OK, enter the Rumeurs d ' Twitter acquisition and the Monetization news from creators , that's a pretty big one social media marketing news week for Clubhouse. But even with all the fanfare, is Clubhouse now relevant to you or to current data from digital marketing strategy ?
Honestly, no.
Even though Clubhouse continues to be a smash hit, my answer is no. Stories like this, in theTogether they annoy me because they distract brand managers and digital marketers like you from what you should be working on.
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If you are an avid Clubhouse user, I want you to put your forks away momentarily and listen to me. There's a very specific reason why I feel so deep about it, but let's start by talking about how we got here.
First, what's going on with Clubhouse?
To start our story together, I have to take you for a second behind my velvet curtain. Before yesterday afternoon, it was the meat of my opening to this article:
You see, originally this little song was going to be about the fact that Clubhouse - the social interaction network hasudio - let everyone know he will be offering monetization features to creators on the platform.
Apparently, however, in addition to being a digital marketing content creator, I am an assistant with revealing abilities fortune telling. Within mo to switch from the above copy with this little flashback to a transition from the 1990s to 2000s ...
... this fortuitously timed post came roaring over our internal Slack channel for the latest industry news as I sat down at my desk to conclude my article:
That's right, two major updates were released this week on the latest social media darling on the internet.
1 . Clubhouse Creators Can Now Charge Money
As I mentioned before, although still in its infancy, the Clubhouse team made the somewhat surprising decision to 'go ahead and offer monetization opportunities to creators :
Clubhouse also stated that it would nottake a share of those tips for the creators. On top of that, it was announced that this was just the first of a line of features to be released that will allow creators to be paid for their contributions by their audiences.
2. Twitter wanted Clubhouse for $ 4 billion and failed (maybe)
That's right, according to a Bloomberg scoop that dropped yesterday afternoon , Twitter spoke with Clubhouse at take over the nascent social network for $ 4 billion (following a similar rating from discussions on the investor funding ) ... but these talks have since failed:
Is it really that surprising?
The answer to that The question should be "no " and here is why:
- Again my beef (coming soon) aside, it is clear that a lot of people and thought leaders and other influencers love Clubhouse. In a world of social media dominated by written texts, photos and videos, the audio-only approach has captured the imaginations of the world, which cannot be denied.
- Unsurprisingly, it was rumored that Facebook was creating its own "Clubhouse-esque " feature (married to parts of Instagram Live) which is now known as the name of "Hotline And then Twitter tried to do the same with something called d "Spathese.
In short, Clubhouse has clearly struck a nerve and - for now, at least - it looks like this "live, audio-only " is approaching Social media is seen as having the potential to be the next "Stories " feature ... that everyone (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) shamelessly stole from Snapchat not that long ago.
What about monetizing creators?
Overall the response has been positive from personalities, opinion leaders and personal brands, including from a friend of IMPACT Brian Fanzo :
But as I was hanging out on Twitter and other online spaces I kept noticing something . Yes, people were really excited about the Clubhouse, but more for the individual, rather than an opportunity for the brands.
Even Fanzo above makes the nNote in his thread, "Creator> Brand. And this is something that jumped on me from the start - which brings me back to where I started.
This Clubhouse designer focus is awesome!
And that's also why I consider this to be more noise than substance for most businesses right now. Those currently looking to drive traffic, leads and sales with a proven digital marketing strategy - be it content marketing , They ask, answer you , or something else.
What really is the opportunity with Clubhouse?
So I know more than a few of you (including a few people I adore) have lots of feelings about me stating that Clubhouse is distraction and noise ... more specifically, feelings like:
" Liz, this is a bad take. Like, you are a beautiful marketing sunflower and I love you, but ... you are wrong and never have been wrong.
Here is the thing, folks. If you agree with the above sentiment- on it I want you to know we are both straight t.
You are right that there is something about Clubhouse . What the future holds, who knows, but I agree with you that it is worthy of conscience and understanding.
And, fora certain group of people, strategic attention.
That being said, I'm also right that digital marketers and SME business owners should be aware of this. , and also not putting any energy or strategic strategy into it at this point in time.
I say this for several reasons:
- As I As noted above, there is a clear bias towards designers rather than brands. The Clubhouse is a fascinating place for individual personalities to flourish, collaborate with other individual personalities, and more.
- Additionally, when you calibrate your efforts around, for example, a B2B digital sales and marketing strategy with a specific service area - for example, a supplier IT department in the Baltimore area- I doubt that Clubhouse hits the density / volume of ideal buyers you are trying to reach who will make the effort you put into a unique content strategy is worth it.
Brands Don't Really Win at the Clubhouse
Plus, when you get past influencers, thought leaders and bold personalities, brands that stand out from the crowd. are mingled with the Clubhouse (those with traffic, leads and sales goals) are still rather lukewarm, even if they see promised ...
And here's another one:
Additionally, top brand leaders have indicated that they prefer tested platforms and larger (like Twitter and Facebook) with a proven and robust infrastructure. Social giants able to pivot when neededchanges, improvements, etc.
Again, while Clubhouse is promising, the overarching themes I see from companies on which to rely on their digital strategies to deliver is that it's too small, too no. tested. It does not operate on a company scale in terms of efficiency, experience and returns needed to make it a safe bet in a marketing strategy.
Look at the Clubhouse, but don't set a move-in date
It's the moral of the story here for you business owners and managers. digital marketers integrated into millions of SMEs around the world.
There is clearly something to the social live audio approach. Something that will turn Clubhouse into a giant in its own right, a profitable acquisition for one of the other big players, or something that goes out of town when the big guys integrate the audio features.that people love in their tested platforms.
🔎 Associated resources: There may also be paid opportunities in the future, which will be a massive opening for good companies.
Of course, you might already be a big enough brand right now when some of your top experts don'twind have the opportunity to forge human bonds through Clubhouse. If so, so much the better! If you have room for experimentation, as well as trial and error, enter it.
However, unless you're reading this and are an opinion leader with time, the desire to experiment as as a pioneer, and the validated knowledge that your audience will be interested in meeting you there, your only actions should be:
- Profit as a consumer, if opinion leaders that you love are there.
- Keep an eye on how it grows and evolves, either on its own or as features of platforms you are already using as part of your strategy.
Otherwise, stay focused on the tactic that you know will move the needle ( income generating content , company videos that get results , etc.) ... for now.
