You may have heard whispers of Clubhouse, maybe you have seen me talking about it. Or, perhaps you are on it yourself, and are not quite sure how to use it to better your business.
Well, that's what this blog is all about! Today, I'm diving into the what and why of all things clubhouse.
WHAT IS CLUBHOUSE?
This is a good place to start. Clubhouse is a relatively new (voice only) social media platform. At this stage Clubhouse is in beta testing and is available via invite only and for apple users. Word on the street is that it will be available for android users come March, however if you do not have an iphone the app can be accessed via an iPad.
To continue setting the scene, word is that Clubhouse currently has 2 million users globally (this number has doubled in the month of January - up from 1 million in December). In the context of other big hitters facebook has over 2 billion and instagram over 1 billion).
In terms of user experience, you can start a conversation aka a room on a topic of your choice, invite your contacts to attend and then start talking, or equally participate in other moderated rooms.
There are three layers to a room:
The stage: This begins with the moderators (each moderator will sport a green star), this layer will also include other speakers. When you are up on "stage" you are able to come off mute and actively contribute to the conversation.
Followed by others: This is the first tier of "the audience". Essentially this group is what the name suggests, they are people who are followed by someone up on stage, this includes both speakers and moderators.
Others in the room: Is the next tier of "the audience" as is essentially everyone else listening in to the conversation.
Sounds daunting. I assure you it isn't.
WHY JOIN CLUBHOUSE
There are so many reasons to get on board. But I thought I would share some of my key insights now that I'm two weeks into being a member.
Relationship building
Clubhouse is an incredible platform for going deep with relationships. Hearing tone, conversing live - there's nowhere to hide and it gives you a strong sense of the person you are talking to.
Clubhouse fast tracks KNOW | LIKE | TRUST far beyond any other social media platform available today.
I'm enjoying building relationships with industry peers, my ideal clients as well as thought leaders I would never normally have access to.
Community building
If you are wanting to establish yourself as the go-to expert in your field then Clubhouse is an incredible place to build a community. It's relatively easy to build an audience compared to other social media platforms. You simply need to show up, be authentically you and add value to conversations.
N.B. It's easy to see those that are only out to push their own agenda, so my tip here is to contribute to the conversation both as a learner and as an authority. In the same way you would in real life.
Authority building
This works in a number of ways, hosting rooms, being a guest moderator and jumping up on to the stage. Clubhouse is an incredible platform to showcase your knowledge and expertise. As more of your followers on IG or LinkedIn move across to Clubhouse, it provides an opportunity to strengthen your authority and message. But also be found by new global audiences that you otherwise may not have had the opportunity to be in front of.
Build engaging audiences on other social media platforms
Clubhouse is a great vehicle for increasing your other social media networks. By continuing conversations that originate on clubhouse over to your Instagram or LinkedIn profiles you can continue to nurture relationships through DMs and scheduled content. Over the past couple of weeks I've seen an increase in both my LinkedIn and instagram accounts, not through posting, but instead from having rich conversations over on Clubhouse.
Business Performance Outcomes
And let's not forget the big one, Clubhouse is an incredible platform for lead generation for potential ideal clients. You'll have a strong sense of how you can solve problems through participating in conversations, asking questions and moderating meaningful conversations. What I will say around lead generation, this should not be your primary focus on Clubhouse, lead generation will come with adding value and only then extending a relevant call to action.
HOW TO USE CLUBHOUSE FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Stay tuned for my next blog where I'll share my insights on how to use Clubhouse to grow your business. In the meantime, if you are just getting started, check out this Instagram Live where I share my top tips for what to do when you first join the app.
Jump in to the comments, I would love to hear your experiences of Clubhouse so far.