amazing work in your community? Shine a light on them to help amplify their story and increase their impact.
4. Recaps
Are you hosting virtual events, happy hours, lunch and learns, workshops, info sessions and worksprints? Some people in your extended community aren’t familiar with these things. Now is an excellent time to position your space and community as a resource and hub for your local entrepreneurs, freelancers and remote workers.
By providing a recap of your virtual events, you give people a sneak peek into your community and help them see themselves in it.
ProTip: Remember to add a call to action inviting people to join your virtual community and events.
5. Photo Essays
Do you have photos from your coworking space, parties, off-sites, in-house events, and members? Put together some photo essays to help your community connect, remember, celebrate and look forward to the time we’re all hanging out and coworking again. Ask your members to contribute their best photos, as well.
6. Resources
Providing resources to your members is a powerful thing you can do right now with your content. There are unknowns, a lot of confusion, and a firehose of information. If you can distill the firehose into resources that are directly relevant to your members and local community, you can further establish your space as a support and information hub.
7. Virtual Ideas for Your Members’ Business
Now that everyone is going virtual, help your members create some offerings for their clients, customers and colleagues. Virtual products and events can include client calls, trainings, workshops, downloadables, courses, coaching sessions and more.
8. Video Updates
I miss people, you miss people, your members miss people. This situation is far from ideal for those of us who need human connection. If you have Zoom overload, but still want to connect with your members in a video format, consider creating some video updates for them. Whether an informal and short-lived Instagram Story or something edited and polished for YouTube, video can be human, real and engaging.
9. Members at Home
What are your members doing at home? How are they spending their days? Ask them to create short videos, or answer a handful of questions, that you can then share through your channels. This user generated content (UGC) is a great way to keep them engaged, help people feel less alone, and create good content quickly and easily.
10. Member Guest Posts
Building on the UGC strategy, ask a few members to write a guest post about their experience. They can share tips, stories, resources, ideas etc. It can be playful or serious—whatever is right for your community and market.
11. Solicit Ideas for When You Open
Now that I’ve all slowed down quite a bit, my priorities and needs are becoming pretty clear. The things I’m looking forward to include hugging friends, walking around downtown, sharing a meal, traveling and coworking with my mates. Ask your members what they’d like to do in your space once you open back up. You may get some unexpected responses.
12. Virtual Celebrations
Can you celebrate your members’ birthdays, anniversaries, launches and closures virtually? Of course you can. In the last week, I’ve been to a virtual birthday party, done some virtual deer watching, been to several happy hours, attended virtual concerts and DJ dance parties and more. Get creative and let the celebrations continue.
13. Spotify Playlists
I’m leaning pretty heavily on music these days. I use it to calm down, refocus, lift my spirits and get my body moving. If music is an important part of your space, consider making some collaborative playlists with and for your members. I’ve created a handful of these for different communities and family members and they’re generally well-received.
Your Turn
What should I add to this list? What’s your best suggestion for some pandemic content for coworking spaces? Let me know in the comments below.