In just a few months, Clubhouse, a voice-based social platform, has taken the world by storm. It is reported that Facebook, Spotify and LinkedIn are also taking advantage of the social audio boom and plan to launch a voice communication function similar to Clubhouse, which shows that the competition in the voice social media market will become very fierce. There have been many articles on the Internet that debunk the reasons for Clubhouse’s rapid popularity (e.g. “hunger marketing” techniques, celebrity effect, etc.), so here are three challenges that Clubhouse is facing, as well as a few elements that Marketers should consider when designing a voice social marketing strategy.

Challenge 1: Major social media apps are vying to follow suit and seize the voice social media market

As early as the end of 2020, Twitter partially opened Twitter Spaces (a Clubhouse-like live voice chat room) to iOS users, and in March this year, a small number of Android users were the first to use it. Just like Clubhouse’s “Open Room” feature, Twitter users can open their own voice chat “Spaces” for other users to join. In addition, LinkedIn will allow users to set up multi-person chat rooms to exchange professional opinions, while Spotify plans to launch live audio conversations that will allow creators to interact with audiences, launch new albums and even perform live performances in real time.

Major social media apps have successively launched real-time voice functions comparable to Clubhouse, which has brought great challenges to Clubhouse. Currently, Clubhouse is only available for iOS users (Clubhouse is working on an Android version), but Facebook, Spotify and Twitter all have a large number of loyal users on both Android and iOS. In addition, public figures and famous Creators have amassed a large number of followers on their original Facebook or Twitter accounts. When Facebook and others launch the voice chat room function, it will easily snatch away Clubhouse’s celebrity users, making Clubhouse lose the blessing of celebrities. (Do you remember that the key to Clubhouse’s popularity in the first place was Elon Musk’s “talk” at Clubhouse?)

Challenge 2: Clubhouse’s “invitation-only system” is a double-edged sword

Clubhouse adopts an “invitation system”, allowing users to send a maximum of two invitation codes, which can be described as a “code” is hard to find. The “invitation-only system” creates a sense of mystery and a phenomenon that outstrips demand for Clubhouses, arousing people’s curiosity to find out, which is called “hunger marketing”. The invitation code has become a social symbol for individuals, as if not getting the invitation code is equivalent to their own poor popularity, so that everyone is eager to receive the invitation. However, the “invitation-only system” also limits the growth of Clubhouse users. Celebrities and content creators may consider not being able to reach a large number of users at Clubhouse and turn to platforms like Facebook and Twitter, which have huge user bases.

Challenge 3: Ephemeral content is Clubhouse’s second double-edged sword

Limited-time content is content that appears briefly and is automatically deleted within a limited time (IG Story is an example). Clubhouse does not have a recording function, and all discussions will not be “left behind” after the room is over. Under the psychology of information anxiety, people are afraid of missing any information and spend more time at Clubhouse. However, the fleeting nature of Clubhouse content not only makes it easy for users to miss out on great content, but also makes it difficult for users who join a room in the middle of the room to keep up with the discussion. In addition, Clubhouse content creators can’t build a voice content library in the same way that Youtubers build a video library, and in disguise, they have to invest more resources to keep opening rooms to expand their audience. Conversely, Clubhouse’s competitors such as Spotify and Twitter are intentionally adding a recording feature to the real-time voice exchange, allowing viewers to relive the creator’s content at any time. This is undoubtedly more appealing to both creators and audiences.

These are the challenges that Clubhouse is facing or will face. It’s worth mentioning that Clubhouse’s recent series of moves — including the launch of new features that allow users to provide financial support directly to creators, the development of an Android version of Clubhouse, and so on — indicate that Clubhouse is trying to retain creators and users and stay competitive.

Voice Community Marketing Strategy: 3 Elements to Consider for Marketers

1. Knowledge content can help a brand’s content marketing strategy

The “room” theme on Clubhouse is mainly knowledgeable, and many of the presenters and speakers are experts in their field. When designing a content marketing strategy, brands may consider inviting celebrities and experts to “talk” together to produce valuable content to build brand image. However, it’s important to note that Clubhouse content is limited-time, and your audience can only enter one room at a time, so it’s important to have a catchy room name, a celebrity guest, and a theme that is relevant to your audience’s concerns.

2. The cost of “opening a house” is low, but the return may not be high

Compared to making videos, placing ads on Facebook, etc., the cost of “opening a room” at Clubhouse is relatively low (of course, inviting KOLs or experts and preparing in advance will cost a lot of money). However, brands are currently unable to advertise their activities at Clubhouse, and it is very difficult to reach a large audience through Clubhouse alone. The level of “room” traffic depends on factors such as brand awareness, whether it is promoted through other channels (social media, email, etc.), and whether it can invite popular KOLs to participate. In addition, Clubhouse does not currently provide a recording function for brands to distribute recorded Clubhouse content on other platforms, and if the number of participants in the event is not satisfactory, it will be in vain.

3. Direct the “room” participants to other platforms to switch

Attracting a large audience by inviting celebrities to make noise is only the first step. After the “room” is over, whether you can direct guests to your social media platform and official website, and even convert them into customers. Clubhouse doesn’t allow you to insert a Call-To-Action button to direct listeners to other online platforms like Facebook posts do. To do this, you can encourage your audience to dig up more information on your brand’s social media and website during and at the end of your Clubhouse event. Also, while Clubhouse doesn’t have a recording feature, you can convert discussions into blogs, social media posts, and emails for follow-up promotion.

Social media apps are developing voice communication platforms and even adding other features (such as voice recording) to real-time voice communication. Clubhouse will continue to optimize and add new features in the face of strong competitors. It is still unknown what voice social media will look like in the future and what it will do. We will continue to update you with the latest information on voice social media.

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