Summary List PlacementDespite being invite-only, Clubhouse has had 3.4 million downloads on Apple’s App Store since it launched there in October, 2.2 million of which have been since January.
Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have both made rare public appearances to speak on the audio-only social media platform, where people drop into “rooms” to hear speakers discuss everything from local politics to the stock market.
Read more: I caved and tried Clubhouse, a 10-month-old startup with a $1 billion valuation. I’m not sure I’ll use it, but at least now I get what all the fuss is about.
Entrepreneurs are touting it as the latest way to grow your business and audience.
But Clubhouse’s unique format could make it daunting. Its users don’t share text or images beyond their bios and profile pictures, so experience on other social media won’t necessarily help you get by.
Four entrepreneurs told Insider in their own words how they get the most out of the platform for their businesses.Lovelda Vincenzi
If you want more high-quality leads, you need Clubhouse.
There are no places to hide. It’s you, your voice and your ability to captivate an audience without gimmicks. Clubhouse accelerates the time it takes for people to know, like and trust you, drastically reducing the time it takes for someone to go from meeting you to buying from you.
In just a few weeks, I’ve used Clubhouse to get speaking engagements, podcast interviews, clients, discovery calls, new friends as well as business advice that’s saved me time and money.
The platform values moderators who set up their own rooms, so I focused on creating rooms that add value.
Q&A rooms have worked best for me. I share high-value content for 10 to 15 minutes on topics such as “How to Find Speaking Engagements”. Then I open the floor for questions from the audience.
It doesn’t stop there. Everyone in the room gets a freebie. They simply have to send me a DM on Instagram to get access. As well as growing my list, it also allows me to explore how else I can help them.
This approach alone has created a consistent flow of new clients and quality leads.
Niraj Kapur
I run a business, support several charities and have a family, so I’m ruthless with my time. Therefore, I ignored Clubhouse at the beginning. It was only when clients told me I should join, that I did.
The first few days are addictive, going from room to room, eager to speak and watching people jump too quickly to set up their own rooms.
While many moderators tried to sell their services and asked listeners to give a 45-second pitch each (which are usually awful), I shared my techniques and strategies on LinkedIn, sales and mindset that work in modern business.
I was then invited to bigger Clubhouse Rooms. I never say: “Buy my products.” I help people with their challenges and recommend they connect with me on LinkedIn if they want to learn more.
After every talk, my LinkedIn profile is buzzing with connection requests. I’ve gone from 5,910 followers to 7,609 followers in less than five weeks. That’s 339 followers a week.
I engage with those who send personal messages on LinkedIn since you can’t send private messages yet on Clubhouse. I ask questions like “what did you learn and when will you take action?”
Once they tell me what they want, I share resources and follow-up a week later on the phone. For every 10 people I do this with, six speak to me a week later. Some have no budget and others are understandably nervous given the current economic climate.
So far, in the last fortnight I’ve won two clients for LinkedIn training and one for sales coaching which is worth £4,500 ($6,135). That’s additional revenue to my business. Over the year, that is worth a lot.
Liana Fricker
Don’t get wrapped up in the hype. Find small rooms where you can network with interesting people around common interests.
Unlike other social networks, “followers” don’t have the same value on Clubhouse.
The app is driven by a social graph determined by who you follow, so it’s important to follow a diverse list of people and active clubs to ensure the best experience on the Hallway, the main feed that appears when you open the app.
Attend the larger conference-style events to learn from thought leaders that, in the old world, you would have had to jump on a plane to hear speak.
If you’re feeling jaded with Instagram or Facebook groups, starting your own Club can help you grow an audience around your brand or area of expertise.
Tom Brooks
For me, it was an easy decision to get started on Clubhouse. As a tech entrepreneur, I’m used to working with customers’ interaction with the product and their feedback.
Launching a travel business during the COVID lockdown seriously limited the volume of feedback to work with. Clubhouse has offered this new opportunity to close the feedback and test ideas with real people.
I run a weekly room with Tushar Agarwal, co-founder and CEO at Hubble, on “Work from Anywhere – Is this a long-term trend?”.
It’s a super interesting way to speak to our customers and understand their appetite for Yon and their concerns on travel and remote-working post-COVID. The group idea sharing and open-debate create an entirely new dynamic. Anyone can pop into the room and come up on stage to question you.
If you’re thinking of running your own room, get a good variety of speakers on and open up to the crowd for a Q&A to bring in new ideas. Keep sessions no longer than 60 minutes to keep the conversations fresh. It will allow you to add more value and test new ideas in the next session.
Make the most of sessions you run. It’s also good to have some of your own network in the room. Share the event link on your social media in advance and ping your network into the room when your session goes live.
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