I broke down. I gave in. I joined the club.
Clubhouse that is.
As much as I try to streamline my social media life, I finally took the plunge and signed up for Clubhouse. Actually, I was invited by my fiancée. As she put it, I “made the cut” of her limited number of invites. Thanks Terena for choosing me, I know it was a difficult choice.
I am a huge fan of audio communications, which is why Clubhouse’s unique drop in audio chat business model appealed to me. I’m the kind of guy who listens to podcasts on the regular, checks out webinars, and when I was able to, attend seminars and events with guest speakers. My love of all things audio is why I am so proud of the Liberty podcast, Liberty on the Line, and why I am working with my colleagues here to spearhead Liberty Audio Labs, our podcast service.
Once I got onto Clubhouse, it didn’t take long to realize why this app is red hot and growing exponentially, and all the potential it can have for more nuanced discourse, as well as for businesses to join in a way that’s authentic and appealing to both broad and niche audiences. As a communicator, it’s gold, and will prove a game changer in many ways.
Say for events. We do event speaking submissions all the time for our clients, trying to get them added for high profile keynotes and speaking panels to discuss the hot topics and trends within their industries in front of their peers. But, we are often at the whim of the event organizers, who set the agendas, select the topics and speakers, and bring the audience together.
But Clubhouse has the very real potential to disrupt that. While I don’t see live in-person events with speakers going away (and will likely pick right back up after the pandemic), Clubhouse could offer a new avenue to engage in live conversations during these events, and build communities beyond them. I can already imagine that soon brands will hold Clubhouse discussions on the vast array of topics around telecoms and 5G during Mobile World Congress for example, bringing in journalists, analysts, businesspeople and other experts to add a wide breadth of viewpoints.
The reality is that any event or topic can be ripe for your own Clubhouse, putting the spotlight on your company at the perfect time. Events will be an obvious opportunity for Clubhouse conversations that position your experts as thought leaders in your respective field. But beyond that, brands won’t need the excuse of an industry event to put on conversations on world changing topics. All they’ll need is their experts, flip on the switch to open a Clubhouse room, and boom, it’s time to talk to your audience, live.
But the larger story is that brands need to take audio communications seriously. Places like Clubhouse are where the next thought leaders will be born. It’s where the most important conversations in your industry will happen. It’s the place not only where you’ll want your company to be, but be leading.
Maybe your company might not have an audio communications strategy in place, or maybe it’s time to retune it. The good news is that it’s not too late to have one, and to have it make an impact. The podcast industry is still growing, and Clubhouse is just in its infancy and offers a rare opportunity to get in early. That’s often the best time to join in, when users are still trying to figure this thing out!
In other words, don’t be afraid to join in on the conversations happening here. Whether it be webinars, podcasts, Clubhouse, and what’s to come tomorrow, there is no shortage of ways to engage and build your brand in the audio realm. Otherwise, you may risk getting left out of the club.
