Should beauty brands be embracing Clubhouse, and if so, why?
The steady stream of new social media platforms makes it challenging for brands to identify which ones offer the most value and where they should invest their time and money
In the Club(house)
Clubhouse is an invite-only audio platform; there isn’t any text (beyond the name of the event), and there aren’t any images. Instead, there are open ‘rooms’ where members can listen in on conversations, debates or presentations in real time. Sound voyeuristic? It feels a bit like that too…
Users can choose to open a room, either by themselves or with others, or listen to discussions in other rooms, where they can raise their hand to ask a question or share their input on a subject. From what we can see there is very little, if any, moderation. While this can help to promote dialogue and spawn innovation, members should be prepared for the good, the bad and the ugly — and everything in between.
What value does Clubhouse offer beauty brands?
Imagine you’re a skincare brand that focuses on education, communication and community building among your customers and potential customers. Before the outbreak of Covid-19 you may have hosted customer events in-store or at a venue where you moderate panelled discussions. Clubhouse offers the same format in its virtual rooms. Brands just need to create a room, bring in their chosen speakers, and host the event in the digital sphere.
So far, so great. Frustrations arise when you’re restricted to inviting just the people who are already using Clubhouse. Members are currently given just two invites so that chosen friends/colleagues can download the app and become a member.
The lack of moderation is another concern. While some rooms are hugely informative and offer an inclusive environment for progressive thinking, as well as an excellent opportunity for brands to connect with their audiences, there are inevitably rooms where the content doesn’t resonate with your own world views.
As with all embryonic social media platforms, this new kid on the block needs some fine-tuning, but that hasn’t stopped an influx of celebrity users including Oprah and Elon Musk.
Should beauty brands investigate Clubhouse?
Companies in the sector should certainly keep Clubhouse firmly on their radars. The app has the potential to be an excellent platform for beauty brands to host events and interact with their customers. Currently the talks aren’t recorded but perhaps that will change in the future. Only time will tell whether the platform has staying power.
How to make your social media work
Clubhouse is just the latest in an array of social media platforms. Some are resilient and go from strength to strength as they evolve. Others prove to be a triumph of style over substance.
We know it can be a challenge to cultivate an effective plan for social media, understanding what content works best where, and being clear about how your customers and potential customers want to communicate with you and, ultimately, how to convert that engagement into sales.
This is why Mediablaze has developed a free Social Media Health Check so that, together, we can navigate the fundamentals of social media best practice and highlight areas of potential in your own social strategy. Do get in touch.