In this day and age, social media cements our presence in people’s minds.

And this does not only apply to our personal lives because the same can be said for our HMO property business!

Because of this, you might have ingrained it in your mind that social media posting is an important daily activity, and it’s hard not to think that when we’re bombarded with content from the people we follow. The more you see people post on social media, the more likely you’ll feel guilty when you yourself don’t post regularly.

This is something I’ve felt on numerous occasions, but why do I feel guilty if I haven’t posted in a while? My decision not to post is a conscious decision, so why am I bogged down with this crazy feeling of guilt?

Well, let’s try and break it down…

Reason #1: I’m letting people down

If I don’t post for a day or two, am I letting my staff, my tenants, and my followers down?

Sometimes, it feels like I am, which is why I’m probably feeling guilty about not posting.

But when I really think about it, then the answer is no. I’m probably not letting people down.

It’s not like people are just waiting around impatiently for my next post. We all have different things to do, so don’t worry about it. So let’s scratch that off our list of worries when we’re feeling guilty about not posting.

Reason #2: My followers will forget about me

This one sounds ridiculous when I say it out loud, but it’s still something that comes to mind. Since social media can act as a gateway for us to reach people, I sometimes think that they’re going to forget about me if I don’t post for a day or two.

But of course, people aren’t going to forget about me if I miss a day of posting. It just doesn’t work that way.

So I shouldn’t worry about this reason, and you shouldn’t too.

Reason #3: Other people are posting more than me

When you’re scrolling down social media, it’s hard not to be envious of the people you follow. But it just won’t do me good to compare myself to other people.

Sure, they might be doing more than me, but does it matter? Probably not. Instead, focus on what you know and what you’re trying to do. Don’t get bogged down by what you see from other people because people are following you for YOU.

Reason #4: I might be missing opportunities

It can be said that the more we post, the more opportunities are likely to come our way.

But if we miss a day or two of posting, it won’t make much of a difference.

After years of promoting my HMO business on social media, I found that missing one or two posts won’t materially affect my business. But that doesn’t mean it has no effect, because if I miss a post, there can be a drop in engagement (it’s just how the algorithms work). And if there’s a drop in engagement, it can lead to a lack of enthusiasm on my part. If we’re not careful, we can spiral into a social media slump. And it’s not so easy to get out of there.

So how do we get out of a social media slump?

Understand your priorities

There is no doubt that social media is vital to your marketing strategy, but you first need to pinpoint where you are with your HMO property business, and where you want to take it.

If you’re just starting, then social media shouldn’t be your priority. It’s much more important for you to get down on the ground and understand the concept of what you’re trying to achieve so you can refine your strategy and create revenue.

But if you decide it is your priority (perhaps you’ll need it to raise essential finance or develop essential contacts), then you should do everything you can to make sure you prioritise it. This means finding the time for it and committing to a plan.

This leads us to our next solution…

Plan your content strategy

If you don’t have a social media plan, then you’ll have to constantly think of new ideas and create new content off the cuff. This can be hard because we can’t just make content appear out of thin air when we want it to.

This is why plans are so important. A plan will be a guide you can keep coming back to even when you don’t feel like posting. Thinking about topics is one thing, but actually preparing content in advance can help a lot.

Prepare a repository of written content and photos so even if you’re running out of time, you can just choose something quickly, hit ‘post’ and get on with your day.

This way, you can make the most out of the time when inspiration strikes, and make sure you still have something to post even if you’re in a slump.

Last but not least, don’t set expectations you can’t maintain

While it’s good to be ambitious, don’t set expectations you can’t maintain, you’ll only be disappointed. It’s important to understand that most things in the HMO property business take a lot of time, and that includes building your presence on social media.

You have to consistently demonstrate reliability in both your business and your skills. Once you accept that, it’ll take the pressure off of your shoulders and you’ll be able to enjoy the process as you work towards creating and posting great content.

I do think social media is an important part of the HMO property industry. But it’s an important activity that you have to consider among other things, which is why I hope the solutions in the blog will help you get the most out of your social media strategy.

For more useful resources and in-depth lessons, join The HMO Roadmap today!

About the Author:

Andy Graham is the founder and the lead trainer at The HMO Roadmap! He is also the co-founder of The HMO Mastermind and Smart Property, a specialist HMO property investment and management company. He writes as a regular columnist in different magazines about a variety of HMO topics and the host of The HMO Podcast! Follow Andy on Instagram!