Clubhouse for Marketers: What You Need to Know

By this point, you’ve probably heard of Clubhouse. And whether you are a frequent Clubhouse user, or have simply heard the name in passing, it’s common knowledge that this social media platform is quickly becoming the next marketing power tool. As busy business owners and overwhelmed marketers, you might be feeling frustrated over yet another networking tool and social media platform to keep track of and figure out hot to leverage. So we did the legwork of trying to figure out if this new app is actually worth your time, energy, and potentially your dollars.

So What is Clubhouse?

Clubhouse is the latest social media source that’s rapidly rising in popularity. Born through a socially deprived pandemic where people were limiting their in-person interactions, Clubhouse is now taking the internet by storm. In essence, Clubhouse is a place for professionals from all industries to join together and network in real-time.

This unique layout combines popular social media platforms like LinkedIn (giving you the ability to network with like-minded professionals and gain knowledge on navigating your way through your career endeavors), Facebook (providing the opportunity to connect with others around the world and discuss common interests), and Snapchat (after a “session” is over, the conversation is gone forever). It’s a fully interactive audio app that allows you to either listen to or participate in live discussions.

Clubhouse’s purpose is easy to grasp, making it a strong competition as the new kid on the block among established social media platforms. The app is full of various rooms that cover a myriad of topics. As a user, you simply choose the room you want to engage with and enter the chat. Clubhouse is completely auditory, so there are no photos, videos, or live streams. It operates in the way a classroom would, or if a podcast was recorded in front of a live audience. Moderators, or those that form the topics of the “rooms,” are those who control the flow of the conversation. When you “enter a room,” you can choose to listen in on other people chatting, or you can volunteer to “raise your hand.” When you are called on, it’s your turn to give your two cents on the conversation as you have an opportunity to speak on the subject.

Ok, Now What’s the Appeal of Clubhouse for Marketers?

Should Clubhouse continue on the upward trajectory that it seems to be on, it’s likely that it will soon join the ranks of the other top social media sites. And just like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, Clubhouse is a great way to advertise your business. Their algorithm allows you to strategically leverage your company and get your business in front of a wider audience of people without a lot of the “pay to play” challenges Facebook and Instagram are known for.

Clubhouse is a great opportunity to gain customer loyalty. With the way Clubhouse is set up, brands can title rooms on relevant topics that pertain to their business while also using it as leverage to get their name out there. The topics you choose and the way you use your brand identity to title and describe them — along with the voices you feature— can go a long way toward making your business recognizable and building loyalty.

Another advantage is that this app is constantly evolving. It started off as a vessel for celebrities and influencers to host conversations related to entertainment, business, and technology. This original idea has quickly evolved into a space for any like-minded professionals to share their thoughts and advice in their given field. Clubhouse also caters to the rising trend for podcasts and the rising demand for audio content. The app capitalizes on the popularity of virtual socialization and provides an opportunity to connect without the burden of screen fatigue.

We wanted to understand what folks in our own networking spaces think about Clubhouse thus far, so our Founder and Managing Director, Rajat Kapur, conducted a poll on LinkedIn to get a feel for other people’s experience so far. You can find all of the feedback here, but below are a couple quotes from those who chimed in:

One last pro to consider. Clubhouse also offers a feature that allows you to connect your other social media platforms. If someone clicks on your icon, they receive links to your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and any other social site you want to send them to. This adds an extra opportunity for interested clients or customers to see the labor of love you’re putting into other platforms as well — especially if you have a stronger presence on one of those sites.

What Are the Cons of Clubhouse?

The list of pros for marketing your business on Clubhouse are nearly endless, and it’s a great app to capitalize on before others do. However, it’s also important to understand the cons. Since it is still in its beta testing phase, the app still needs to work out quite a few bugs. The most notable example is that Clubhouse can read as an unedited podcast. Since it is live and largely unscripted, participants can say what they want with little to no monitoring from mediators. This has led to problematic conversations and misinformation taking place in certain rooms.

They are also facing tough competition among other top social media sites. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook are toying with the idea of introducing audio features into their sites, which could mean bad news for Clubhouse’s future. But in terms of Clubhouse for marketing, it might be worthwhile to experiment with the platform so you can easily hop on the trend if the feature is adopted by some of the other big players. That way, you’ll already be an auditory marketing expert and ahead of the curve.

At first glance, adding yet another social media platform to your rolodex of apps that you scroll through for hours on end can feel exhausting. But there is a sense of authenticity to Clubhouse that other social media sites aren’t offering. Especially if you are a freelancer or entrepreneur, joining this interactive experience is a chance to network with professionals in your field, and gain invaluable information to help grow awareness of your expertise and build connections.

As with all new apps, it’s easier to gain a following on Clubhouse right now than in any other, more established, social media platform. Being an early adopter definitely has the potential to pay off when an app sticks around. And if it doesn’t, auditory focused marketing most certainly is. So for you it comes down the same thing it always does for all of us — risk versus reward. In this case, the risk is extra time and energy that could be going somewhere else. The choice is yours!

Need extra help trying to decide what social media platforms to invest yourself in this year? Download our 2021 Social Media Playbook to find out where you can score some real points, and where you should take a timeout.