Clubhouse; The new kid on the block

Just as the global pandemic started to talk hold, a new platform hit the app stores.

Created and initially launched in the US in March 2020, Clubhouse is an audio-only platform designed with one thing in mind: conversation.

Online tools to speak to others, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or even Facebook Rooms, were all designed with video in mind. Clubhouse was different; here the focus was on the power of the voice; the art of conversation.

RAPID GROWTH

Despite being only available on Apple (currently), and being invitation only (from someone who was already inside), the app grew at a rapid rate. There were rumours of people selling invites and others snapping up second-hand iPhones. At the very least, it was a masterclass in marketing through creating ‘the fear of missing out’ (partly helped by the celebrities already on the app, such as Kevin Hart and Jay Leno).

In the UK, Clubhouse really took off around November 2020. Today, in May 2021, the app has been downloaded over ten million times.

ROOMS AND CLUBS

There are two main elements of Clubhouse: clubs and rooms.

Rooms can be started by anyone, to discuss any topic (within the realms of decency and respect, of course). Clubs are the umbrella under which many rooms can be hosted. Note: rooms do not have to be within a club – they can be standalone.

If you scroll through your feed – officially called the ‘hallway’ – you will see all the rooms currently running. We have rooms that cover topics including marketing, social media, music, religion, health, and everything in between. If you can think of a topic, that room probably already exists.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED:

Rooms aren’t just to grow your personal brand – they are great for learning too. If you have an iPhone and can get yourself an invitation from someone already inside, the first step would just to join rooms that interest you.

You can be part of the audience to simply sit back and listen, or you can ‘raise your hand’ to request to join the conversation on the virtual stage.

You will find many rooms on Clubhouse, and you won’t enjoy them all – but don’t let the bad ones put you off. And, of course, if you can’t find a room you like, then start your own!

WILL IT LAST?

With over ten million users – including the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Gary Vaynerchuk – and growing rapidly every day, Clubhouse has really filled a gap that we didn’t know existed. In addition, they recently hired an Android developer to get the app onto alternative devices (and thus try to gain a much bigger market share) and this is currently in the testing phase.

The developers obviously had the right idea, because most other platforms (such as Facebook and LinkedIn) are readying their own versions of an audio-only experience, with Twitter already coming to the market with its ‘Spaces’ audio-only feature.

COME AND JOIN US

Join us in The Positive Business People Club where we host rooms on a variety of business topics to support our fellow business owners. We would love for you to join us, so please register to be kept informed at https://bit.ly/Choose-Positive.

If you need any help with digital marketing, get in touch at:

www.themguru.co.uk or email at mguruuk@themguru.co.uk