The Clubhouse App for Restaurants: What Is It and Why Is It Relevant
By Andrew Parr
Clubhouse is self-described as “The Social Audio App.” Hmm, still scratching your head? Do you remember the heyday of talk radio? If not, it was like this: a host and a person or two in the studio having a conversation, with people listening in on their radio, anxious to call the station to participate in the conversation. Well, Clubhouse is like that, except it is 100% digital, lives as an app on your phone, and gives you access to millions of conversations across countless topics and themes in “rooms” across the world. What’s more, you can enter and leave rooms as often as you like to explore more, new and different content. You can hang out in a room as a completely passive listener, or you can “raise your hand” to be “called on stage” and be an active participant in the conversation. Oh, remember, other than your profile picture, this is a completely audio app, so if you are suffering from severe video platform fatigue, fear not. Come as you are and not only can no one see you, they don’t expect to either.
Quoted from the Clubhouse website, “Clubhouse is a place for casual, drop-in audio chats. When you open the app, you can see “rooms” full of people talking and explore different conversations. It’s a place to meet with friends and new people around the world—to tell stories, ask questions, debate, learn, and have impromptu [or scheduled] conversations on thousands of different topics.” Additionally, Clubhouse is out of Beta, which means that you can be invited to join by someone who is already on Clubhouse, or you can simply download the app from the Apple App Store (for iOS users) or the Google Play Store (for Android users). Once you download the app, dig in and get going!
The reality is, right now, this is the place to be if you want to engage in conversations with thinkers that are leading the charge into the future. If you aren’t on Clubhouse, you are doing yourself a grave disservice. The voices of the future are speaking here right now.
Some key statistics to know as you begin to understand the value of Clubhouse to your brand:
Clubhouse has over 10 million registered users, and only launched in April of 2020. This popularity benchmark matches that of Instagram’s launch.
Over 18 million people have downloaded Clubhouse.
It also appears that the number of daily rooms has grown from 50,000 to half a million, which shows the explosive growth the platform has seen over the past few months. Clubhouse’s team now has 58 people compared to just eight back in January.
Clubhouse also revealed that the app has seen over 90 million direct messages being sent since they recently launched Backchannel, which lets users message others inside a room.
More importantly, the company claims that the average listener on Clubhouse now spends over an hour a day on the platform, an important metric from the user engagement perspective.
Further, Clubhouse claims that “a huge percentage of people don’t just listen, but actually talk,” on its platform.
Ways in which Clubhouse can benefit your brand:
Networking – joining and participating in conversations will connect you to others, help you recognize and understand industry trends, and capitalize on the collective shared wisdom of the community.
Position Yourself as an Industry Expert – Imagine being able to share your expertise with 10 million users across 500,000 daily rooms. More specifically, find your target audience, co-host rooms with others in the field and launch your own Club as well.
Virtual Events – You can bring in other experts or run an event focused on connecting directly to your audience. Did you just launch your new salsa to represent your brand? Bring in farmers to talk about the chilis, tomatoes, spices, and peppers you use. Let them help tell the audience your story about what is means to partner with them and the quality of the product.
Feedback – The power of real-time feedback from your audience is immeasurable. The ability to hear directly from your audience and immediately implement change expedites your ability to be agile and respond to your audience’s needs.
Investors – Yep, as you continue to perfect your pitch, which is really what we call “Tell Your Best Story (a program available through Best Served),” you may even attract the attention of potential investors who believe in your brand.
If you have read this and still aren’t bought in, you can find actual proof of concept by following Shawn Walchef, Founder of Cali BBQ Media (@shawnpwalchef) on Clubhouse. Shawn not only agrees with Best Served about the importance of every brand becoming its own media company, he and his team have gone out and done it. They host regular rooms on Clubhouse, and have a podcast called Digital Hospitality.
Digital media is dominant in the on-demand world we live in. People want streaming video services, groceries, and food when and where they want it. This was magnified during the pandemic and is a reality (not a trend) that will continue to grow. It is increasingly your obligation as a business owner to meet your audience where they are, and not the other way around.
To learn how to get set up on Clubhouse, check out another article by Best Served, “The 8 Steps to Get Set Up on the Clubhouse App.”
Andrew Parr, Best Served Creative’s CHO, is a restaurant and hospitality industry leader with over 25 years of experience including consulting, project management, restaurant operations and talent acquisition. His education includes a BA in Psychology and History from the University of Wisconsin along with a JD from Hamline University School of Law.
Andrew was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI, and currently resides in Denver with his wife Jody and their dog Cooper. Andrew is a Past President of the Board of Directors for the Scleroderma Foundation – Rocky Mountain Chapter.
