Podcast: Play in new window
Depending on where you are, it’s been a long while since we’ve had any real freedom to socialize properly (remember crowds, anybody?), which is precisely why the exclusive invite-only app Clubhouse has skyrocketed in popularity since launching in April last year.
For those not in the know, the Clubhouse app is becoming more mystifying by the day, particularly because there’s no audio of the chats available due to their strict (and very welcome) privacy rules.
Whether you’re one of the lucky few to have access to the platform or are wondering if you even need to be on the platform, keep reading as we’ll be sharing five ways to use Clubhouse to grow your business.
How To Use Clubhouse To Grow Your Business
What is Clubhouse?
Put simply, Clubhouse is an audio-chat iPhone app.
We all know Twitter is for words, Instagram is for pictures, and Facebook is, well, Facebook! However, Clubhouse is different because it’s the first social media network forged around audio. It’s been hailed as an interactive podcast, a discussion you can join in regardless of where you are or what you’re doing – walking the dog? Washing the dishes? Engage wherever you are, not just in front of a computer screen.
However, Clubhouse is an invite-only app. You can’t just download it off the app store and start joining rooms. It enhances its exclusivity; much like a private country or yacht club, only that it’s virtual.
After a long year of connecting over Zoom, Clubhouse is a welcome break from awkward waves, cluttered backgrounds, and dressing up – instead, Clubhouse places the focus of the interaction solely on the conversation.
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How does Clubhouse work?
The premise of Clubhouse is simple. You can create or join “rooms”, where you can listen in on conversations that interest you or ask questions, share your ideas and chat with other users. However, all you can do is talk – you can’t share photos, videos or text.
Why use Clubhouse?
If you’re wondering what compels so many people to use it, given the exploding popularity of podcasts, Clubhouse can be like a podcast, but you get to join the conversation and ask questions. However, Podcast 2.0 aside, the voice-only app also provides a space for panel discussions, networking opportunities, and often, much more casual, less structured group discussions. Some savvy people are already swapping ‘influencer’ for ‘moderator.’
Ultimately, Clubhouse replaces in-person networking and allows you to build connections, demonstrate your expertise, offer valuable conversation and tactfully move interested people off the platform and into your sales funnel! (Ie: Social Selling)
Who is on Clubhouse?
The question should really be, who isn’t on Clubhouse? Everyone from celebrities, entrepreneurs, musicians, artists, actors and big-name CEOs is active on the app. You can join rooms and start chatting with Elon Musk, Daymond John, MC Hammer, Drake, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Jared Leto, John Mayer and Ashton Kutcher – to name a few.
Celebrities aside, Clubhouse is also popular with the podcasting community and professional speakers, entrepreneurs, and musicians who share their music in rooms. Almost every community and discussion can be found on the app, from humor groups, car enthusiasts, fundraising tips, and female founders to Bitcoin enthusiasts. If you are interested in any topic, there’s a good chance there’s a discussion about it being hosted on the app at this very minute.
Who to follow on Clubhouse?
You can follow your usual celebrities on Clubhouse, but you can do that on any platform. Instead, look out for experts or fellow enthusiasts on interesting topics. When you’re in a room, follow the speakers that give you value. Follow fellow attendees who have interests similar to yours. By following people, you’ll start to see rooms they host or join, which will familiarize you with rooms that might interest you.
How do I get a Clubhouse invite?
Obviously, the Clubhouse app is invite-only, so the fastest way to get into the platform is to ask a friend, colleague or acquaintance to invite you!
If you’ve reached out to your network and still haven’t had any luck, you can always join the waitlist – but be warned; this takes some time and is a relatively slow process. However, once you’re in, you’re eligible, like everyone else, to send invites to your friends.
We’ve also heard that people are actively selling invites. If you can’t wait for an invitation or to be accepted on the waitlist, you can choose to go down this route. However, as with any purchase of this nature, you must conduct due diligence before buying to avoid any nasty surprises.
Where’s the Android version of Clubhouse?
The good news is that it’s in the works; above all, CEO Paul Davidson and his developers have purposely decided to scale up the app slowly. Because there are far more Android users than iPhone users globally- you can see why they didn’t want to risk their servers when Mark Zuckerberg or Drake enters a room!
How to use Clubhouse to grow your business
Social selling isn’t new to the business scene, and Clubhouse, like any other social media platform, doesn’t guarantee business growth. However, it can certainly help you get there, so keep reading on to find out how to use Clubhouse to grow your business.
1. Build A Community
The biggest draw for salespeople and businesses to the Clubhouse app is its community-building potential. Right off the bat, once you’ve joined, you can create or join rooms with specialized topics that you’re an expert in – allowing you to demonstrate your authority and gain eager followers simultaneously easily.
2. Get Business Feedback
The CEO of Clubhouse, Paul Davison, regularly joins rooms to ask users for feedback and advice on developing the app further – why not do the same for your business? What better place to ask industry leaders and experts to weigh in on your latest business idea!?
3. Stay Aware of Your Industry’s Current News and Trends
Clubhouse is invaluable for learning various topics from industry leaders and end users. In the automobile industry? Join a room for a discussion about luxury cars. In the Edutech industry? There’s probably room for that, too.
4. Demonstrate Your Expertise
On the other hand, if you’re a thought or industry leader, you can easily create a room to start sharing tips and demonstrating your expertise. Better yet, join someone else’s room and add value to the audience. The first step to generating leads on Clubhouse, or any social networking group for that matter, is to add value and not be spammy.
5. Generate Leads
While it’s entirely possible to generate leads on the Clubhouse app, you should be aware of a few pitfalls that could make lead generation a challenge:
- You can’t send direct messages to other users. (A blessing or a curse?)
- You can’t place advertisements on the app.
- Links added to the Clubhouse bio are not clickable.
Instead, you must invite people to connect with you on Instagram or Twitter. If you share a valuable tip on a topic and have a cheat sheet people might appreciate, let people know they can message you on Twitter to access your free book.
As with all social selling, listen first, join the conversation, add value, and tactfully let them know how to learn more.
You can find me, Tom Abbott, on Clubhouse at @tomabbott. I look forward to talking to you soon.
Social Selling Training
Here at SOCO Sales Training, we wrote a book on Social Selling. We’ve even launched a brand new Social Selling course that teaches you how to demonstrate your expertise and generate leads using social media, whether you’re using Clubhouse, Facebook, LinkedIn, or any social media network.
Want to generate leads with the help of social media?
Join our Social Selling Mastery training, and you’ll get access to our complete Social Selling Course and our BONUS LinkedIn Outbound mini course. Inside, you’ll learn how to use social media to position yourself as the ideal solution provider for your prospects and gain access to proven LinkedIn scripts that will help you book more meetings with prospects.