There’s (another) social media revolution going on and it is really shaking things up. Although it is relatively new live audio chat is setting the social media streets alight. We should certainly have a conversation on live audio and the possibilities of its application to our businesses. Early market Clubhouse had the distinct disadvantage of being available to Apple devices only though it has announced it will launch on Android soon. This opened up space, no pun intended, for Twitter to launch its live audio chat feature, Spaces which though still experiencing technical difficulties is growing rapidly in popularity. With Facebook planning to enter the arena soon live audio is set for a huge boom. So keep reading to find out what all this means for you.
Live audio
Live audio chat rooms are quite similar to video-based meetings such as we have become accustomed to with Zoom and Microsoft teams. Where video is certainly great for the settings it has been used in there is an argument that a lot of the times video has been used where people are more into listening or where the visual aspect adds no value. So the added cost or drain of video for bandwidth wasn’t necessary for every conversation we wanted to have. Enter Clubhouse, probably not the first audio chat platform but the leader in the current movement. The room as they call it holds up to thousands of participants. It is initiated by a moderator who can then nominate speakers. That is the beauty of live audio as the moderator can open up the floor to listeners to pose questions or chime in on the discussions. The same principle applies to twitter’s spaces feature.
Clubhouse
The Clubhouse app has over 8 million downloads and that is no small achievement. The application has done very well and was the subject of a purchase bid from Twitter that was believed to be valued at US$4 billion. The app provides a wonderful experience with chats being smooth and stable. Its major disadvantage is being exclusive to Apple devices and that severely limits what would’ve otherwise been an amazing growth trajectory. Clubhouse allows creators to receive payment and create private discussion rooms. They finally announced they would be rolling out to Android devices and expect to go live this week. They have also announced a monetisation system and the ability to create private rooms.
Spaces
Twitter, which was and may still be interested in acquiring Clubhouse launched their own version which they call spaces. Spaces unfortunately are not as stable in terms of functionality. However, spaces have the distinct advantages of firstly building on top of existing infrastructure ie; the Twitter accounts that people and businesses have been building for years. Spaces also have the advantage of automatically being available to all Twitter users who are on Android and iOS devices. Though they are yet to introduce privacy and payment possibilities like Clubhouse.
Facebook joining the party
Facebook has plans underway to join the live audio party. Facebook’s current plan is similar to the live video function available via Facebook and Instagram apps which allow you to add other speakers but limited to 4 as in the Instagram video panels. The rollout does not have a set date yet but you can imagine that Facebook will want to include the ability to add members of the audience to speak as well.
Discussions
Live audio has been used for discussions around topics. The topics range widely from dating, products, social life, personal finance, sport, books and literature. As the live audio game is still in it’s infancy the discussion topics and applications have only scratched the surface. It allows the hosts to open up on the discussion of complicated topics with live audience feedback. The opportunities for data gathering, feedback, process and opinions are vast.
How we can tap in
As owners of businesses you have probably had a few ideas of how you can take advantage of this new wave. Want to talk about the different tips and tricks people are using to manage their personal finances? Live audio can help. Perhaps you are a bookseller and want to to talk about new book offerings with the audience able to ask questions and share opinions. Live audio can work for you. A car seller who wants to educate people on what to look pout for when buying second-hand cars y? You can certainly use live audio for that. The applications a many and so too are the approaches. It is firmly in the realm of content marketing.
So far this new wave has taken the world by storm and if history is anything to go buy there is still more to come. Jump in to live audio and take advantage of this new opportunity.
