Promotion is not just about spreading awareness; it's about sparking interest and demonstrating relevance. By effectively communicating the objectives and benefits of your workspace, you can inspire individuals to become active participants, eager to contribute and collaborate.
In this guide, we explore proven techniques for promoting your workspace and driving membership growth. Whether you're a seasoned community manager or embarking on your first workspace these tips will help you attract, engage, and retain members, helping build a thriving community.
1. Use that list of emails.
Don’t be afraid to invite users to your workspace. If you have an office mailing list, people who have subscribed to a newsletter or recently attended a webinar, use that email and invite them. You will grow an interested and active community of participants by utilising your contact lists, invite users with any email domain to your workspace.
2. Promote your workspace.
Actively promote your workspace across other communications channels, e.g. a newsletter, staff intranet, events and email signatures.
Include clear instructions on how prospective members can join the workspace. These support articles show you how members can find and join and workspace and how managers can invite members:
Read our support centre article Finding and joining a Futures workspace
Read our support centre article Inviting new members to your Futures workspace
3. Communicate workspace objectives.
Communicate the objectives for your workspace in a way that clearly demonstrates to members how the workspace is useful and adds value to their work.
See our Top tips on launching a community on Futures.
4. Make your workspace the go to.
Make your workspace the single source of news, events and resources. If users are accessing the most up to date content and relevant discussions in forums then your workspace will grow organically as it will become so useful for your members,
Challenge the culture of traditional sharing channels such as email and set up a forum to reap the benefits of real time chat.
5. Launch early and iterate.
Launch your workspace as soon as possible rather than waiting for a ‘big bang’ launch. You could be helping people sooner, and this will enable you to establish a feedback loop with members early and help you to improve your workspace iteratively as users can give you improvements ot highlight an oversight.
6. Get buy-in from senior leaders.
Ensure senior leaders, influencers and high-profile peers are active on the workspace early, and visibly endorse it (in conversation, blogs or email signatures). This will increase recognition of the workspace among prospective members and let them know that it is the place to access what they need.
7. Create a buzz around your workspace.
In your comms describe what non-members are missing out on. Highlight success stories, what interesting discussions are taking place or best practise is being shared.
Avoid duplicating your content to attract members, instead encourage them to join the workspace and become a member to gain access to it.
8. Word of mouth.
Once you have some engaged members on your workspace, ask them to invite a colleague who isn’t using the workspace to join. Build your community through likeminded individuals increasing networking and collaboration
9. Spot gaps and action targeted membership drives.
Take an active approach to your membership by using platform reports to identify if there are gaps in your membership that you can reach with targeted comms.
Read our Support Centre articles Reporting Guides for Workspace Managers.