Seven digital experts tell us about the social of the moment

"It is not enough that you are there, but that you have something relevant to say." We could encapsulate thus, in these few words, the nature and, why not, the future of ClubHouse, the brand new voice-only social network created by Paul Davison and Rohan Seth, which allows users to create "rooms" in which to converse with other users in real time. Considered to be an "exclusive" social (it is accessed by invitation and is currently available only on IOS), it immediately registered interest first in the United States and then worldwide. The landing of Elon Musk, the American mogul of Tesla and SpaceX, has only speeded up the process of spreading to other continents, making the app jump to second place of the most downloaded on the App Store within a few hours. Today thehype around this new social has grown so much that it has almost become a social phenomenon.

But how long will this clubhouse frenzy last? What are its most interesting features? How will it be able to evolve? We asked some of the top digital experts in Italy.

A social revolution

Clubhouse is literally changing the rules of the game and social fruition. For Giulio Nicoletti, CEO of Digital Innovation Days, the national event dedicated to the digital world and innovation at 360°, "the novelty of Clubhouse is not only in the choice of audio as a means of conveying the message as opposed to the visual and textual content of other social: it is also a matter of a different mode of consumption, which requires attention, time, and willingness to actively participate. On Clubhouse you can't just scroll quickly, you have to be there." Of the same opinion is Cristiano Carriero, brand journalist, Digital Pr and Co-founder of La Content Academy, as well as editor of Hoepli's Digital Marketing Pro series, for whom "it is a social that 'technically' is used differently. No scroll, no head down, hands free. It sounds like a small thing; it's not. Because this is also a small revolution."

Authenticity and networking, the strengths 

Many are the strengths of the social network. According to Esther Intile, event & account manager Ninja Marketing and a great user of the platform, "unlike other social networks, where externality and image seem to rule the day, ClubHouse is very real, authentic. On this social it is difficult to pretend: if you really have something interesting to say you emerge, otherwise if you have nothing to share, or you don't respect the timing, or you don't have listening skills, the social becomes penalizing for you as well."

Authenticity is perhaps the word that recurs most frequently among experts. "I think the real strength of Clubhouse," Carriero continues, "is that we are finally faced with a social that cannot be delegated. Let me explain: while Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and others are delegable to other people, who can filter and mediate communication, on Clubhouse this is not the case. The 'face' becomes the 'voice' and the voice is that of the journalist, the entrepreneur, the creator, the influencer. This principle, which cannot be changed, could make it-as a future vision-one of the most suitable social media for PR." And then, there is networking, the ability to network and build relationships. Gaetano Romeo, Growth manager, lecturer, and director of the "Digital Generation" series for the Maggioli Editore group, confesses how "having overcome an initial phase of skepticism, I immediately understood that we are in the presence of a very useful tool for networking, doing personal branding (the real one and done well), getting to know new professionals and creating new strategies and networks. I personally have launched a daily column called "let's network" and compare myself with colleagues, professionals, people interested in my work."

The time factor  

While the platform has many strengths, there is no shortage of weaknesses. Among them, there is certainly the time factor: in a society that goes a thousand miles an hour, carving out time to spend on the platform is a luxury for few. Luca La Mesa, Ambassador and SingularityU Italy Investor, social media strategist, honored by P&G Alumni Global among the "40 under 40" most deserving people worldwide, expresses himself on this very aspect: "It is an innovative social, but one that requires much more time than the others even just to understand the topic being discussed. On LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram it only takes a few lines to understand whether a topic interests us. On Clubhouse we should spend at least 5/10 minutes in a room to understand the discussion and whether the content is interesting." More critical is Francesco Agostinis, digital strategist, Facebook ads Expert, Top 5 Semrush Web Marketing Influencers in Italy: "I recognize the novelty and potential usefulness of the medium for personal branding, but at the same time social is too tied to connected users, who are less and less active in Italy. Also, it is too time consuming." Not to mention the volatility of information: when a room ends, there is no possibility of saving it or replaying it asynchronously. "I think it's good," Agostinis continues, "only for those who have time to waste. Instead, I invest time, and frankly, it seems wasted if those who follow me cannot listen back to what I explain or tell." It is one thing to have a chat about light topics, quite another to do in-formation or popularization. Yet, the future of Clubhouse, as La Mesa points out, lies precisely in the quality of its content.

Quality content and the role of creators 

"It is undeniable," dwells Matteo Pogliani, Digital Strategist and Influencer Marketing Specialist, Founder of the Italian National Influencer Marketing Observatory, Matteo Pogliani, how today's scenario is overwhelmingly returning to a focus on content, leaving aside that fame and notoriety taken, in past years, erroneously as the main drivers of influence. A trend exacerbated by pandemic and lockdown and the growing need of users for quality, usefulness, support. For these reasons and after first months of use I think that creators, as in almost all platforms, are essential elements for the growth of ClubHouse, credible and authoritative references with a strong propensity to communicate. Even more so in a social where quality is a must (if you have nothing serious to say you can hardly "cheat") and where, for now, presence can only be personal. I think creators will be an indispensable driver for ClubHouse, the "brands" that will influence attention and impact."

The future between brand, business and values

Speaking of brands, not a few companies have made their debut on the platform. In Italy alone, the baptism on ClubHouse has been Parmigiano Reggiano, Ikea Italia, FC Internazionale, and Peroni. The latter was the protagonist of the first branded room in Italy, organized by Ninja, on the occasion of Valentine's Day: "Inside the room," explains Esther Intile, " we commented on the marketing campaigns, including theirs, released on the occasion of the holiday. It was an important opportunity to listen to the public and interact with them." The experts' opinion on this aspect is unanimous: social is - and will be - an opportunity for brands to get closer to consumers and build a more direct and authentic relationship with them, but in the same way social will have to evolve, finding, also from this interest of brands, a push to grow and monetize. "Having worked in the past in a social network," Gaetano Romeo confirms, "I immediately understood that Clubhouse has a fairly defined business model and therefore monetizing will be quite easy. Think of a banner that appears, it shouldn't bother anyone." Of the same opinion is La Mesa, who sees the possibility of paid or sponsored rooms in the near future. But, again, there is a but. It will be a great opportunity for brands, as Carriero concludes, "as long as they know how to respect this principle: little intermediation, a lot of transparency." Once again, the difference will be the values, to be transmitted and shared. The greater the ability of brands and people to make their voices heard on topics and issues that customers care about, the greater the return, especially in terms of reputation. In the age of the human-to-human approach, Clubhouse may be the ideal platform to engage in this activity and consolidate one's Social Media Value.

he future of Clubhouse, then? It will be written by each of us, to the extent that we are able to share interesting and engaging content, to entertain, to inform and, why not, to educate. To posterity, or rather to us, the arduous judgment.

Annalisa Nastrini
Content coordinator Digital Innovation Days.