Have you heard of the new Clubhouse App? Making headlines as the next big social media platform fad having been adosed by several high profile celebrities, it’s also made controversial news by already becoming banned in several countries.

So what is this latest social media platform craze? With more and more brands, marketers and influencers joining up, many are starting to question what Clubhouse is and whether they should be joining to help their business grow.

Don’t worry, your local Knutsford web design agency has got you covered. Inside this article, we will take a look at what Clubhouse is, take a look at how to use the new app and most importantly, review the app to see if it’s suitable for your business.

What is Clubhouse?

Initially released in April 2020, Clubhouse is an invitation-only social media app where users can only communicate in voice chat rooms that accommodate groups of up to 5,000 people.

As an audio-only app, users can host live discussions, with opportunities for users to participate by speaking and listening. So you can essentially think of Clubhouse like listening in on someone else’s conference, phone call or live podcast, only legally, where you get the chance to speak.

Clubhouse – The facts, figures and statistics

• Clubhouse has 10 million weekly active users, up from 600,000 in December 2020, according to research.
• The App is currently only available to download on iOS or Android
• Clubhouse is currently the 16th most popular app downloaded on the App Store, with it being downloaded 2.3 million times in January 2021 alone.
• According to data from Appfigures, data shows that 30% of all downloads have happened since January 2021

How to use the Clubhouse App

Well firstly, you will need an invite to join Clubhouse, that’s right it’s an exclusive application. If you’re lucky enough to have any friends, colleagues or businesses who are already on there, they are allowed two invitations per account, so they can invite you. Alternatively, if you are patient, you can also download the app, then sign up for the waitlist.

Next, you will need to create your profile. In terms of a social media platform, Clubhouse keep things very minimalistic where you can only add a profile picture and a bio of text. You cannot add other links such as your Instagram or Twitter profiles.

You will be prompted to follow other people – Which will usually consist of users in your contacts, or influencers and leaders who are involved in your industry. Once you start following and gaining followers, you will be notified when they start rooms (chat), where you can also invite them to start rooms with you.

Enter or start a Clubhouse room – A clubhouse ‘Room’ is essentially a space where users will gather to talk. All rooms can be set to either public or private where users can be assigned three different type of roles – Moderator, Listener or Speaker.

When you first enter any room, you will automatically be assigned as a ‘listener’ which basically means your microphone will not be available to use, and you cannot contribute to a conversation unless you rase your hand (icon in the bottom right) or when a moderator (green badge) invites you to the “stage” where you can then speak. Speakers are the users who are allowed to speak, but do not have moderator privileges of inviting other users. Still with me?

Create or join a club – So we have covered a Clubhouse Room, well a ‘Club’ is essentially an industry-focused group consisting of members with the same interests. The club’s creator will schedule regular (e.g., weekly) conversations with relevant people in service of the group’s interests and needs.

Pro’s & Con’s of using Clubhouse for your business

PRO – Hold Virtual Events
Holding virtual events is a great way to create B2B networking. For example as a local Knutsford web design agency, we could promote and hold a live conversation with a designer of a new website, where users could get answers or insight into the art of growing your website.

PRO – Live Chat Experience
Although some businesses will have good and bad ideas, Clubhouse can act as a sounding board where you can kick around ideas and your audience and speakers can provide insight. As a small business, you can also use the live chat experience as a way to conduct customer feedback or use a live chat facility.

PRO – Learn from the experience
Use the platform to follow and engage with experts within your industry field. Don’t be afraid to enter a clubhouse room and learn about how to improve your business. It’s essentially a free seminar!

CON – It’s still an up and coming app
Counting the volume and measurement of Clubhouse, with 10 million users it’s still very much within the growing stages so it may be likely that you will find very little or even nobody else on there who is in your same industry.

CON – The competition is arriving!
For weeks, there were rumors that Twitter were currency working on something very similar and as of this week, they have launched the beta version of Twitter Spaces – which is essentially the exact same thing! With Twitter already on a much larger scale in terms of users, most users, influencers and businesses will likely stick to what they know.

Have you given Clubhouse a whirl yet, or have any other social media apps that you would like us to review in our next article? Contact your Knutsford web design agency and we will be more than happy to discuss any ideas on how we can help grow your website.