Should Mortgage Professionals Be On Clubhouse?

You’ve heard of Clubhouse, a new social media platform, in passing, and it piqued your interest. Your colleagues who are currently using it seem to be pretty excited about being able to drop in on conversations they wouldn’t normally have access to, and better yet, the chance to “share the stage” with professionals they’ve admired for quite some time.

But, you’re not exactly sure if mortgage professionals could benefit from being on Clubhouse. Will it be an exciting new marketing tool, or is it just another social media platform that will fizzle out over time? Here, we’ll explain what Clubhouse is and share two opposing views on whether you should join or not so you can make the best, most-informed decision for yourself.

What is Clubhouse anyway?

Clubhouse is a social media platform that is audio-based — meaning, when you join and log in, you’ll only be able to listen to group conversations, and join in when invited (or if you initiate the conversations on your own.) Think of it like a podcast where the listeners are able to join into the conversation if they’re allowed to by the host.

Users are able to explore various “rooms” of people conversing on a multitude of topics. Some rooms might have one or two moderators with audience members who join in the conversation and then get moved back to the general audience when they’re done speaking with the moderator. Other rooms — actually, most Clubhouse rooms — are treated like panel discussions where a group of moderators discuss a subject. And yes, the audience members are generally allowed to join and leave the conversation with the panel throughout the discussion. They very may well be other variations on rooms, too.

As Clubhouse conversations are not recorded, they cannot be replayed or stored outside of the app, as that violates the terms of service.

1. Yes — Join Clubhouse now!

When you join Clubhouse, you’ll select topics that interest you, such as business, tech, health, and more. You’ll also connect with people already on the app in your networks, and have the opportunity to create a profile for yourself. With this information, Clubhouse will recommend rooms with topics that may be of interest to you, and you’ll have the opportunity to listen in on those conversations. 

One of the illustrious perks of Clubhouse is the ability to “be in the room” with industry leaders, famous individuals, and influencers, as well as individuals just like you who might not be in your networks, but you may really enjoy an acquaintanceship with. For example, Elon Musk, Kanye West, and Mark Zuckerberg have all been recent celebrities to use the app and converse with users.

Plus, if you’re not feeling shy, you can request to share the stage with the room moderators and hop in on the discussion. And this is one of the reasons why mortgage professionals may benefit from being on Clubhouse. If you can be authentic and offer value, people will make an effort to reach out, whether they be potential clients or colleagues. Just make sure to indicate where other users can find you off the app if you want them to reach out after they hear you speak.

As with any popular app, the time to get in and start using is in its infancy, so if you want to get the most out of your Clubhouse experience, the time to join is now.

2. Meh. You’re not missing out

There are also a few major downsides to Clubhouse, with the most obvious one being its exclusivity. If you can’t get an invite from someone already on the platform, you’re out of luck.

But, there’s something else that’s important to point out: as an audio-only app, Clubhouse has absolutely no features to make the app accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing. There is no closed captioning, no transcriptions, and no immediate fixes in the pipeline, though the founders do keep an updated list of recent updates and future plans, so hopefully this will change in the near future.

In addition to the lack of accessibility, it’s been noted widely that the lack of content moderation has opened end users up for potentially abusive situations, in which users have experienced or been exposed to racisim, anti-semitism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, and more.

As you can see, there are pros and cons about joining Clubhouse. If you’re curious about what it’s like to be a member of the platform, test it out. You can always stop participating if it isn’t for you. And, if you’re reading this and not feeling too excited about seeking an invitation to join, don’t stress. Remember that for your marketing and networking to be successful, you don’t need to be everywhere at all times. Showing up in too many social media platforms can leave you spreading yourself thin. Make the decision that feels right for you.