Clubhouse is about to develop an Android version of the app. Are sellers ready with their marketing strategies?

Clubhouse, a voice chat social software launched in March 2020, has remained popular in recent months. According to App Annie data, Clubhouse doubled in just half a month from February 1 to mid-February, and global downloads soared directly from 3.5 million to 8.1 million!

As of now, the application is only available to iPhone users who have received an invitation , but according to a report by CNBC on the 23rd, Clubhouse has hired Android software developer Mopewa Ogundipe to develop the Android version of the app . In this way, Clubhouse’s goal of expanding its user base is self-evident.

In addition, according to the digiday website, Clubhouse has about 2 million active users per week . In addition to business leaders such as Musk and Zuckerberg who have voluntarily participated, Clubhouse has also launched a "Creator Funding Program" to attract more active content creators. Currently, it is cultivating more than 40 creative talents.

Therefore, for now, Clubhouse’s influence as a social media platform is still relatively limited, but it does provide advertisers with the necessary conditions for promotion, namely, a group of influencers gathered here.

So for sellers, how should the marketing potential of Clubhouse be developed?

Unlike other social networks, Clubhouse is created based on audio interaction . Users can join "chat rooms" with different topics and conduct group discussions at will . At present, there are no special paid marketing methods developed on the platform for marketers to choose.

Although free is a good thing, it also poses a considerable challenge to marketers’ own thinking. There is currently no “standard answer” on how to use the platform and how to use it to best effect.

A relatively simple and safe marketing method at present is to cooperate with influencers on Clubhouse to "control" the conversation objects and topics in the room, as well as the rhythm of the chat content. At the same time, this "chat room" may appear on the recommendation page of the Clubhouse application, thereby attracting more potential consumers to truly participate in real-time chats.

However, this marketing method also has certain risks. Ordinary users may not be able to accept such a "hard advertisement" form . In addition, Sydney Busby, director of content strategy at the US marketing agency Wunderman Thompson , said in an email that Clubhouse seems to be taking measures to prevent this marketing method . Moreover , Clubhouse and its users attach great importance to the element of transparency, and users have been reporting businesses suspected of multi-level marketing to the platform.

Busby believes that Clubhouse is expected to continue to release relevant system updates to enable the user community to "cleanse" itself, and is considering adding a badge rating system for chat room moderators. She warned: "Marketers may need to realize that Clubhouse is not the friendliest place to convey information on behalf of brands at the moment."

So besides this, are there any other marketing methods?

Before Valentine's Day on February 14 this year, Burger King's parent company RBI invited company executives to hold a company performance discussion in a public "room" in Clubhouse , which successfully gathered a large number of "listeners" and also played a role in promoting the brand in disguise.

Moreover, RBI's chief communications officer Duncan Fulton does not seem to agree with the idea of ​​Clubhouse hiring paid influencers. He believes that this will reduce the transparency and authenticity of voice chat content on the platform.

The longer brands can stay away from marketing gimmicks on the platform, the longer it will remain a powerful tool for conversation, he said .

Therefore, if sellers want to conduct brand marketing through Clubhouse, now may not be the best time. Sellers can wait and see, and open their minds to find the best and most creative marketing methods.

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