Clubhouse – Is Is Worth The Hype?
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Anytime there is a new social media platform, I try to spend some time understanding how it works, how it can benefit our clients, and even help our company RED VELVET.
Here are my first impressions after six weeks of diving in, listening, and participating in Clubhouse (CH).
CLUBHOUSE IS THE NEW RADIO.
Know that this is not my original thought. I heard this shared in another CH room, and it really resonated with me. CH is live, not pre-recorded and not supposed to be recorded (this is changing rapidly right now if you pay attention to the description header); giving it a huge FOMO aspect. If you're craving new content, you can lose several hours on this app with the many new rooms and more than 6M users.
CLUBHOUSE IS THE NEW NETWORKING HAPPY HOUR.
For those who have pivoted to hosting virtual events/webinars/conferences, you know it has been a constant struggle to help people make new connections within the virtual space. My theory has been CH has filled the void of the serendipity of meeting like-minded people in real life.
If you are in outbound sales, CH is the messiah of meeting new people. Think of it as Twitter in the early days.
CLUBHOUSE ETIQUETTE IS STILL IN THE WORKS.
When a room has more than ten moderators, it becomes ineffective with too many cooks in the kitchen. Take some cues from podcasts and talk shows. Moderators need to be honest and take control by moving people off the stage and back into the audience (or what CH calls "resetting the room").
If you speak and mention a time, include a time zone since this app truly has an international audience.
Once you schedule your event/topic, be sure to cross promote it on other platforms. Possibly even text it to a few people that are users, but not actively participating.
It’s still early enough for you to be the one that can set new etiquettes that will be adopted by the mass users. Be an innovator and lead the change!
CLUBHOUSE NEEDS TO ADD...
A way for the audience to silently clap when they agree with a statement (not just those on stage).
A way to private message within the app instead of switching to Twitter or Instagram. Opening a private CH room still feels too invasive. Side note: So far, the best connections I have formed are when we move to Zoom & make it a point to stay connected on Linkedin.
The start and slated end time of a room within the "hallway" so that you're not joining a room right when it's about to close. I've noticed some speakers are adding this to their event title to help with expectations.
CLUBHOUSE IS FOR YOU, IF...
You are an iPhone user (sorry Android users)
You enjoy sharing verbally & you have something to contribute
You like to listen to other people talk about a given topic
You like to connect people
You don't talk OVER people
THERE'S STILL HOPE FOR ANDROID USERS...
Yes, there is already a competitor in this space and it's Twitter. Twitter launched Twitter Space in December of 2020, and it works as long as you follow the speaker on Twitter. This is HUGE! Because Twitter Space is already more inclusive by having both iOS and Android compatibility. Plus, it's tied back to your years of tweets and followers.
I already like some of the features that Twitter Space has over CH, including my suggestion above, allowing listeners to react without interrupting the conversation flow by using an emoji. They also have live transcription for those that are not native English speakers or hard of hearing. I'll be keeping an eye out to see who wins this space in the next few months. Currently, user engagement is higher on CH when compared to Twitter Space.
For those that have experienced Clubhouse, do you think Clubhouse would be as successful if we were not currently in a pandemic? And what will it take to get higher adoption within Twitter Spaces? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Need some strategic insight for your next brand activation? We’d love to hear from you.
