How to get started with Clubhouse

What You’ll Learn

[4:48] What exactly is Clubhouse?
[7:45] What are the advantages of Clubhouse?
[9:36] What are the disadvantages of Clubhouse?
[13:39] How to use the Clubhouse app… 

What Exactly Is Clubhouse?
Listen at [04:48]

Clubhouse is a new, exciting audio, social chat app, which has actually been around for a couple of months. But, everyone is talking about it right now.

It was created because COVID was preventing us from being able to meet in-person. So Clubhouse fills that gap, and allows for one-to-one or group interaction without physical interaction. You can create, or you can join rooms and chat with others on a particular topic.

“Sometimes all the buzz can put people off, and I totally understand as I’ve been feeling that too.”

Much like all the other social apps, you don’t need to be on it. You don’t need to be on all of the networks. You need to make a decision as to whether it’s the right app for you and your business.

At the moment it’s only available if you are invited, and on iOS, although there is an Android option in development.

Mark Schaefer puts it like this:

“It’s like a cross between an audio podcast and a party or, or a meetup.”

What Are The Advantages Of Clubhouse?
Listen at [07:45]

So there are a few advantages to Clubhouse I think.

Firstly, you can chat and engage with professionals either within your industry or more excitingly, with people outside your network. You can really expand it and get to know lots of really cool people, which is awesome.

It can be really spontaneous now, which is not always a good thing, but it’s definitely one of the things I love about Clubhouse. It’s very raw and intimate. I think intimacy is great.

You can join lots of different rooms. Some are massive, but I prefer the smaller ones. Maybe because I’m more of an introvert, but I think you have deeper conversations in those smaller rooms.

And because this is my year of community, I’m really interested in creating a more engaged community, rather than a bigger one. So if that is on your radar, then Clubhouse might be a great option for your business.

It’s a great platform for offering advice, being kind to people and offering your service, not your services. You can make connections on Clubhouse and then build them elsewhere.

What Are The Disadvantages Of Clubhouse?
Listen at [09:36]

Like many places in life, it’s the same people that get to speak and often it’s the loud and confident ones. Which is the same as real life, but the really comfortable ones put their hand up and get to speak. If you create your own room you can kind of minimise this.

There is also the potential for clique’s, and people can feel left out, so we’ve got to be careful of that.

You also need to be there at a specific time. So if I saw that Elon Musk was talking, but I really wanted to spend time with my family, I’d have to choose. So there is a bit of pressure and FOMO that comes with the app – because there is no replay. If you are not there you miss the conversation. This is great in a way, as it makes it really transparent and raw, but it can also be a little annoying and can result in you getting sucked in and spending all your time in Clubhouse.

Clubhouse rooms can also feel a little top-down, in that the speakers feel important while everyone else feels like plebs. I think we’ve got to be really aware and careful not to garner that feeling in our rooms.

How To Use The Clubhouse App…
Listen at [13:39]

You either get invited or you can download the app and reserve your username. Which I would recommend that you do. Then if you have friends who use Clubhouse, then your name will pop up and they will, if they have invites left, they might be able to let you know.

So you can see, first of all, I’ve got my picture there and you can see how many followers you’ve got – but don’t get hung up on vanity statistics. Don’t compare yourself with others. But through someone else’s followers, you might find someone else that you’ve got synergy with and follow them.

Now, you need to make your bio as quickly as possible and make it as full as possible, including keywords. You can’t use emojis, so you might want to copy and paste from another app.

Now let’s look at the main feed. I can see what events are scheduled and coming up. And you can see the rooms that you are following. You also have a search function, so you can search for people in a particular category.

Once you are in a room you can invite other people in, you can also put your hand up, and you can leave quietly.

So, for you, you need to decide whether or not Clubhouse is going to make a positive addition to your business.

There are a few downsides, but I think at the moment it’s a really great way to build a small engaged community, and grow a relevant community. For me, it really fits in with my goal to make 2021 the year of community.