You might have seen a tweet about it or someone mentioning it in an Instagram story, but you might also be asking yourself – what exactly is Clubhouse?

Clubhouse is a fairly new player in the social media & networking space. It’s an audio-based social networking app that allows you to connect with people all over the world through the power of conversation. 

It launched in April 2020, but has only picked up in popularity over the past few months. It’s currently still in “beta” mode but there are millions of users on the app. Currently, Clubhouse is invite-only you probably know someone in your network who can connect you with an invitation to join.

Here’s how it works: people can host rooms on a topic of their choice, moderate panel-like discussions, and audience members can join in to listen, ask questions, and more. You can leave and join new rooms as you please! It’s a cool way to have access to conversations with people you might never find yourself in a physical room with (yes, there are celebrities, business leaders, and more incredible humans.) It’s really up to you on how you want to use it. There is value to all of the different ways of participating, and ultimately you have a choice in how you spend your time. 

Getting Started

Before you dive deep in strategizing, take some time to learn about the platform, join rooms with people you know, get used to the etiquette, check out how it works, and find the people you want to connect with. Exploring the app helps you figure out what you want to get out of the platform, then you can use that to start using it as a career tool 

Start by investigating the rooms that populate once you sign up – get a feel for them, and make sure to add your interests to your profile so that your feed is more tailored to you. Next, start following people – people you know personally, thought leaders you look up to, and anyone whose conversations you want to hear. You can turn on notifications (which you can customize) so that when those people are moderating a chat, you’ll know about it.

Before you start participating – make sure to fill out your Clubhouse bio, and connect your Instagram and/or Twitter account. This way, when people click on your profile, they know what you’re all about and can easily head to your social accounts  Hopefully in the future you’ll have the ability to link your website and LinkedIn too. This is a way to grow your audience on other platforms, but also potentially attract new clients and business. 

There are a few ways to use clubhouse and get the most out of your time on the app, as a professional or on behalf of your business (or where you work), and here are three ways to get the most of Clubhouse for your career.

1. Join Rooms That Are Speaking on Topics You Want to Learn About

You can use Clubhouse to simply discover and absorb information on topics you want to learn about. There’s a steady stream of great conversations happening that will teach you growth strategies, marketing, pitching yourself, and the list goes on.

For example, maybe you want to learn about influencer marketing and how to work with them to promote your small business. You can join groups and conversations that discuss influencer marketing, and you’ll likely come out with a lot of actionable ideas. The really cool thing is that people are having discussions you don’t see elsewhere because they have the right audience on Clubhouse. The conversations I’ve listened to about influencer marketing aren’t taking place to the same extent on Instagram or Twitter because the followers there aren’t necessarily the target.

Make sure to ask questions in these rooms! It’s a great opportunity to get specific questions answered, brainstorm ideas, and feel validated in the struggles you’re having. Also, by asking questions, you’ll gain the attention of the audience and moderators who will likely click on your profile and maybe even take it a step further and go to your Instagram and want to buy what you’re selling. 

2. Join Rooms Where You Have Value to Add

Another great way to utilize the platform is by participating in conversations and offering up advice and knowledge when you can. Sometimes, the moderators will keep you on stage because you added so much value to conversations.

This is also a great way to get yourself out there, pitch you and your business and build your name as a knowledgeable person in your area of expertise. Always make sure you introduce yourself to the audience and invite people to send you a DM if they have questions or want to connect. There are so many opportunities to take your Clubhouse connections to Instagram, your business, and create lasting valuable professional relationships. 

3. Host Your Own Rooms as a Thought Leader

One way to use Clubhouse is to host your own rooms, on topics that you want to discuss, and show your knowledge as a thought leader in your own right. Consider what kinds of rooms you could host that relate to your business/ and your experience. You can create rooms on anything – think about your business, the industry you work in, and see what comes to mind as topics you could discuss.

You could host conversations on trends, issues, opinions, fun topics that relate to your business or you think would allow for some great discussion. For example, maybe you have a clothing company. You could host chats on upcoming trends, or trends you wish would stay in 2020, and where you see the future of retail heading. Take it a step further and find friends, others in your industry, colleagues that might be interested in moderating the chat with you! The app is all about discussion, community and the more people you bring into the conversation, the more people you have access to (their communities.)

You can use the platform to collaborate with other individuals and business owners by hosting conversations that merge different areas of expertise into a really valuable conversation. For example, maybe you’re a business that has worked with influencers and you know someone who manages influencers. There could be a great opportunity to discuss both sides of the industry and bring a lot of knowledge to both influencers and businesses. This gives the audiences of the other speakers the chance to become interested in what you have to offer, and may decide to work with you or buy your products. 

By hosting rooms on topics that you’re knowledgeable in or are passionate about, people will begin to see you as an expert and become more inclined to find you on Instagram and look at opportunities to buy your products or services. 

Clubhouse is a great platform to connect with new audiences, engage in valuable discussions with like-minded individuals, promote your business and ultimately grow. Make sure to give it a try as a cutting-edge career tool, and put it to use as a way to engage with and learn from other industry leaders.

Are you looking for ways to grow your business? Work with Style Nine to Five’s Employer Services to get the right people noticing your brand so you can hire with confidence.

By Jenna Yeomans – Jenna is a freelance community manager and writer in Hamilton, ON with a passion for storytelling, creativity and supporting small businesses.

Feature Image: Adobe Stock