Should B2B marketers use Clubhouse?

The latest, trendiest app perfect for thought leaders and business insights is one you might not be able to actually get into… meet Clubhouse

With guest appearances from the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, social media app Clubhouse has quickly skyrocketed among marketing and tech aficionados. 

But what exactly is it and how can you use it as part of your B2B marketing channels? 

What is Clubhouse?

An audio-only social network, Clubhouse uses just voice inputs to connect its users across a variety of topics of their own choosing. Think of it as a live podcast: hosts start a call in a room to discuss their chosen topic, and others can join the room premuted to listen and signal if they also want to speak by going ‘on stage’.

The variety of topics on offer means that the rooms themselves become a mix between a conference call, a webinar and live streaming - but all without having to make yourself look presentable as your face will never be shown on screen. In theory you could be listening along and absorbing top tips from industry leaders while eating lunch, cooking dinner or walking the dog. 

Partially because of a lockdown still affecting most of the world making face-to-face networking almost impossible, and partially because of how exclusive the app is (currently Clubhouse is only available on iOS and invite-only), the social network has generated a constant buzz and air of mystery that has kept public discourse interested. Just take a look at this Google Trends graph to see how much interest the platform has gained in only a short few months.

Clubhouse is the perfect platform for thought leadership talks and networking right now, and we’ll delve into use cases for your business further down this blog. Though one thing of note is that unlike virtual conference talks (which we’ve been constantly seeing online for the last year), the audio chats disappear after the room has ended with no way to hear them again, meaning that if you miss out on a rare talk from a world-leading expert then those insights are gone forever.

You also can’t message other users inside of the app and there’s no way to post any content, which might actually benefit your other social media channels as it could convert Clubhouse members who are already interested in your content to follow you on other platforms

As of mid-February, there have been 8 million downloads of the app, compared to just 2 million downloads at the start of the same month. Unsurprisingly, the platform’s valuation has also risen from $100 million in December 2020 to $1 billion in January 2021, while Facebook is reportedly looking at creating its own version of Clubhouse and Twitter’s version, called Spaces, is available on iOS and Android but only a limited number of individuals can host their own talks. 

Privacy concerns

However, it must be noted that Clubhouse has been under fire recently for privacy concerns. 

One hacker has been able to stream audio from within the app to their own website. The hacker has since been banned, with Clubhouse vowing to up its security

And though chats are not stored in the app, they are stored by Clubhouse themselves while a room is still open in order to track any violations of its safety and abuse rules. Though this policy is outlined inside of Clubhouse’s terms and conditions should users seek them, the European Union’s GDPR requires explicit permission to store any information about a user. It’s also unclear how a room would trigger an investigation.

There are also concerns around how Clubhouse handles contacts in a user’s phone. In order to invite a new member, they must be a contact in the existing member’s phone and grant Clubhouse access to names and phone numbers in their contacts list. Clubhouse does not provide details in its terms of how this data is handled or deleted.

Use cases 

So should you be on Clubhouse? Providing that Clubhouse irons out its privacy policy and improves its security, there are several ways that the platform can benefit B2B marketers.

Webinars

To start with, you could make use of Clubhouse’s rooms as if they were your business’ own personal audio webinar. By translating the content you’d normally be presenting to an audience over video you’ll divulge valuable insights, build authority and provide thought leadership - all without the added pressure of making sure the lighting in your office is right or you’ve got an appropriate background. Other than perhaps practising the script, you can forego content creation unlike a webinar which typically requires a presentation at the bare minimum, making it a resource-light option for B2B marketers. 

Create a community

Whether you have a dedicated group of customers or want to reach out to a new group of prospects, Clubhouse is a great place to build an engaged community with authentic insights while interacting candidly with your audience. As we discussed in our Social Trends for 2021 blog, there’s been a 15% increase year on year in manufacturing marketers looking to improve their brand’s credibility and trust, and Clubhouse could be one avenue of helping to achieve those goals. 

Also, as rooms are themed on whichever topic you choose, anyone engaging in your room will automatically already be interested in what you and your business has to say. By reminding room members to follow your profile, they’ll get a push notification next time you’re live too.

You can also make private rooms and invite specific users. This might be useful for inviting a VIP group of customers to a special talk with your C-Suite, for example. 

Partnerships

Once you’re on Clubhouse, why not invite your clients or customers too and collaborate with them? For example, this could be in the form of an audio case study with an existing customer. It’s also a great platform for connecting with new customers as they could ask questions in the room, leading to new business opportunities as it provides an easily accessible method of understanding your services. 

Announcements

Company news could be announced via Clubhouse too. Say, for example, you have a new state-of-the-art product, a room could be utilised to discuss the product in detail and invite current and potential customers to a live product launch on Clubhouse where they could ask the designers/engineers questions and discuss how the product might be able to benefit the user.

Feedback and market research

Looking to build upon your customer research and develop your services further? Why not use Clubhouse as an audio focus group? You could ask participants questions in your room and get real-time responses. It’s a good way of gaining a quick gauge on how ideas may be perceived by an example audience, and start conversations about your business and products. 

Connect with industry

Clubhouse is filled with thought leaders and new tech adopters at the moment all trying to make their voice heard in their fields. That makes it an ideal platform to help you expand your professional network. it’s incredibly easy to find people you have interests in common with when entering a room you’re already interested in. You can connect with anyone you are interested to hear more from by heading to the links in their profile. 

It does, however, remain to be seen just how popular the app will be once it launches on Android, once it opens up to the general public and also if the gradual end of lockdowns around the world will mean a drop in active users that are looking for the next digital distraction while they are stuck indoors. In the meantime, it’s still a channel worth exploring for B2B marketers.
Have you been using Clubhouse as part of your marketing mix already or have insights into how else Clubhouse can be used in your marketing strategy? Let us know on our social channels.