social media Archives - Michelle Rogers, Inc.

Partnering with ABC11 to provide health and fitness content

With Jennifer Hambric, Digital Producer at ABC11, in the TV studio on Jan. 16 for our Facebook Live chat

I’m honored to be collaborating with ABC11 as the health and fitness contributor to abc11.com, as part of their new community influencers initiative called ABC11 Together.

I’ll be contributing articles and video content to their site. Here are my first two:

Recently, I did a 10-minute Facebook Live chat on ABC11’s Facebook page on the topic of fitness and weight loss. We did this in their TV studio in downtown Durham.

You can see the video of our live chat here: https://www.facebook.com/ABC11/videos/10155690763002550/

The Facebook chat was a lot of fun, and I appreciate ABC11 giving me the opportunity to spread a positive message of health, fitness, and living your best life at every age.

Looking back and looking ahead

The past year was filled with a lot of work, and was particularly focused on expanding my knowledge in the health and fitness field. Here are a few highlights from 2015.

Becoming a Certified Fitness Professional. My biggest accomplishment last year was finishing the very challenging Certified Personal Trainer course I’d been working on for two years, and passing my exam. I’m now Michelle Rogers, CPT!

Rebranding. Last year I rebranded my blog, changing the name from Healthy Beauty to Michelle Rogers Healthy Living. I created a new website design and logo, and also updated my social media handles to reflect the new name. The new site not only looks great, on the back end it features the latest technology and is mobile responsive.

Continued social media growth. Last year I topped 40,000 followers on Twitter, and doubled the number of followers on Instagram. I also joined video-broadcasting platform Periscope soon after it launched, experiencing quick growth there to 1,200 followers.

Welcoming new clients. I worked with a professor from the University of Kentucky on a new website for her group’s research project, creating a user-friendly WordPress site that they are able to easily keep updated on their own.

Collaborating with brands. My healthy living blog regularly attracts brands interested in partnering with me on promotions such as reviews, giveaways and advertising. For example, last year I was invited by upscale weight loss resort Hilton Head Health to stay for a week to experience their program so I could feature it on my blog. I had a wonderful time that included gourmet food, workshops, yoga on the beach, stand up paddleboarding, and even a spa massage. It was definitely the highlight of my summer, and one of the most enjoyable stories I’ve written in my career. Read it here.

Presenting. I was asked again last year to be a guest lecturer in a master’s level nonprofit marketing class at UNC. I spoke on using social media and blogs strategically to promote your organization. I was also asked to present at the Charlotte Fitness and Health Expo in January ’15, where I spoke on, “Five Simple Secrets for Starting–and Sticking to–a Workout Program,” a very timely topic for those whose New Year’s resolution is to lose weight and get in shape.

Radio interviews. I was a guest on two radio shows last year. First I did a recorded interview for It’s Your Health, a syndicated program carried on various stations nationwide, where we discussed how to reach your weight loss goals; and then a live interview on Naturally Savvy, a show on the RadioMD network. I’ve posted the audio here. The media training I’ve had with my communications and public relations background came in very handy for these experiences. I enjoy working with the media and would like to do more.

What’s to come in 2016?

This year I’ll be continuing my education in the health and fitness field. I am enrolled in Group Fitness Instructor Certification with the American Council on Exercise (ACE). I also plan to become certified as a Senior Fitness Specialist and to work with the Silver Sneakers program.

Also, I plan to do more videos and have invested in a new camera and lighting equipment. In addition to using this in my blog, I’m especially interested in incorporating video in my clients’ marketing and communications projects.

Five professional highlights from the past year

The past year was filled with behind-the-scenes hard work, expanding on my current knowledge and building my online brand. Here are a few highlights from 2014.

1. Attending two blogging conferences. In October, I was invited to Fitness Magazine’s Blogger Meet and Tweet in New York City, and in May I went to Fitbloggin ’14 in Savannah. Both of these events offered excellent opportunities to learn at breakout sessions, to network with bloggers from around the country, and to connect with brands in person.

2. Explosive social media growth. I worked every day to grow my presence on social media, and was especially active on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. As a result, my followers on Twitter nearly tripled this year, Facebook doubled and Instagram quadrupled.

3. Developing a media kit and working with brands. The growth of my healthy living blog now attracts brands interested in partnering with me on promotions such as reviews, giveaways and advertising. This year I really delved into that aspect of professional blogging, and have enjoyed the experience. I also created a media kit with information about me and the website, such as how much traffic the site receives and the services I offer. I send this to brands who request information, and to those I’m pitching. Please contact me if you’d like to receive it, and I’ll send you one with my latest stats.

4. Welcoming new clients. I had the pleasure of working with Dr. Jennifer Swanberg of the University of Maryland, and created an outstanding website promoting her research. She was so pleased with my work that she referred me to a colleague at the University of Kentucky, and I’m currently working on a new site for their research project.

5. Presenting. I was asked twice this year to be a guest lecturer in classes at UNC, one of them an undergraduate public relations class and the other a master’s level class. I spoke on using social media and blogs strategically to promote your organization. I was also thrilled and honored to be asked to present at the upcoming Charlotte Fitness and Health Expo in January. I’ll be speaking on, “Five Simple Secrets for Starting–and Sticking to–a Workout Program,” a very timely topic for those whose New Year’s resolution is to lose weight and get in shape. I’m busy working on that presentation now, and am so excited about this opportunity!

2015 will no doubt be another busy year, and I’m excited about the new adventures to come.

Using social media and blogs strategically to promote your organization

This week I was a guest speaker at two University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill classes. One was an undergraduate class of about 27 senior public relations students at the School of Journalism. The other was a master’s level class of about 17 enrolled in a marketing for nonprofits course at the School of Social Work.

I presented on “Using Social Media and Blogs Strategically to Promote Your Organization,” and drew from my experiences as a director of communications at UNC as well as with my clients and my healthy lifestyle blog.

First, I showed them all of the social media channels and online communication vehicles we are using at the School of Social Work, including blogs, our e-newsletter, and our Contact Magazine news site. Then I relayed the ways that we are using social media and blogging together to increase our readership and to bring visitors to our website. I also explained some of the benefits of having a WordPress-based blog, and encouraged them to establish their own site and use social media to drive traffic to it, rather than rely on a Facebook page to be their organization’s site.

In a section I called “The Art and Science of Social Media,” I explained that being successful in social media requires using both sides of your brain — the analytical, and the creative.

I emphasized the importance of defining your target audience, and how to use Google Analytics and other tools to learn more about your site’s visitors, such as where they are located, when they are online, and what content they respond to. For example, it’s important to take time zones into account with social media if you have a national or international audience.

I also offered some dos and don’ts, strategies for increasing your followers, and tips on using Facebook and Twitter to grab attention, encourage engagement, and drive traffic to your site.

We also discussed style, voice, and the use of storytelling and visuals in creating compelling content.

They were both outstanding groups, and asked a lot of wonderful questions. I enjoyed this experience so much, and love being able to share what I’ve learned and discuss strategy. I can’t wait until the next time!

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