Our first ‘Mental Fitness pow wow by BEAM’ Clubhouse session gave us insights into activating engagement on the breakthrough social networking app.
Is the world ready for another app if it claims digital fatigue brought on by too many virtual catch-ups?
BEAM explored the hype of the audio-only networking app, Clubhouse, that took the world by storm with its two million installs in the first week of February 2021.
What we like about Clubhouse is that it is relatively easy to use. Users can instantly access live conversations across various topics and their respective communities in one single platform for free.
Unlike podcasts, there is no pressure on subscribing or having Wi-Fi access strong enough to download massive files. With good data connectivity, the sound quality on Clubhouse is as good as any decent radio broadcast.
We hosted our first ‘Mental Fitness pow wow by BEAM’ Clubhouse session on 10 February. Although we were uncertain if our session would be of interest to listeners, we decided that a 12-minute session at 10 am may not be a big ask of busy schedules. Once we familiarised ourselves with the Clubhouse’s guidelines, we were ready to go after deploying a couple of social media awareness posts.
Here are three insights we gained from our session:
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
1. Be open-minded, engaging and let conversations flow
Like live events or any live social media chat, friends and foes will come and go during your session. Besides preparing the topic you are passionate about, it is essential to prepare your ego so that if the moderator and speakers are not engaging or relevant, people have every right to join another chat room or even start their own. So, be ready to tailor the content as you go and let it flow if you want to attract a sizable audience.
As part of your engagement strategy, ensure that your chat room allows listeners to “raise their hands” (one of the app’s functionalities) to speak. Be open and listen to another’s perspective instead of focusing on just driving the conversation. Of course, there are always psychos (okay, disruptive people) on every platform. Work the app’s UX design to your advantage because listeners cannot activate their mics. Never be afraid to deploy a swift yet diplomatic response by removing an inappropriate speaker off the “stage”.
Photo by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash
2. Cost-effective content production tool
Adopt a realistic strategy for Clubhouse. Keep things simple and don’t go into tactical overdrive that could lead to disappointments. Listeners are relatively forgiving because everyone is still learning how this platform works.
Don’t be the expert if no one wants your expertise. The most important thing is to focus on solving listeners’ problems instead of using your chat as a self-glorifying “I am an expert so listen to me” kind of session. Believe you me, no one has time for experts that could not solve their problems – even if you are famous.
Compared to filming an interview or recording a podcast, the cost is low when producing meaningful content on this platform that millions of people can access. Savvy session titles and clickbaits can command the crowd, make sure that the content is equally captivating if you care about your reputation.
Finally, choose the right time zones for the right target audience if you take Clubhouse as one of your omnipresence objectives seriously.
Photo by Samantha Sophia on Unsplash
3. Get your posse and their posse ready
If speaking live gives you the jitters, know that it takes time and practice to accumulate confidence. The first step is not to give a crap about what others think of you. Just be authentically you. If still in doubt, re-read the second point – the session is not really about you unless you share lessons from your life experience. Even then, the focus should be on how your content is benefiting your listeners.
You may know by now that Clubhouse is an invitation-only app at the moment. Now and then, you are allowed to invite three persons to join the platform. Perhaps before giving the passes away freely, ask if the recipients can be your Clubhouse posse for your next three sessions.
It is essential to gather your posse and their posse at your session to back you up, especially against psychos. Have them as co-moderators or speakers to value-add to your talking points. Whilst they are speaking, it allows you to see who is in your chat room. Follow and connect with them after your session. If your session gathers a big crowd (a big congrats but don’t gloat!), screenshots of the listeners will be your best reminder of your follow-up actions.
P.S. – Our breathing and ‘chin-up’ (tilting head) exercise at our first Clubhouse session was well received. 90 per cent of our listeners felt that 12 minutes was too short (yay! They wanted more!) and we will look into increasing our duration to, perhaps, 20. Now, be a trouper and share this article with your posse.
Article hero photo by William Krause on Unsplash