Thought Leadership

Trending Apps: Navigating Through Clubhouse

With a million apps flooding the AppStore and PlayStore every day, how do brands know which platform is the right one to showcase their product? From Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, most brands have a presence on all the trending social media sites. Recently a new app named Clubhouse has dominated social media with its exclusivity. Should your brand be considering driving marketing efforts in this app? Let’s find out!

 

App Statistics

Clubhouse currently has 10 million users, according to a town hall meeting hosted by CEO Paul Davidson. A promising start for marketers since the platform had 2 million users in January 2021 from 1,500 in May 2020.

 

What Is Clubhouse?

An exclusive app that allows participants to enter only with an invite. It lets people gather in audio chat rooms to discuss various topics, ranging from trivia to business discussions. Each room is divided into two groups: those talking and those listening (participants can see a list of everyone in a conversation). Clubhouse is a closed, hierarchical platform as opposed to open-ended platforms such as Twitter. A moderator oversees discussions and can let someone chime in or kick out the disorderly. In addition to the ‘clubs’ sorted by topic, two or more users can join together and start their chat room.

 

However, most Clubhouse content is highly experimental, with brands trying to figure out what works best for them. A striking feature of the users depicts that they crave authentic information and engaging discussions with authentic people rather than promotional opinions.

 

However, while building brand awareness on an ultra-personal app like Clubhouse, it takes time, energy, and lots of community management, we’re already starting to see brands begin to connect with the channel’s growing audience.

 

1. Influencer Marketing

A great way to promote your brand on the site is with the help of an influencer. Start a room that taps into your niche industry where everyone can add to the topic and gain value from the discussion. Several brands have used this strategically to their advantage.

 

Pernod Ricard teamed up with digital media marketing strategist Karen Civil to celebrate the occasion of February’s Black History Month and commended the work of Black female entrepreneurs. The campaign promoted Pernod Ricard’s Martell Cognac brand and saw Civil host weekly conversations with beauty mogul Supa Cent, branding expert and Girl CEO founder Ronne Brown, and fashion designer PreMadonna amongst others; and was a great success!

 

2. Sponsor A Room

Brands can also leverage this app by sponsoring a room and crafting their own story in a way that resonates with their customers and leaves an impact.

 

Many brands like Bite Toothpaste have already implemented this. The brand, a subscription-based service that claims to have ‘reinvented’ Toothpaste, recently sponsored a room in which its Founders told the participants the founding story of Bite Toothpaste. In a unique approach to narrating their story, they discovered potential customers and even signed up 30 new subscribers.

 

3. Identify New Marketing Ideas

Clubhouse promotes discussions that lead to brilliant ideas from various insightful individuals from across the globe—these range from Influencers, artists, poets, to even business moguls. Venture Capitalist Bilal Zuberi, a partner at Lux Capital, said that he spends nearly half an hour a day on the app.

 

If you take time out to listen to conversations, you are likely to come across something that will give you your ‘Aha Moment’ or help you improve your strategies and create a better plan of action.

 

4. Join Rooms And Start Conversations

Be active and join rooms relevant to your industry, engage with other leaders in the industry, and drive insightful conversations.

 

As James Nord, Founder of Fohr, advises: “Make sure you have something interesting to say and something to add to the conversation — the rest is just noise.”

 

Join panel discussions, raise your hand and actively contribute to the conversation. The app is also great for social networking to find potential clients as well as partners and connections to help your business grow and prosper.

 

In Conclusion:

Using Clubhouse for marketing can allow you to connect with your audience on a deeper, more personal level and go beyond just promotional content. Now would be the perfect time to get on the app and leverage it to create a strong brand image that connects with the customer.