Is Clubhouse the New Site to Disrupt Social Media Marketing?
When it comes to social media marketing, the platforms that usually come to mind are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and maybe a few more names. You would choose these for the large audience base it hosts.
But what if you got the chance to market exclusively to a crowd that was interested in the type of market you operate in? Whether you have an in-house marketing team or hire lead generation service companies, the ability to target in such a granular manner would completely change the way you market and the efficiency you can achieve.
That is precisely what Clubhouse offers. Clubhouse is a new social media site on the block that has the potential to completely change the way people socially network on digital platforms. But this is not the unique feature that sets Clubhouse apart from the rest.
The USP of Clubhouse lies in the fact that it is a social networking site that relies entirely on the digital audio medium for communication. You might wonder how that is special in any way. After all, podcasts have been around for years. Moreover, Clubhouse has no provision for recorded audio. The entire site runs on live speeches and discussions, much like an actual club.
So, Why Leverage Digital Audio Content?
In the last few years, the demand for multimedia content has increased by leaps and bounds. The average amount of time spent by smartphone users on apps, especially social media, to consume audio content is high at 2 hours 55 minutes. The advantage of audio media over other multimedia like images or video is that you do not need to have your eyes glued to the device screen to enjoy the content.
You can multitask, turning on the audio content on your headphones or over a speaker and utilizing the time to get chores done, as 50% of users do. Marketers are identifying this superior characteristic of audio content and steadily giving it a more prominent role in their digital marketing campaigns. In fact, 38% of marketers are investing more in it.
So, How Clubhouse Works?
Clubhouse was started in March 2020, under the name of Alpha Exploration Co. by Paul Davison and Rohan Seth, both of whom were previously associated with Google. Within a year, it received a $12 million investment by Andreessen Horowitz.
It was started as a highly exclusive site with high-profile users and celebrities only. But eventually, the membership was expanded to anyone who could get an invite. Even now, you can join Clubhouse via invite-only.
Clubhouse is what you get when you combine Reddit with Facebook Live and remove the visual element from it. It consists of rooms, which are like virtual chatrooms with a niche theme for all discussions within it. Rooms are started by a person who becomes the moderator and can be joined by anyone who wishes to participate in the discussion.
A moderator will choose who gets the “stage” to talk. If a moderator does not choose you, you will not be able to contribute to the discussion. A moderator would also be able to choose another moderator. Contributing to the discussion means talking live to the entire audience in the room. Ongoing rooms are visible in the “hallway” which is like the feed of the app. The calendar shows scheduled rooms.
There are also clubs, which are groups or communities created in the app. You can start a club only after starting three rooms at least. Club founders and admins can host both public rooms, open to anyone, and private rooms, open to club members only. Club members can only start a private room.
Clubs also have followers who can join its public rooms only. You can search for rooms, app members, and clubs using search keywords. Clubhouse users get two invites each, which can increase with your activity on the app. You can also connect your Instagram and Twitter to your Clubhouse account.
Pros And Cons Of Clubhouse
The idea of Clubhouse is quite revolutionary and disruptive in the world of social media. Nothing exactly like this has been done before.
As a marketing platform, it has many advantages like:
- The connectivity of Clubhouse is its major pro. A person from a remote corner of the world could be listening to someone like Mark Zuckerberg or Tiffany Haddish and actually participating in a discussion with them.
- The followers you gain are always people interested in your niche. This makes finding prospects and potential partners and investors easier so even lead generation service companies do not have to employ advanced tools and immense effort to gather leads.
- The exclusivity of Clubhouse guarantees that you do not end up with scammers, trolls, or faceless names as leads, which is always a headache for the lead generation service companies as well as their clients alike.
- You do not have to invest much for advertising here – no need for fancy cameras, lights, or sets, no costly actors and directors, none of that schtick. All you need is your voice and something worthwhile to say that can add value to the lives of your audience.
- The linking of Instagram and Twitter and the ability to run in the background without turning off or getting exited from a room means followers are gained easily and fast. This makes the app a winner when building meaningful and fruitful business connections.
- The level of engagement and influence is much higher because of the live connection and interaction, which encourages authenticity and trust. Grant Cardone is said to have offered to invest in someone’s idea in a room.
- Because the nature of activity on the app is live and dynamic, it is far more empowering and effective.
- Due to the live nature, the “fear of missing out” or FOMO psychology drives a more engaging public.
- Clubhouse is perfect for lead generation service companies to crowdsource and test out ideas, get feedback, or brainstorm with interested people without spending a dime.
- The nature of rooms, where only a single topic can be discussed, makes these digital conferences more productive.
- The app is built around the idea of thought leadership instead of product advertisement.
On the other hand, Clubhouse has some drawbacks too, like:
- The yet-exclusive nature of the app and availability only for iOS means that it does not have the reach of sites like Facebook or YouTube.
- It also means that if a brand has a huge customer base,companies would find it hard to accommodate everyone in a room, which can be polarizing.
- Every discussion is live, so there is no place for editing, polishing, or corrections.
- A strong Internet connection is a must, especially for the speaker.
- The temporary nature of the content makes it difficult to consume the content later.
And, How You Can Utilize Clubhouse For Better Marketing?
Like any social media site, these are areas that you can tweak for better marketing strategy:
- Your profile picture, bio, and username should be informative and highly unique, appropriately representative of your brand.
- Join rooms and follow people in your niche like your life depends on it.
- Participate in discussions actively to catch people’s attention.
- Stay active on the site – create rooms, found clubs, talk in rooms, etc.
To Conclude,
As one of the premier lead generation service companies out there, we feel it is our responsibility to inform you of every platform you can use to promote your brand and conduct your marketing. Clubhouse, in our opinion, can help you reach that goal.