How Small Business Owners Can Best Utilize the Clubhouse App for Their Digital Marketing Strategy – Jasmine Black of Brainchild Consulting

The pandemic of 2020 has thrust digital strategies to the forefront of how everyday business is conducted. Savvy companies are taking full advantage of opportunities to advance their digital footprint. Last summer, that nascent social media app Clubhouse had just a few thousand users, mostly Silicon Valley tech workers and venture capitalists who wanted to connect with one another during the pandemic. Today, it has millions of users, a valuation of roughly $1 billion, and a ton of buzz around it.

On this week’s episode of The Playbook, host Mark Collier, business consultant for the UGA Small Business Development Center, is joined by Jasmine Black, the founder and CEO of Brainchild Consulting. Jasmine is an early adopter of the Clubhouse platform, and she’s going to share how small business owners can best utilize this powerful new social media tool.

Transcription: 

Mark Collier:
Welcome into The Playbook, Jasmine.

Jasmine Black:
Thank you so much. I’m glad to be here.

Mark Collier:
All right. Listen, Clubhouse has created such a stir. I hear about it for my clients. I hear about it on social media, but a lot of people don’t know much about it, including myself. So let’s start on the fundamentals. How exactly does Clubhouse work and what is it?

Jasmine Black:
Okay. So at its very base, it is a social audio app, and it’s audio only. So unlike today, when you log into clubhouse, you don’t have to worry about so many of the other things that are distractions on social media. You don’t have to worry about the perfect photo, the perfect pitch, the perfect lighting.

Mark Collier:
The perfect outfit.

Jasmine Black:
The perfect outfit, the perfect hair. It’s really more about just you and what you are sharing and providing value. So that’s what it is at its base. At its core, it was developed, as you mentioned, by folks out in Silicon valley. And because the nature of the app, I like to say, it’s six degrees of Kevin Bacon. You actually have to be invited on. And the person that invites you has to personally know you and they have to have your telephone number so they can text it to you.

Jasmine Black:
Because of that, it brings on communities and groups of people. So, that first wave of folks that join the app were really in that Silicon Valley tech arena. After that came venture capitalists, after that came West Coast real estate. And there are so many industries that have come on the app ever since. It’s really, really neat and a wonderful place to network and engage.

Mark Collier:
All right. Businesses are all about value and the bottom line. So share with me, how does Clubhouse deliver value to its business users?

Jasmine Black:
So, so many times when folks start a small business, they start with the dream and they start with everything that they want to accomplish. But oftentimes don’t think about how do we fund this? Because of this for startups, I love industries that enable you to leverage your intellectual property, your effort, or your personal passions. So Clubhouse allows you to do just that. And because it’s a social media app, it’s free to join, it’s free to engage. And so it’s the type of platform where you’re able to derive as much out of it as you put into it.

Mark Collier:
Well, you mentioned the key operative term for small businesses as capital, because that’s the lifeblood of all small businesses. So if you’re able to leverage those other capabilities on the Clubhouse platform, that may attract some capital. Who knows?

Jasmine Black:
Absolutely.

Mark Collier:
All right. So what types of small businesses use a Clubhouse platform? We can begin with that as well?

Jasmine Black:
Great question. And one of the great things about the platform is you find businesses in all different phases of the business life cycle. So you’ll find large groups of hopeful entrepreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs. And those people are really listening to some of the more seasoned business owners. Some of the greats. Grant Cardone is one that his name rings a bell as one that is consistently on the platform.

Mark Collier:
Interesting. So there’s a mentorship component to it?

Jasmine Black:
Exactly.

Mark Collier:
Good deal.

Jasmine Black:
And so then you may have businesses that I mentioned before that are in the early stages, but that can really benefit from developing some influence and authority in the market, building that awareness. So they’re able to use the platform for free.

Jasmine Black:
And then finally, you’ve got larger brands and corporations, which are able to host rooms, host conversations, and really impact from a grassroots level, the public perception of their brand.

Mark Collier:
All right. Well, I like that, that they’re inclusive. What I like to term, they take on businesses from the newlywed to the nearly dead.

Jasmine Black:
I love that.

Mark Collier:
All right. So I’m a brand new business, I want to get started on Clubhouse. What are some initial steps that I need to take to make that happen?

Jasmine Black:
Absolutely. So shameless plug, what I’m going to say, the first thing you do is come connect with me.

Mark Collier:
I love it. Brainchild Consulting.

Jasmine Black:
Brainchild Consulting. Brainchild on Clubhouse. And I am consistently on doing just what I mentioned those other folks are doing, sharing that consistent value. We do that for free. But one of the best they can do is determine, number one, what is my purpose on the app? Am I here to again, create awareness? Am I here to engage? Or am I here to convert and close sales?

Mark Collier:
So that strategy.

Jasmine Black:
Strategy.

Mark Collier:
You’ve got to find out what do you want to do? What are your goals?

Jasmine Black:
Exactly.

Mark Collier:
All right.

Jasmine Black:
Second step is creating your system, figuring out, because Clubhouse can be a really big, wide open place. Where do I start? Where do I go? Once you’ve determined your audience, if you will, the last thing you need is a bio and an introduction so that you can let people know who you are, what you do, who you serve, and why you do it.

Mark Collier:
All right. So one thing I’ve heard, it’s a rumor. I don’t know if it’s true. I hear a Clubhouse cannot be used on the Android platform. Hopefully that’s going to change in the future. And give me the history. Why did they start it out as an Apple only platform?

Jasmine Black:
Great question. So I’m happy to announce, while it used to be true, it’s no longer. So now it is open to Android. There’s still a waiting list though. So anyone that is not able to get into the app because they don’t have an invitation, Android or Apple can reach out to me directly. And I have a special way to get them ahead of the line.

Mark Collier:
Ah-ha, so you’re one of the early adopters, you have favorite status with them?

Jasmine Black:
I do have favorite status.

Mark Collier:
So market segmenting. It’s a big deal. So are there opportunities for specific market segments, minority companies, women owned businesses, student owned businesses. Are there different segments that have opportunities there, and talk to me a little bit about that.

Jasmine Black:
Absolutely. And I think the best way to answer that is to marry your question about ROI. So as I mentioned, Clubhouse, to me, does the big three. It helps boost your income, your influence, and your authority. All right. So who are the businesses that need influence and authority to generate income? Typically that’s subject matter experts. So speakers, influencers, brands, coaches, specifically coaches, and that runs the spectrum from business, to wellness, to career, to tech.

Jasmine Black:
The last thing that I’ll say, there is a huge tech community. So digital trends, digital marketing. Because the barriers to entry are so low, the cost to entries are so low, it’s a huge, huge target point for minority business owners and small business owners that are bootstrapping.

Mark Collier:
Okay. So any additional tips, tricks that businesses should be deploying to maximize a Clubhouse experience? Give me a few.

Jasmine Black:
I’ll give you a few. Number one is to be intentional. Again, know why you’re there. You can get lost on the app for hours. There are stories of rooms going on for days and days. You don’t want that to happen to you if that’s not going to be profitable for your business. So be intentional, have a plan, and have a schedule, and then reach out to me. I have a club it’s called the Master in Monetization club.

Mark Collier:
Mastering Monetization club.

Jasmine Black:
Mastering Monetization.

Mark Collier:
And that is a specific room on Clubhouse?

Jasmine Black:
So it’s a specific community. So it’s a community that I’ve developed for subject matter experts in those areas that I mentioned that want to learn how to leverage Clubhouse as well as other social audio apps to increase that influence, income and authority that I mentioned. And so we do that through that community and we also provide networking opportunities, because again, this app is global and it’s really bringing the brightest minds from all over the world. So it’s a great place to be.

Mark Collier:
That’s interesting. You mentioned something global. So is it available in other languages besides English?

Jasmine Black:
Very good question. Yes, it is. And there are large, large communities that I’ve been able to interact with. So there’s a huge presence from Canada, from the UK, from India, Nigeria and Morocco.

Mark Collier:
Okay. Now cost, is there a cost associated with it? Are there certain levels within the platform? Some are free, some have costs associated with them. Talk to me a little bit about that.

Jasmine Black:
So Clubhouse is my favorite platform because the only cost is your sweat equity. To me, that’s one of the best returns you can get.

Mark Collier:
How do they make money?

Jasmine Black:
Great question. Again, by having those systems in place, but the primary thing you need is a core offer, your target market, and again, that system of how you’re going to bring and deliver value and solve an existing problem.

Mark Collier:
Okay. All right. Want to shift gears just for one minute here. Obviously, you’re a Clubhouse subject matter experts. So what are some of the other services that your consulting firm offers?

Jasmine Black:
Absolutely. So we are a full service marketing agency and I specialize in digital marketing. Obviously social media, things like LinkedIn, Instagram, and obviously Clubhouse are my favorites. But I think you queued into something earlier, which is the bottom line is strategy. All of these different advertising mediums, they still have this same underlying marketing theory, marketing processes and marketing strategies. They’re just being deployed through different mediums.

Mark Collier:
Understood. Jasmine Black, founder and CEO of Brainchild Consulting. This has been very enlightening for me. Knew nothing about Clubhouse. Now I’m almost a subject matter expert after my engagement with you. But thank you so much for taking the time to come in and share all about the Clubhouse. Hopefully, my viewers will take your advice and not only get on Clubhouse, but reach out to you as well.

Jasmine Black:
Hopefully they do. And another shameless plug. I’ve got a place for them to go. Tell them to meet me on Clubhouse at meetmeonclubhouse.com.

Mark Collier:
I love it.

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