Just a few months ago, the invitation-only social media app, Clubhouse celebrated its one-year anniversary. Despite being only a year old, the app had close to 13 million downloads from the app store alone at that point in time. From famous entrepreneurs like Elon Musk to big-name celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, the app has been used by many around the world.
There are many factors that have led to the exponential increase in popularity of the app. One of them being the global pandemic which has led to longer screen times as consumers adjust to social media platforms as a form of social interaction. However, the success that Clubhouse is receiving is likely to continue even beyond the pandemic. After all, the social networking app is unique from the other social media platforms in the market.
Why Clubhouse? | Clubhouse 2021
There are two unique features that distinguish Clubhouse from the other social media platforms. Firstly, the fact that it is an invitation-only social media platform. Users are only allowed to enter a ‘room’ if they are invited to listen in. This creates a sense of exclusivity. Scarcity breed desire. Therefore, these exclusive conversations provide the impetus for users to tune into rooms that they have been invited to.
Secondly, Clubhouse is essentially an audio chat app. Clubhouse is unlike the other social media platforms with a focus on visuals. Instead, the app takes a no-frills approach, choosing to only focus on audio chats. The app allows users to use it as a private phone call or for users to listen in as if it were a podcast. However, unlike a podcast, the app allows users to respond on the spot, allowing conversations on the app to be engaging and personal.
All in all, there are many opportunities for brands to tap into this up and coming social media platform. Clubhouse influencer marketing can be a great way for brand engagement. Brands can convey meaningful messages and spread awareness about the brand through this audio-only platform.
Ideas for Clubhouse influencer marketing | Clubhouse 2021
Unlike traditional social media platforms where influencers are often seen uploading images of the sponsored product, Clubhouse influencer marketing does not work this way. Instead, the execution of Clubhouse influencer marketing is more subtle.
One of the things brands can do is to sponsor certain rooms on the app. Brands can work with influencers who are already active on Clubhouse to sponsor some of their rooms. The choice of topic can be chosen by the influencer, but of course, it will be great if the topic is related to the brand or in line with the brand’s offerings.
Alternatively, brands can host their own events on Clubhouse. Take the example of Logitech, who hosted a Clubhouse session with attractive Logitech products to be won in the session. Hosting a Clubhouse session does not necessarily mean talking excessively about the brand and its products. Instead, it can be as casual as a personal conversation.
In Logitech’s case, the brand chose to do a different “This or That” lifestyle quiz. Viewers got to pick between two different lifestyle options (e.g. going on a roller coaster vs a haunted house). The brand engaged influencers to host the event. These influencers acted as speakers for the event and also engaged in the quiz themselves. Logitech has certainly shown us that Clubhouse influencer marketing does not involve hard selling techniques. Instead, it can be as creative as your brand would like.
Apart from fun quizzes, sharing industry knowledge and expertise can be a great way to engage your audience on Clubhouse. Be it getting your executives to share your brand’s story, or certain tips in the industry, educating your audience can be a great way to increase your branding on the platform. However, do note that the internet contains a colossal amount of knowledge. Consumers can easily google for the information that they would need. Therefore, do try to keep any content personal, interesting and different from what a simple google search can find.
Cons to using the app | Clubhouse 2021
While Clubhouse influencer marketing seems to contain potential in revolutionizing the marketing industry, there are a few challenges to Clubhouse influencer marketing. Firstly, unlike videos that are uploaded on YouTube or Instagram, no editing is involved as conversations happen in real-time. Therefore, hosts and speakers of the event should carefully plan out the event for the best results.
Although the inability to edit the audio clips might be seen as a challenge, there are benefits to having conversations in real-time. Firstly, conversations have the ability to be more personal, leading to higher engagement rates. Secondly, the speaker or host can tailor the conversation based on the response of the audience.
Other challenges to using the app include the lack of hashtags – a common feature of all the other social media platforms. Additionally, as mentioned earlier, there is no in-app video sharing on the platform. Therefore, marketers who wish to tap into visual marketing might need to use other social media platforms.
Conclusion
Is Clubhouse here to stay? Well, we are of the opinion that it is. After all, the invitation-only audio chat app has been widely popular despite being recently launched. However, do consider complementing a Clubhouse influencer marketing campaign with other campaigns on other platforms for optimum results.
Sources
Socialmediatoday, news/building-brand-reputation-on-social-audio-apps-like-clubhouse/597926/
Britopian, influencer-marketing/clubhouse-social-audio-influencers/
