Back in 2015, my then-partner and I went on a 9-month journey around the world. We had planned our trip looking at gorgeous shots online and in magazines.
The Sunset over Luang Prabang in Laos was supposed to be a particularly romantic highlight of our adventure.
Instead, this is the shot we got… Not exactly what we expected.
What does this have to do with Coliving?
It has to do with managing expectations. When you know what you are getting yourself into it is much easier to handle change. Change that comes with exploring new countries and moving into new spaces with new people.
THE EGG OR CHICKEN DILEMMA OF COLIVING OWNERS: HOW TO TELL A STORY THAT HAS NOT BEEN WRITTEN YET?
The idea of an empty calendar as you start the season is terrifying.
Together with Word of Mouth, our websites and social media channels are pretty much the only way to convey what we are about and hopefully attract new curious community lovers. But when you are just starting, word of mouth is basically your words, coming out of your own mouth.
So do you tell a nice story, fill your space, and figure things out as they come, or do you tell the truth, nothing but the truth, and see who comes?
Of course, you know the answer, it is pretty much the same as for everything else in life: BALANCE.
I am not advocating to lie on your website. Never. But you need to tell a good story and choose your words wisely.
Pro tip 1: make spiders a fun fact.
Like any other business, your tone of voice is essential. Whether or not you decide that it should reflect your personality, it needs to be “on brand” to attract the people you are looking for.
We went for “authentic”. If I write for myself, I write the way I speak. And since we live on site and share the life of the colivers, it made sense to “be ourselves” on the webpage.
Living in an old Mill in Devon offers a lot of charming moments (watching the ducks playing in the pound while you’re showering, meditating to the sound of the water passing through the building…) as well as other “side effects” (it can be cold at times and you’ll find more than a few spiders sharing the space…) so you have to find a way to prepare people for that too.
By including our main “side effects” in the “What to take for Granted” list, we found a way to manage expectations without making a deal breaker out of it. Or at least we like to think so.
Pro tip 2: Humanize it
Beautiful pictures of empty spaces might work well for selling events and weddings as people can dream up their own setup.
When you are promoting coliving, it is definitely missing something.
The people, yes, but almost more importantly, the mess that people having fun together create: food, water bottles, feet, candles, books and Santa Claus hats on the tables.
Pro tip 3: Don’t write a book.
We say don’t judge a book by its cover. This does not really apply to websites. Very few people will read it all, and you’ll just get frustrated (“But it is on the website!!”). On your webpage, the idea is just to capture the attention and get a call booked or a form filled in. It is a business about humans, you’ve got to do the rest.
Pro tip 4: Include before arrival
Joining a group and a space is always a bit daunting, regardless of how excited you may be.
Booking a coliving space should not just be a transaction but the start of your journey.
Have emails sent out at different intervals before arrival, encourage people to join the chat a few days before to get their bearings, and share more information about the practicalities and what to bring so that when they arrive, you can focus on the “emotional” onboarding.
We use a combination of Wix Workflow, Notion board, and Slack and we’ve received really nice feedback on how people felt included before even being on site.
Those are “a must” but that does not mean you’ll be immune to the emotional chaos that running a coliving can be.
SEASON 1: CRYING IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM
Expectations are always on my mind. I hate to disappoint. I would usually be the kind who over-promises and over-delivers any chance I get, putting myself in ridiculous situations along the way.
But when we opened the coliving in 2023, exactly 3 days after moving in, we had no choice. We had to bring people in and figure things out at the same time.
It was very scary, but “crippling anxiety” is not the vibe we decided to go for for our marketing. Instead, Anton whipped together a gorgeous home page and I created the copy. I put a lot of love and care into crafting the story of our season of coliving.
I knew that trying to convince people to spend the winter in the British countryside when everyone around us and their grandmothers was moving to Portugal was going to be a challenge.
I allowed myself to dream up what it could be but tried my best to be clear that we were going to be different from other Digital Nomad destinations (We do not have a community Manager for example).
I think in the end, it all went well. People had a lovely time and we are still in touch with most of them. Some even came back this year! (Hi
!) But for me, behind the scenes, it was some of the roughest few months of the past few years. I constantly felt like I was disappointing.We had yet to fully figure out a lot of things. We needed more blankets, more pans, we didn’t know the businesses around, we were not sure about so many things and so many of my responses started with: I’ll get back to you on that, let me check.
I found myself hiding in the laundry room to breathe (and cry) more times than I dared to admit.
Maybe the expectations I had to manage were mine more than theirs after all…
SEASON 2: UPDATING THE WEBSITE
We started season 2 in December 2023 with much more confidence.
It was not always easy, but as we are coming into mid-March 2024, I can proudly say I haven’t cried in the laundry room yet!
It was not perfect, we had a lot of feedback, positive (thank Gods) and constructive.
And we realized that most of the small challenges and discomfort could be solved or eased through expectations management. Everything we learned this season, we have made a note of on our webpage or onboarding process.
The correct bus stop was a great learning. It took one of our coliver having a negative experience (getting off at the advised stop and having to walk way longer than expected) to take the matter into her own hands and let us know what should be the correct direction on our onboarding document.
SEASON 3: THE FEEDBACK BUFFET
Season 3 will not be perfect. There will always be feedback. What I am learning is that you’ll take some, you’ll leave some.
You can never please everyone 100% and nor should you.
As long as you genuinely listen you’re already fulfilling expectations.
After all, most people, myself included, just want to be heard… or read.
Thanks for reading!
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