Clubhouse Survival Guide for Real Estate Agents

by Larry Hales and Sarah Hasch

Chances are you may have heard some buzz around the Clubhouse App, but you are not really sure what it is or how to use it for your Real Estate business.

In this article, you’ll discover how to navigate Clubhouse, as well as some of the ways to use the platform specifically for Real Estate.

What is Clubhouse?

Clubhouse is an Audio-Only chat platform where you can collaborate, share stories and gather ideas from people across the globe on a variety of topics. If you are a regular podcast listener, think of Clubhouse as a “LIVE” Podcast, where you can interact with the host and ask questions or share your input.

Is it the NEXT BIG THING? Only time will tell, but it does show some potential. The recent growth in popularity and explosion in its user base will be a great test to see if this platform will stick around.

As of this writing (January, 2021) the platform is still in “beta” and is accessed only through an invitation. That exclusivity seems to add to its allure and may be the reason there is such a huge buzz around it. Clubhouse is only available on iPhone and iPad (sorry Android users) and also cannot be accessed from a desktop computer.

To sign up, you will need to download the app, register your phone number and setup a Username. If your contact information is in another Clubhouse users phone, you can go through the side door to be approved. You can also get a personal invitation from another user as well.

Once you have been accepted, you will receive a text message inviting you to the app.

What to do first?

Your profile on Clubhouse should be setup before you do anything else.

Use a profile photo that falls in line with your other branding. Such as your professional headshot used on Other Social Media platforms.

Your bio here is also very important. You have plenty of room for a very robust Bio, but you really want to focus in on the first 125 characters. Those first few lines are seen in the PREVIEW of your bio by other users.

You can add links and phone number to your bio, however, they will not be “clickable”.

PRO TIP: The bio editor built into the app is not very robust. I suggest using a text editor to create and edit your bio, then copy and paste it into the app.

Connect your Instagram and/or Twitter Accounts.

I have found this step to be critical. Right now, there is currently no way to message other users in clubhouse. If you want to communicate with another user your only way to do this is through a DM on Instagram or Twitter.

One of the added benefits of connecting your social profiles is the potential to add additional followers on those platforms.

Next, set your interests. If you are reading this, there is a good chance you work in or around Real Estate. You can find that interest in the “Hustle” category. There is also wide array of other interests you can add of you want to go outside of the industry.

Following People and Clubs

Now that your Profile is setup, and your social accounts are connected, let’s look at finding some people and clubs to follow.

Following people on Clubhouse is much the same as it is on other social platforms. It doesn’t require mutual acceptance, meaning you can be following someone without them following you back, and vice versa.

Clubhouse will suggest people for you to follow when you first sign up. However, it might be best to choose them yourself. This will help when it comes to Clubhouse suggesting rooms for you later on.

The Magnifying Glass in the upper left corner takes you to explore tab. Here you can search for people and clubs by name or keyword.

For example: Entering keywords “Real Estate Marketing” will show you the results (people and clubs) from anyone who has that term in their bio. (A great reason to have a well written Bio!)

Simply tap on the Follow button to follow that user.

NOTE – That user will get a notification that you are now following them.

If this is someone you would like to hear more of, you can hit the bell to be notified when they are speaking in a room.

The STAR icon will offer you suggestions on others to follow in the same space.

PRO TIP on Notifications – I have noticed that Clubhouse is very notification heavy. Something I am not a big fan of. Be selective on who you “ring that bell” for. You have the option for Always, Sometimes, or never ever. The Default is “Sometimes”. If you have several hundred followers, your phone will be a constantly lighting up with Clubhouse notifications.

Navigation

The interface is pretty simple. Here is some insight into what these icons do.

The Explore is on the left will get you to the search screen.

The email icon is invitations where you can invite other users to the platform if you have one available.

The Calendar icon will show you all of the upcoming and scheduled rooms from the interests, people and clubs you follow. You can even add a reminder to your phone calendar to remind you that the room is live.

The Bell will show you notifications from people you follow, new followers, and more.

The Profile icon is where you can edit your profile and bio.

Below the icons is the Hallway. This list of available rooms is curated for you based on the people, clubs and interests you follow. To join simply touch the room to listen in the conversation. Once you enter the room, you are in listen-only mode.

Available to chat

This icon bring up a list of the people and clubs you currently follow. The small green dot next to the profile photo indicates they are currently online, how long they have been online, and what room they are in.

From here you can join one of your followers in the room they are currently in or “Start a Closed Room Together.” Think of a closed room as a private, voice-only chat.

Joining your first room

Once you are in a room, you enter as a listener only.

The speakers in the room are at the top and the moderators of the room are noted with a green star. This is also called the “stage” by the moderators.

Below the stage, is the list of active listeners also in the same room.

You can ✌Leave Quietly to exit the room, or use the + to PING any of your followers to the same room.

The will “raise your hand”. This will ping the moderator of the room to invite you to speak or “get on stage”. Once accepted by the moderator you will have to accept the invite to speak.

When you accept the invitation to speak, your microphone is IMMEDIATELY unmuted. It’s customary to mute you microphone upon entry. Then UNMUTE when it’ your turn to speak. Generally, the moderator will let you know when it’s your turn to speak.

PRO TIP – Keep a notepad handy for two reasons.
If you plan to speak, have some notes ready on your contribution and also to write down any great takeaways from the room you are in.

Starting your First Room

From your home screen, hit the big green button with the + Start a room, a small window will open with options.

Add your topic, this will be your opportunity to get people into your room. Make sure your description of the room is on point. Use a related emoji or two in your topic description.

Set privacy OPEN (Public), SOCIAL (Only your followers) or CLOSED (Private)

Scheduling a Room is done in the calendar, it’s as simple as clicking the calendar icon in the top right corner to open the schedule of events, and then clicking again on the calendar icon with the + sign, then enter details.

How to use Clubhouse to grow your Real Estate Business

Build your Referral Network – Here’s a great opportunity for building trust with agents across the country to build that network. This platform is all audible, you can’t post photos or videos to showcase who you are and what you do, so you’re going to need to bring value to the table. Join the rooms associated with real estate talk, start in some of the smaller rooms if you’re uncomfortable speaking at first, raise your hand and get active. Don’t think of the rooms only as the networking opportunity, the rooms and the stage are your opportunity to bring value, they are not the place to pitch your services. By bringing value, you will build authority and people will follow you who you can then follow back and message. Ultimately, the more people you connect with, the more you bring value in speaking, and authority you build, the larger your referral network will become.

Learn New Marketing Tactics – This is huge for real estate agents, for example, we joined a room this week, ‘Marketing activities every realtor should be doing in 2021’ had some amazing tips and tricks, by some great industry leaders sharing ideas about YouTube (specifically pre-rolls), storytelling and creating stories around our consumers rather than ourselves, and proper email marketing (actually getting your emails opened). It was hot and featured some of the best in real estate and marketing.

Build Brand awareness – The platform is a great way to build your brand and engagement on social media. As you spend time in the platform interacting and building your authority and followers, you will jump start your algorithm. Why? Because one of the many cool things about Clubhouse is that people check your profile to see what you’re about, and then connect to your Instagram or Twitter so they will follow you on one or both of the other platforms, increasing your reach across multiple social media channels.

Learning how to speak in public – Speaking public is one of the biggest fears many professionals have, not only will you have the ability to learn to overcome this fear by participating, there are specific rooms to learn how to be a better presenter.

Opportunity to level up – Not only are there plenty of opportunities daily to learn from industry influencers and to level up with them. When you have something of value to bring to a conversation and raise your hand, you’re putting yourself on a virtual stage with them, remember to have those notes handy (no pressure).

Build an authority or audience What are you good at? Whatever your super power is, whatever you bring to the table in knowledge, you can build authority on. Maybe it’s weekly video tips, mastering Instagram, or creating FB Ads, this platform gives you a voice to build your authority and audience. Start a weekly room, create a group, and when appropriate share your knowledge in other rooms when your niche comes up. You will become known for what you’re really good at and build an authority around it.

Start a room directed towards your target audience. If you are a Real Estate Agent, you can start a room with a Q and A around, How to Sell Your Home for the Most Money! You can even partner with a Lender to answer questions about Buying a Home with Zero Down. Your audience listening in your room might be from another state, but that is where you can lean on your Referral Network you have already built on the platform.

Implement what you’ve learned! Listening to all of these new marketing strategies is great, but if you can’t implement them into your business, your time spent on Clubhouse could be a waste. If you need help putting your new objectives into practice, you can reach out to your local West MTD to provide some guidance!