To Clubhouse or not to Clubhouse – how to act when a new social media appears

How should one act when a new social media enters the playfield? Are there rights and wrongs? And do you really need to be first to find an audience and have an impact? We turn to Spoon’s creative director and social media expert Linus Lindskoog for some insights.

Hi Linus, let’s start off with the big question. How should a company act and engage with a new social media?
“You should start by asking yourself what kind of value your presence will add to you and your audience? Could it simply be that you are feeling that you must be there since everyone else is? The thing about these platforms is that you don’t need to be on all of them. Even though the platform’s service is free, your time and effort is not.”

There are two reasons to Clubhouse big breakthrough in Sweden, according to Linus Lindskoog. Firstly, you need to have an invitation, which triggers a major FOMO for a lot of tech-savvy people in media. Secondly, Clubhouse’s audio-chat technique has the resemblance of a water-cooler conversation. A common workplace phenomenon that has been sorely missed during the pandemic.

What are the benefits of being among the first to adopt a new media?
“If you are quick to adopt a new trend and media you have a possibility to become a strong voice on that platform. What you do and say can then set the tone for others to come and you might be able to influence the media itself.”

Are there any benefits of taking a step back before plunging in?

“When looking at it historically you can see that it’s all about timing. The earliest ones on the channel aren’t always the ones who succeed. It is rather the ones who have the ability to observe, analyze and find the value. By taking a step back you can get an understanding of the platform, how it works and how you should act.”

There is, of course, a balance to getting ready. If you wait for too long you’ll miss the opportunity. Lindskoog’s advice can be summed up in three steps: observe, draw conclusions and try out your thesis pretty quickly. After that you can stop to reflect and tweak. Repeat this cycle until you feel comfortable with your content and the direction it is heading.

New social media services tend to be free, from the start. The developers often want to build a solid userbase before they start experimenting with monetization. What are the advantages to be onboard before that happens?

“It’s much easier to get organic growth when the userbase is small. That’s a fact for most social media. Until the monetization starts the users themselves are the product.”