Building Your Business and Tribe On Social Media With Simone McKenna, Fitness Guru and Influencer
One of the best ways to connect with your audience online is social media.
The thing is, a lot of small business owners tend to leave the social media “stuff” last. In today’s episode, I interviewed Simone McKenna, a certified personal trainer living in Columbus, Ohio, and supporting her clients locally and internationally.
How Simone got into fitness.
Starting off as a school teacher in Australia, Simone tells us that it was a big change in her life that really got her back into fitness. “I've always been active,” she says, “...but I had a really big life change in 2013.” Moving out of a long-term relationship, Simone started doing things that she personally enjoyed (rather than the activities are done as a couple) from bike riding to working out at the beach. “More and more people started to see me down there and ask if I was training for anything or if it was a boot camp.” So she invited them to join her and it took off.
Starting her fitness business in Columbus, Ohio.
Since she always had that passion for fitness, she decided to start studying to be a certified personal trainer and nutritionist before coming to Ohio. Once here, she started in a gym then moved onto creating her own studio in Westerville.
But it actually wasn’t all that simple.
When she got to the U.S. Simone says, “I knew nobody except for my husband. So growing a personal training business, even though you're affiliated with a gym, you're basically left to find your own clients.” At the end of 2017, she was offered an opportunity with Beachbody and turned it down.
After a few months, she realized that with all the time she was spending, she still wasn’t able to reach enough people. She decided to try out the MLM with full intentions of taking the information and leaving - but then she had great success with her first program. “So I started sharing it with friends and family and honestly the rest is history. It just kind of became a chance to me to be able to help people across the country rather than just my local community, which was really beneficial for me.”
Pivoting her an online business presence during COVID.
During the craziness that is 2020, Simone has had to dive further into sharing as much as she can and providing value. “I just want to be there for people, even if they can't afford to do something,” she says. She also has guidelines she follows. “I don't talk about politics, I don't talk about current affairs, I don't talk about religion,” explains Simone. Right now, she’s providing free workouts, recipes, meal plans, and creating a space where people can feel good.
Building a business while having a newborn.
LEARNING FROM HER OWN TRIBE.
Because she’s just had a baby, Simone has utilized the community she’s built to support in navigating being a new mom. For her, social media goes two ways: she provides value and then learns from others. It’s about the asks and gives.
BALANCING A BABY AND BUSINESS.
It’s all about being present with the task at hand. “I'm really particular in my time,” she says. “When I'm working on my business, I'm working my business.” This allows her the time to be fully involved with her new baby without worrying about posting on Instagram or responding to a message.
How did she get here? It was a bit tough. During the first week (little guy is 8 weeks old now) Simone mentions that she was constantly thinking about getting back to people, posting in her group, and cheering on the team. Once she started time-blocking, that feeling shifted and Simone was able to focus on being present, whether it’s her business or her baby.
Simone on why and how she uses video.
“I always feel like I can get more bang for my buck with my time because it's so much faster for me to just say what's on my mind, then type it all out and then find an image that kind of relates to that, but will also stop the scroll. You know, that's just so much to think about.”
Simone has a running list of what topics she’ll be covering. She utilizes the notes section of her phone to jot down her ideas - especially because it connects with her Mac. This way, she has something to go live with when inspiration doesn’t hit.
For consistency, Simone suggests blocking the time, scheduling it or even posting on social media, such as Facebook groups, that you’ll be going live. That way, you have accountability.
Growing Your Online Following With Video.
Simone suggests setting it up as a question and answer so you don’t feel so awkward - almost like an interview. She also suggests losing the fear of filters. “I know what stops a lot of people is the fact that either they don't like the way they look, or their hair isn't perfect, or they've got this going on, or whatever. It's like, no one else really notices that except for yourself and if you're showing up every day, people are seeing the best of you and the worst of you, she says. “So it's just like, either filter until you're confident or you know, do your hair or whatever it is that makes you feel more confident.” She advocates for just recording the live or post and forgetting about it. “ So start talking, don't listen back to it, don't replay it, just share it. Share it to the world.
Where to get inspiration for social media content?
Simone gets a lot of her inspiration from personal development books but also keeps in mind what her audience responds to. She answers questions from clients and shares their progress and testimonials. Simone also suggests just sharing about yourself, such as things that come up in everyday life and topics on your mind.
How to gain a larger social media audience?
Although it ebbs and flows, Simone says that “if you're sharing good quality content that can be saved, or shared by your audience... it's going to be pushed out further to other people.” Creating sharable content for her includes creating recipes, quotes, and workouts.
“I definitely think as well, like social media is being social.”
How Simone works with clients.
“Essentially, I run accountability, pods,” says Simone. “It's basically a community online where anybody through the United States and beyond, can plug into a group where they're supported.” For her members, it’s a one-stop-shop for quick family-friendly meals (aka not having to cook three different meals for 3 different people in your family), recipes, grocery lists, workouts, prizes, and fun. It has surprised Simone with how fast it's taken off and the supportive community that she has. “I have genuinely been like a client in there for these past few months with a newborn.”
Simone also hosts online workouts. Her virtual gym is open in the mornings where clients get to workout and start their day.
Supporting other aspiring influencers in the health fitness industry.
For Simone, this is also about community and support. “We're all plugged into like one app, where it is self-paced, because obviously, we're all busy. And being that I am in my mid-30s, that's the kind of women that I work with the majority of the time.” Simone understands that the women she works with have other aspects of their lives, from kids to full-time jobs.” They get to do it on their own time. “It's like a no-pressure kind of tutorial, if I can call it that,” she says. Simone also hosts weekly calls every Tuesday. “We can plugin together, you can bring a drink, if you so choose. Just an hour where we can work together learn tips and tricks, sometimes I have guest speakers come on, but just a chance to build together. And then a hub where, you know, as much as they can do it on their own, it's a chance for them to ask questions or… for me to share things that are working well for me or for them, and just to be able to learn from each other.” Here, she supports with social media training as well as the business side of things.
To new personal trainers, Simone says, “...there's so much glorified on people who are wise and been in the industry for so long but at the end of the day, new people that come in are so energetic and have new ideas and fresh, you know, fresh thoughts, which is sometimes all it takes to kind of boost that energy within a challenge group or bring new ideas of what to run as a challenge.”
About Simone:
Aussie born and raised, now living in Ohio, Simone McKenna is the owner of Simone McKenna Fitness, LLC. She’s a Certified Personal Trainer and Online Coach with a mission to empower women to live a life of passion, purpose, and confidence by providing fun fitness opportunities, current health education, and a supportive environment. She’s a lover of red wine, travel, and anything to do with the outdoors (except in Ohio winters).
Catch Simone on her website, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
