Social media marketers should always be on the lookout for both new platforms to break into and new ways to demonstrate their expertise. Clubhouse offers both. Letâs look at how Clubhouse for social media marketers can be leveraged to make valuable connections and gain new clients.
What is Clubhouse?
Clubhouse is a real-time, audio-centric chat app where users can gather in âroomsâ to discuss ideas, including business, lifestyle, interests, and more. Essentially, it feels like a live podcast, with the option to bring members of a room up on âstageâ to join in on the conversation. The app is excellent for networking with others in your industry, or making new connections that could lead to future opportunities.
Rooms in Clubhouse consist of one or more moderators, speakers, and listeners. A person whoâs moderating a room can make other members moderators or invite listeners up to speak. Listeners who want to participate in a discussion may virtually raise their hands to be invited into the conversation.
Initially, Clubhouse was a major hit in the marketing world because exclusive access was given to a few well-known marketing names first. Word spread quickly, however, and access to Clubhouse became a high-demand
When Clubhouse launched to the public, it was an invitation-only app exclusively for iOS users. Next, it opened to Android users. Finally, in July 2021, the app opened to everyone widely--no invitation required. Users on iOS can download Clubhouse here. If youâre an Android user, you can get it here.
Why Clubhouse Can Be So Valuable for Social Media Marketers
Clubhouse is a highly valuable tool for social media marketers because it can help you grow your business in a number of ways. Letâs take a look at a few of the ways you could experience exponential growth by leveraging Clubhouse.
1. Hone Your Skills
Clubhouse conversations can help you learn new skills or even gain direct feedback from top experts in your own industry.
For example, if you were in a room where moderators were discussing the latest social media marketing strategies, you could raise your hand to speak. Youâd tell them about the strategies youâre currently leveraging, and the results youâre getting. They might ask about your goals, then offer suggestions for making adjustments that would help you to meet those goals.
2. Make Industry Connections
Rooms on Clubhouse give listeners the opportunity to make connections with industry experts. You might meet someone who could potentially refer clients your way or help you connect with a killer service provider, such as a graphic designer or accountant, who could help your business grow. Additionally, you might meet a new client.
If you want to make connections on Clubhouse, you canât be shy. When you find a room where industry professionals are discussing topics that interest you--or that you have expertise in--donât be afraid to raise your hand. Jumping into conversations is essential to connecting on Clubhouse. If public speaking isnât your comfort zone, youâll have to get uncomfortable quickly if you want to use the app to its full potential.
3. Demonstrate Your Expertise
Clubhouse gives professionals from all industries and levels of expertise and opportunity to demonstrate what they know and help others who want to learn. Itâs a great way to strut your stuff, showing people what you know while also leveraging your value. This may help you attract new clients and grow your business while building a name for yourself.
How to Get Started on Clubhouse
To get started on Clubhouse, download the app to your phone or tablet and set up your account using your mobile number. Youâll then be able to select your username. You can scan this image to download the app if you haven't already:
Consider using the same name as you use on your other social media platforms for brand or personal recognition. If your desired name is already taken, choose something that will help followers recognize who you are. A variation on your name or brand should work well.
Clubhouse can connect to your contacts and locate other people you know who are already a part of the app. Choose who youâd like to follow to begin building your list. Then, you can use the appâs built-in search tool to find other people you normally follow on social media.
When you find users youâd like to follow, be sure to hit the notification bell on their profile in addition to the follow button. By doing this, Clubhouse will ping you when they go live or join a public room.
This is a great way to keep tabs on the influencers and industry pros youâd like to connect with. And if you donât know a person well or would like to chat with them for the first time, being a part of rooms theyâre in is one way to have a strong introduction that could lead to a professional network opportunity.
Set Up Your Profile
Your Clubhouse profile is easy to set up and optimise so people will know your specialities and interests. It can truly help you stand out from the crowd if you set it up in such a way that clearly describes who you are and what youâre all about.
Once youâve secured your account, itâs time to get your profile in working order. In the upper right corner of the app, tap your user icon in the upper right-hand corner.
Tap the user icon on your profile to select a profile image from your mobile device. Once youâve picked your image, click Done.
Now, itâs time to set up your bio. Tap the middle of your screen and hold your finger down. The Clubhouse app will display a text box that allows you to enter the bio information youâd like to share.
Your Clubhouse bio is pretty open-ended. Youâll want to make sure you include pertinent information about who you are, what you stand for, your brand, and any products or services you offer. Many users leverage emojis to set apart specific features of their profile. Itâs easy to update this section, so you can come back to it any time to add more information.
In addition to basic information about yourself and your business, the app allows users to add their Instagram and Twitter links on their profiles. If youâre active on those platforms, take advantage of that. Otherwise, the only other active links on your profile will be any other users you tag within the text. You can include any URLs or other information youâd like your followers to see, but keep in mind that they wonât be hyperlinked.
Take a look at how TubeBuddyâs Rob Balasabas set up his profile with plenty of pertinent information for his followers:
Add Interests and Follow Users
After youâve set up your profile, tap the gear icon in the upper right corner of your profile screen. Thatâs your settings menu.
Youâll see options to update your name and username, add interests, and more.
Adding interests to your account helps Clubhouse know what discussions to populate in your main feed, so take a few minutes to select any interests youâd like to be a part of your experience.
Some valuable options for social media marketers may include SaaS, Writing, Product, VR/AR, Marketing, Social Media, and more. You'll also want to follow interests for any of your niche topics; if you offer social media services for real estate agents, for example, you'll want to follow Real Estate.
Next, search through your contacts, then through the appâs search tool, for relevant members, influencers, and industry experts youâre interested in following. You can also request to join specific clubs that appear in your search results. These clubs have regular Clubhouse chats you can then join to network and learn.
Now that youâve set up your profile and begun to follow users and topics youâre interested in, itâs time to host your own room.
How to Host a Room on Clubhouse
Starting your own room on Clubhouse is simple. From your home feed, click the green Start a Room button at the bottom of your screen. Youâll see a dialogue with a few options for topics based on your interests, including the option for starting a closed room.
In the upper right corner of the dialogue box, tap Add a Topic.
Youâll be given the option to enter a name for your room. Click Set Topic.
Once youâve set your topic, you can start your room. Tap the green Letâs Go button at the bottom of your screen to get started.
Now, your room will open up. Youâll see the name of the room at the top of the screen, and youâll be listed as a moderator (indicated by the green icon beside your name). If you need a little time to learn the controls on-screen, you might consider opening a private room just to toggle all the switches.
Your on-screen controls are fairly straightforward. The paper airplane icon, a new feature, allows users to direct message one another. Along the bottom of the screen, youâll see several other buttons. Leave Quietly allows you to exit a room. On the bottom right-hand side of the screen, youâll see an icon that allows you to raise your hand to speak in the room, a plus sign to invite (or âping inâ) users to your conversation, and a mic button to mute and unmute yourself.
Use the plus sign to invite other users to your room, and then wait. If your room is public, it will also show up on the public feed so interested users can see it and join you.
Best Practices for Clubhouse for Social Media Marketers
There are several best practices to adhere to when using Clubhouse. Letâs take a look at a few:
Actively moderate your room.
Most of the people who interact with one another on Clubhouse behave in a professional manner. However, keep in mind that because this is a live chat platform, you may deal with unruly members or trolls from time to time.
Even if you arenât dealing with trolls, youâll still need to actively monitor the conversations that happen in your rooms. There may be times when conversations become tense, and youâre required to gracefully move the room members on to another topic.
Unfortunately, there will also be times when youâll need to ban a user from the room, so bear that in mind going forward.
Team up with colleagues or other well-known members in your industry to host rooms.
When it comes to Clubhouse, the more, the merrier.
Teaming up with other pros in your industry is a great way to put your heads together for an educational and stimulating conversation. Youâll also be able to invite listeners and participants from each of your audiences, which is a major win-win.
Promote your rooms on other platforms first to drive users to Clubhouse.
Youâre going to want users to drop by your room! To do that, post on your other social channels to drive them to your Clubhouse chats.
Bring users on stage to ask questions or form a master class.
Itâs undeniable that getting a group of like-minded experts together creates an environment of continuous learning and improvement. Clubhouse is a great place to make that happen. Invite listeners to ask questions or share their expertise in your chats--you might learn something along the way, too!
Final Thoughts
Clubhouse for social media marketers is particularly valuable. It offers a unique opportunity to not only have real conversations with industry experts, but also to demonstrate your own expertise and potentially gain new clients and colleagues. This platform is still fairly young and offers a lot of potential for social media marketers who want to leverage it to grow their own businesses, positioning themselves as thought leaders in the process.
If youâre ready to better establish yourself as an expert in your particular field, then Clubhouse could be for you. Prepare to speak up, learn, and grow as you incorporate this platform into your marketing strategy.
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