Eyes of Sophie Zen

I’m so thrilled to shine a spotlight on Sophie!

Sophie is a social media mentor on a mission to empower women to engage with social media in a way that’s deeply rooted with intention, creativity and flow.

She’s the creator of Sacred Social; an online program that teaches women how to build their social media in a way that’s feminine, sustainable and fosters deep connection.

If you’ve got an online business, then it’s almost certain you’re on social media.  Like many, you may be feeling disillusioned by changes to algorithms, perhaps your posts aren’t reaching as far as they used to, you’ve got no idea what to post, or when to post it!

Sophie has got you covered, her take on social media is oh so refreshing!  Have a read below and you’ll see what I mean! 

Hey Sophie, let's get to know you a little better! How would you best describe yourself? 

Good question! And as a creative and multi-passionate woman, it’s a question that often trips me up. How do I possibly fit all of the things into a short, beautiful paragraph? Let me try…

I’m Sophie and I run a business called Sophie Zen where I guide women to show up in a sacred and sustainable way. Using tools such as archetypes, essential oils, ritual and storytelling, I encourage my community to bring a more slow and feminine energy to their business. 

Using my experience and background in social media and marketing, I am also the creator of Sacred Social where I teach my approach to using social media in a way that is deeply rooted with intention, creativity and flow. 

On a more personal level, I live in Melbourne with my partner and his parents where I work from #bobthevan (a renovated caravan that sits in our backyard). As a family, we’re obsessed with slow and sustainable living and spend most of our free time in the garden with the vegetables and the chickens or in the kitchen where my partner is always cooking or baking or fermenting! 

You’ve created a such a beautiful business; can you share a little of what you do as a social media manager? How do you help clients?

Oh thank you! I started my business in my last year of university while I was studying a marketing and journalism degree. While most of my peers were going into corporate jobs, I wanted a more cosy career where I could work one-on-one with women who were doing work that they really loved. 

Because of my background, I began talking about social media and was approached by a number of women in business who hired me to manage their social media. And by the time I graduated university, I was able to work full time as a social media manager where I helped women in business to share their truth and be seen online.

I did that for two and half years before launching my online program Sacred Social. The process of creating and launching this program changed my business (and my life) and I realised that I wanted to support women in an even deeper way.

So I stopped working as a social media manager at the end of 2017 and have been solely focused on teaching women how to use social media in a way that feels really, really good! I do this through my online program as well as one-on-one coaching.

It’s so easy to find pretty pictures to post on social media, writing engaging captions on the other hand…can be trickier! What are your tips for creating content that connects?

 You’re totally right! My biggest tip for creating content that connects is to know your brand values and to use them as a filter for all of the captions that you write on social media. This means choosing three to four words that summarise what you and your business stands for (and what’s truly important) and using them to guide all of your content. For example, I always ask myself before I post anything on social media: how does this relate to my brand values?

Writing captions in this way means that the people with similar values will connect with your content, allowing you to attract those people who are aligned to you and your business!

The algorithm changes on Facebook and Instagram have had a huge impact on brands and reach. How can we work around this and ensure our content reaches and connects with the right people?

I have a different theory about all of this, are you up for it?

The online world is changing (a big part of that due to social media algorithms) and when things change, we need to ask new and different questions.

When using social media in the past, we have been used to asking: how can I reach more people?But with all of the changes, we need new and different questions.

The first important question is: how many people do I need to have in my community in order to have a successful business?

I find the answer to this question is often a lot less than what we think it is. And we realise that having 10k followers on social media isn’t a priority anymore.  And then the more interesting question (and with it, a paradigm shift) is: how can I bring more people closer?

This means focusing less on reach and more on strong, one-on-one connections.

The beauty of this is that algorithms can’t affect our ability to connect with others (yet!)

While our content might not be reaching as many people as possible, our likes and our comments and our messages are still being seen. So that’s my really long-winded way of saying, I think we need to focus more on connection and bringing people closer (as opposed to focusing on growth and reach). 

I’ve noticed the social media accounts I’m most drawn to, not only have great imagery, but there’s amazing consistency in their messaging and tone. What’s important to consider when it comes to creating consistency?

Similar to my answer in a previous question – it’s all about knowing your brand values and talking about the themes and topics that are truly important to you!

But I’ll also add another question for you to consider and that is: how do you want people to feel?

The answers to this question (along with your brand values) will make up the messaging and tone of your social media and when you know what they are and stick by them… it will make your social media beautifully cohesive and consistent!

Social media addiction is rife! As someone who loves connecting with others, I can easily get pulled into the social media vortex and waste far too much time. Our businesses are reliant on social media, so how can we use it mindfully?

Ahhhh I totally get it! And as a social media manager and mentor, I’ve definitely been caught in the rabbit hole of social media and called it all ‘work’. But the truth is, it wasn’t all work… so much of it was aimless scrolling and procrastination!

So my biggest tip is to use social media with intention. Some practical ways that I do this are:

1. I’m intentional about how much time I spend on my phone. I aim for less than two hours of screen time (on my phone) each day and I track this time using an app called Moment. This also allows me to see which apps I am using the most (it’s always Instagram!) 

2. I’m intentional about my boundaries. For example, I don’t sleep with my phone in my room so that I don’t scroll in the evenings before bed or first thing when I wake up in the morning. I’ve communicated this with my partner who lovingly holds me accountable and does the same. 

3. I’m intentional about social media free time and use apps like Forest and SelfControl to block social media sites for certain amounts of time.

And finally, just implement one strategy at a time. I’ve been working on this for years and I’m always experimenting with different rituals and routines to support me.

How can people connect with you?  

Instagram is my jam and so I’d love for you to connect with me at @sophiezenblog where I post regularly to my feed and Insta-Stories. And you’re always welcome to say hi!

Rapid Q's

• Favourite food: Icecream, I never say no to icecream!
• On my bookshelf: I read a lot and so this question always kills me, I hate choosing! Don’t make me do it hahaha!
• In my spare time you'll find me: As per previous question, reading all the books and never picking a favourite
• Dream holiday destination: Honestly, take me anywhere. This world we live in is all so beautiful.
• My guilty pleasure: Bad pop music!

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