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How OneCoWork grows their community with Typeform + Mailchimp

Starting with a great first impression, and continuing with personalized emails to build relationships that last.

In a nutshell

  • ChallengeHow can a coworking company grow its community enough to fill their new space?
  • SolutionA lead capture typeform on an iPad at a local event, integrated with Mailchimp.
  • ResultA segmented email list, personalized email flows with up to 80% open rate, tours of the space, new members.

Watch the video for an overview, get the full story below.


WhyCoWork?

Here’s a question: why do people use coworking spaces instead of their mom’s basement for free?

Well, they have better coffee and nicer sofas. That draws a lot of people in. But if you really wanted to, you could go to Ikea and ask your mom to start buying Lavazza.

The real reason people stick around coworking spaces is less material: to be part of a community.

For OneCoWork, both design and community are key. Its beautiful office spaces are home to swashbuckling freelancers, grown-up corporates, and everything in between.

And so far, they pretty much filled themselves. Who wouldn’t want to work here:

But with their third and largest space about to open—and plans to expand their network across Europe and beyond—their community needed a boost in growth. That’s why they hired marketer Ray Slater Berry, who’s now wearing more hats than a Pharrell Williams video.

My first few weeks at OneCoWork were intense. But constantly moving and adapting for the greater good is what I love about start-ups.
Ray Slater Berry, OneCoWork

Ray’s first job was simple: grow OneCoWork’s community enough to fill the new space.

Here’s how he did it.

New to lead gen? Kickstart your contact list with our ultimate guide to lead generation.

A good day at the office

Four Years From Now (4YFN) is a Barcelona-based tech conference full of exciting new startups—exactly the kind of people who might be interested in becoming OneCoWorkers.

So Ray and his colleagues set up a mini coworking space in the heart of the venue to show people what they’re all about:

OneCoWork prides itself on two things: design and community. We’re bringing joy to the working world, and we wanted to show this to people working in Barcelona.
Ray Slater Berry, OneCoWork

They figured if they embodied their brand, the right people would find them. That way, they’d end up with a shortlist of interested people rather than a stack of cold leads.

So how do you embody a brand?

OneCoWork designed its mini coworking space using its own custom made furniture—the same stuff you’ll find in all their spaces. They served free, high quality coffee as a conversation starter.

And if someone was interested in joining the OneCoWork community? They filled in this custom designed typeform:

Here’s why Ray chose Typeform:

I’m drawn to brands that want to humanize things—Typeform feels a lot more fluid and intuitive than other forms. I knew I wouldn’t have to interrupt conversations to help people navigate the form.
Ray Slater Berry, OneCoWork

This made an ideal first impression on conference goers. Ray ended up with a list of people with a keen interest in booking their place at the new space. Exactly what he needed.

But to build a community, Ray had to make that first impression last.

Typeform + Mailchimp

Ray used the Typeform-Mailchimp integration to automatically send the info he collected straight to Mailchimp.

The typeform asked people about the size of their company, whether they wanted a personal desk, hot desk, or private office, and their email address. Then each person was placed in a different Mailchimp audience based on their answers.

And when you’re wearing as many hats as Ray, a little automation goes a long way.

I’d used Typeform in the past and it was great. And when I found out that OneCoWork already used Mailchimp, it was a perfect fit. All the info automatically appeared in Mailchimp, no coding needed.
Ray Slater Berry, OneCoWork

By segmenting his audience, Ray could tweak the messaging of OneCoWork’s emails in Mailchimp. Personalizing their email marketing lets OneCoWork speak to people based on their interests—and turns conference acquaintances into brand ambassadors.

From that first touch point through all of the content we delivered, we had a positive affect on someone’s day. So whether someone becomes a OneCoWork member or not, they still have a really positive brand affinity with us.
Ray Slater Berry, OneCoWork

The result? Incredibly high email click-through rates between 50 and 80 percent. And a bunch of people booking tours of the new space, with some becoming members.

Not bad for three days’ work at a conference.


How did OneCoWork do it?

1. Mailchimp integration

OneCoWork’s typeform automatically sent both email addresses and multiple choice answers to Mailchimp, creating segmented audiences. Learn how to hook this up here.

2. Welcome screen

Whether it’s at their reception or on a form, ‘hello’s are important at OneCoWork. So they created a welcome screen for their form with custom copy on the start button. For info on how to do this, click here.

3. Custom design

Ray designed the typeform to match OneCoWork’s brand colors and aesthetic, so it fit seamlessly with their mini coworking setup. Find out how to do this yourself here.

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