Social Media Apps and the Silicon Valley:
Whether you talk about the Silicon Valley giants or the Unicorn club, social media apps have been a major part of this group as it has the biggest target audience. Everyone who uses a mobile device or is an active internet user will have at least one social media app installed.
Recently, Clubhouse, the voice chat only social media app has been disrupting the space and has reached more than 6 million active users in 1 year! Released in May 2020, Clubhouse has been showing tremendous growth and has become the latest entry in the Unicorn Club with $1 Billion valuations after their second-round funding!
The long history of social media revolutions:
If you look at the long history of social media applications, their success is based on one unique format that engages and intrigues its users. Whether we talk about the short-form content format of TikTok or the disappearing messages of Snapchat, all of these apps are driven by one such feature that defines them from other applications and the feature that defines Clubhouse is their voice chat only feature!
The app allows users to create and become a part of chat rooms with an invite only feature where they discuss various topics with real-time voice message chats. The app is oddly similar to Discord and has a simple architecture but it is this feature alone that has been fuelling the success of the application. With the help of aggressive marketing and raging word of mouth, Clubhouse is witnessing a heavy influx of almost 2 million new users every week and the app is not even available for android users yet!
While it requires innovation to stir the market and create a new space for your app in the market, the success of Instagram shows that with improvisation and better execution, one can compete in the market and make their fortune! So, if you too are looking to get your piece of this new voice chat social media apps market, we are here to help you create a digital blueprint of success by imparting our expertise and experience of social media app development.
But before we reveal the success mantra, first let us understand the features of Clubhouse.
Understanding the defining features of Clubhouse iOS mobile application:
- Invite only Sign-up:
This is something that we rarely see in social media applications! Although the users can download the app for free from the App Store, to Sign-up and start using the app, they need an invitation. The invitation can be from the existing users or people can join the waiting list created by the app where team Clubhouse approves your request and lets you join the app. - Drop-in audio conversations:
This is the USP of Clubhouse. Instead of providing one-to-one text chat options, users of Clubhouse have real-time audio conversations with voice notes. The feature is well applauded as it brings the personal touch and emotions into the conversations which are lacking in other platforms. - Group chats (Chat rooms):
The reason Clubhouse is distinct from other social media platforms is that the applications don’t facilitate one-to-one conversations. Instead, users have to join rooms and talk to a group of people. The groups are created for various topics and people can either join the conversation as a speaker or as a listener. - No media sharing:
This is a point that is not a feature but is a unique differentiator of Clubhouse! Unlike other social media applications, users on Clubhouse cannot share any other forms of content such as photos, videos, GIFs or any other such media files. Users can only send voice notes and nothing else.
Now that we know the features of Clubhouse, let us understand what makes it a success.
What makes Clubhouse a raging success?
- Breaking stereotypes:
While other applications are based on the principle of providing all comprehensive experience to their users, Clubhouse has a simple and distinct format and the app has broken all the stereotypes attached to social media applications. - Concept-centric design:
The concept of Clubhouse is simple; let people have conversations on meaningful topics with drop-in audios. The app has cut all the clutter that comes with social media applications and has kept a simple format with only relevant features. - Social media niche:
People tend to surf and scroll through feeds without any motive or goal on social media applications. But, Clubhouse has redefined the use of social media apps and is attracting users who wish to become a part of conversations on the topics of their interest. Thus, this makes Clubhouse a niche and that is rare in the social media app market.
What’s next?
With a simple and effective concept, Clubhouse has managed to garner the attention of the world and is growing with each passing day. This has opened a new market for many appreneurs who wish to gain success with social media apps and thus, voice chat apps will soon become a new trend in the Mobile App development market and as a Mobile App Development Company, we can ascertain that the time will come much sooner rather than later.
But, if you too are planning to create a voice chat app like Clubhouse, remember that to ensure that your app is a success; you have to improvise rather than imitate! To help you make an informed decision, we are breaking the blog further into two parts. The first is how to plan your voice chat app? Second is the list of features that you can integrate into your application that are currently lacking in Clubhouse.
How to plan your Voice Chat Social Media app?
- Define your target audience:
The Clubhouse is proof that even social media applications can have a niche market. Thus, using the voice chat app as the base, you need to create a design and mobile app architecture that aligns with your target audience.
- Create both Android and iOS application:
The Clubhouse is one of a kind app and maybe because of that, the appreneurs didn’t go for both App Store and Play Store to mitigate the risk. But since the app is a success, opting for Android Mobile App Development along with iOS Mobile App Development will be a feasible decision.
- Plan your app monetization:
There are a lot of ways one can monetize social media apps. But, since the platform will be a voice chat app only, it restricts video ads! But, apart from that, there are other methods such as premium profiles, giving a boost to certain rooms when searching for their relevant categories, in-app purchases for more members in the group and many other such formats. Think about your app monetization strategy. - Hire a technology partner:
While you handle the business end of the app, find yourself an ideal technology partner that can help you with Mobile App Development and maintenance. You can also ask your mobile app development partner to become a part of the strategy phase and hire their technical expertise as a technology consultant.
List of features that you can integrate into your application that is currently lacking in Clubhouse:
- Custom search filters:
Currently, Clubhouse does not have many filters for people to search for relevant rooms! You can work on your app UX and make sure that you have various custom search options to ensure that your users can find the room of their interest easily.
- Speaker/host credibility:
Currently, there is no way to determine whether the host of the room or speaker is qualified or verified for the topic that is discussed. So, just like Quora, you can allow your users to upvote and downvote or like or dislike the voice notes as well as speakers and segment the feed according to the credibility of the speaker.
- An open platform for all:
For whatever reasons, Clubhouse has restricted the Sign Up to invites only. If you look at the app reviews, users are complaining a lot as some have been waiting for months and weeks to get access. Thus, while you can keep the room entry to invites only, keep the Sign Up open for all
- Hiding rooms options:
Along with filters to find the rooms, you can empower your users to choose whether they wish to not see certain types of rooms. This will help them find relevant content faster and also keep them away from rooms that can lead to negative or unsatisfactory user experiences.
- AI-based room suggestions:
Clubhouse floods the feed of the user with random rooms of random topics. Instead, like Instagram and other social media platforms, you can employ AI to track the activity of the users and suggest relevant rooms in the feed.
The App Development Basics: (Cost, duration, feasibility)
The most common questions that we get are how much does it cost to build an app like Clubhouse? How much time does it take to make an app like Clubhouse? But, if you follow our advice of improvising and not imitate, then you must not plan your budget and timeline according to a standard rate and time. Instead, you can thoroughly plan your app and then ask for customized rates and a timeline for your application.
Make room for your app with an empowering voice:
Creating a successful application takes a unique idea and technology expertise. To ensure that your voice chat app is a success, hire Zealous as your Technology Partner and we will help you with all comprehensive services right from technology consultancy to Android and iOS App Development.