Why Small Businesses Should Join Clubhouse

MANY PEOPLE ARE asking, “What is Clubhouse?” Clubhouse is one of the latest social media platforms to emerge during COVID. It literally launched in March of 2020. Initially, it was for iOS users only, however as of May of 2021 it’s open to all mobile users. I tend to describe Clubhouse as a cross between talk radio and podcasts. You have “hosts” that “open a room” about a specific topic. The open “rooms” show in your “hallway.” You can browse your hallway and enter any room you would like to take part in. Once in the room, you can sit quietly in the “audience” and learn from the hosts and moderators, or you may raise your hand and ask to join the “stage.” Once on stage, you can contribute to the conversation. You also create a profile, you can link your Instagram account and/or Twitter account, you can follow specific people, gain followers, and there is a back channel where you can reach out and chat with anyone you’ve connected with.

I’m telling you there’s gold in those rooms in terms of real connections and the potential for actual business. I joined Clubhouse in February of this year and I can directly attribute more than $100,000 in revenue to connections I made in various rooms. Want to know how to do it? Here are five steps to turn Clubhouse into your next revenue stream.

STEP 1: Join Clubhouse. Before you do anything else, decide what you want to get out of it. Do you want to network, make sales, learn, or a mix of all of it? Take a good two weeks to just bounce around different rooms and get a feel for how the platform works. Get comfortable and raise your hand if you have something meaningful to contribute. If you want to use it for education, find the rooms that help you fill knowledge gaps. Want to learn about marketing? You can catch rooms with Grant Cardone. What about building seminars and mastermind groups? Kim Walsh Phillips hosts a room every week and is often jumping on stage in other rooms. Want to learn more and ask questions about Profit First? Yup, there are rooms for that. The beauty of Clubhouse is you have the opportunity to learn and ask questions from people you would otherwise never be able to get ahold of. There are even weekly rooms for screen printing, embroidery, and promotional products. Many of the experts right here within our industry host regular rooms and share valuable information to help grow your business.

STEP 2: Create a great profile. Just like your elevator pitch, you should have a profile that will grab someone’s attention within the first three lines. Take time to read other peoples’ profiles and see what makes you want to connect with them. You may even want to create two or three different profiles that you save in the notes section of your phone. Your profile is very quick and easy to change, so depending on the room you’re in at the time, you can grab the profile that’s most appropriate for the people surrounding you and change it on the fly. Don’t forget to connect your IG and Twitter accounts.

STEP 3: Find rooms that fit your niche and that you have experience and expertise in. As a military spouse, I hang out in a lot of rooms hosted by and for veterans, veteran service organizations, and military spouses. Visit the rooms frequently, contribute to the conversation, and start connecting with the regulars. Do not go on stage and start selling. That’s the quickest way to be shunned. But do offer your knowledge.

Here’s an example of how I captured an audience. I saw a room in the hallway titled “Military Veteran Podcasts.” I thought, “Hmmm, this might be interesting.” I was fixing dinner, so I put it on in the background. (That’s another hint – turn Clubhouse on during the day – kind of like listening to music.) One guest in the audience raised their hand and asked about online stores and providing merchandise for their podcast. The host did an okay job describing some basics about selling merch. I simply “raised my hand” and said, “Hey, this is exactly what I do for a living, and I would be happy to answer any questions anyone has,” and that was it. I didn’t sell, and I didn’t push. The host began to ask me questions and I provided very clear information. The pros and cons, the costs, the volume needed to sell online, etc. Within minutes I had 47 new followers, an inbox flooded with questions, and people asking me to call them. From those 47 followers, we connected and built eight online stores, and processed 30-plus bulk orders.

Advertisement

STEP 4: Join, follow, network, and nurture. Similar to a relationship on LinkedIn, give a little and receive a lot. The truth is, you’re the expert on how to use branded merchandise to market. I connected with a major Clubhouse player early in May. He was offering a mastermind group for $50 a month to help individuals build their brand and business. As a group, we would meet twice a week for an hour via Zoom. I thought, “Hey, why not? Let’s see what this is all about.” And because he has 97,400 followers on Clubhouse it was very unlikely I could get to speak with him through normal channels. So, I spent $50 and joined his group. I gave a little. Turns out his weekly group had about 25 people in it and I was able to chat with him directly on a weekly basis. To give me advice to grow he needed to know more and more about my business, so of course I told him more and more. Long story short, he and his organization are now customers. So, I gave a little – you might call it the cost of customer acquisition – and I gained a lot.

STEP 5: Host a room. Remember what I said above? You are an expert. Once you’re comfortable on the platform, host your own room. Come up with a catchy title, ask a friend or co-worker to help you moderate so you can focus on content, and step up to the stage.

To date, there are about 2 million active weekly users on Clubhouse. That sounds like a lot, but in the world of social media, those numbers are tiny! Want to mine some Clubhouse gold? Become an early adopter and jump in. I promise there’s no secret handshake you have to learn. Want to connect with me on Clubhouse or just check out my profile? You can find me at @wysw. I hope to pass you in the hallway and see you in a room soon!