Riding the Marketing Roller Coaster of Cohub

Today, I took a moment to reflect on the roller coaster journey of marketing cohub. My initial confidence, bolstered by influencer marketing— quickly gave way to the realm of performance marketing on meta. Kudos to our summer interns for their brilliant ad creatives; the excitement was palpable.

The 4th of August marked a personal milestone. For the first time, I launched a performance marketing campaign. My anxiety was palpable, but thanks to Prem’s guidance, I navigated through. We were met with silence for the first two days post-launch. However, the magic soon began, and sign-ups trickled in. It felt surreal, almost like a flick-and-swish moment (shout out to my Potterheads!).

I was on cloud nine as applications surged. Yet, a challenge loomed large: converting these interested parties. The heart of cohub isn’t just a place to reside but a community experience. An opportunity to collaborate, upskill, and engage with like-minded founders and creators. Unfortunately, enthusiasm didn’t necessarily equate to sales.

We had a responsibility to curate cohub’s environment. We wanted a productive community, not one looking for Goa’s infamous party scene. One memorable interaction was rejecting an applicant and receiving a rather vivid emoji in response!

But come September, a pleasant surprise awaited. The folks we engaged in August started confirming bookings. Seeing the “payment fulfilled” notification was nothing short of exhilarating. But as the saying goes, what goes up must come down. The influx began tapering off by the month’s end, making me introspect on our marketing strategy.

It’s clear: diversification is the way forward. I’ve revamped our meta campaigns with Ankit’s guidance, and I’m eager to see if the changes yield results. I’ve also begun another round of influencer outreach, hoping to leverage their audiences. Platforms like Hostel World and Airbnb are now on our radar, with strategic messaging to attract the right crowd. Interestingly, a poster campaign in 91springboard (thanks to Varun, co-founder of both 91springboard and build3) in Bangalore yielded applications. I aim to replicate this success pan India.

Meta’s third-party agency offer is another avenue we’re considering. Their promise of refining and enhancing our campaigns sounds promising. Additionally, I plan to experiment with LinkedIn ads. The platform is teeming with our target audience.

On a side note, mentoring entrepreneurship students at Ashoka has been invigorating. The challenge? Marketing cohub to college students innovatively. Their enthusiasm is contagious, and I eagerly anticipate their ideas.

So, here I am, at another crossroads, ready to plunge into the next chapter. Stay tuned for updates on our ever-evolving marketing endeavors. Onwards and upwards!

(Written by Elton Coelho)

PS: To know more about cohub, please click here!