My Social Friend : Chatting Social Media Expert, Sophie Southmayd
I haven’t done a blog for my “Exclusives” section with inspiring women lately so here is one I am looking forward to with the Sophie Southmayd, Owner and Founder of Social Southmayd.
Having reached 10K a couple of weeks ago and having had so many DMs throughout the year about Instagram growth, I thought I would share this one with the person who pushed me the most to achieve my goals. Sophie has not only inspired and boosted me since but she also has become a dear friend.
Within the first week I opened my IG account last year, I met Sophie Southmayd through Instagram and I was intrigued by her beautiful page and social media consulting business.
I love to meet young women who dare to follow their dreams and become thriving business women. The most important thing I have learnt in the last years in the different businesses and projects that I have done is that we as women should not see each other as competition or enemies but rather a means to help each other reach our goals faster.
With Sophie we always burst of ideas for new challenges and it’s amazing fun each time to brainstorm and often finish the afternoon with a good bottle of wine. My kind of brainstorming session!
I popped some questions over to her via zoom yesterday...
Why did you decide to leave Ralph Lauren and open your social media company ?
Sophie: I was coming up to the end of my working visa in the UK (because I’m Canadian). I had been working for other people in Fashion and Beauty for 10 years and felt like this was a natural time for me to break out on my own. I discovered social media while trying to make a name for myself in London and loved the creativity behind it. And more than anything, it allowed me to work with entrepreneurs from around the world in different industries.
How difficult was it to get clients to trust you to work with you ?
Sophie: I think having an Instagram account that had a decent following earned me a bit of street cred, and so many businesses don’t have time for social media that they almost handed it to me a lot of the time. Super lucky!
“I love to meet young women who dare to follow their dreams”
How important is Instagram today for brands in a world where advertising is mostly digital ?
Sophie: I mean- how often are you on your phone? Personally I’m on it for a huge part of the day. For better or for worse, we are living in a digital age and I think it’s really the present and future of marketing. It’s an investment brands needs to take to be relevant today, especially if they are speaking to a 25-55 audience.
Can anyone become an influencer and make a living from it?
Sophie: I really think hard work and drive will get you everywhere... but being an influencer can take a toll on you emotionally, and certainly take over your life because the time commitment is pretty severe. You need to figure out your niche, why do people follow you? There is a lot of noise and clutter on social media so if you do decide to be an influencer, make your offering something special.
“I discovered social media while trying to make a name for myself in London and loved the creativity behind it. ”
What are the main three keys you would say are important to grow an organic account ?
Sophie: Authenticity (be you, gone are the days of the oversaturated photos and airbrushing of the face), Consistency (be disciplined with posting regularly and post content that matches your brand’s ethos), and Embrace Change (Instagram will be changing the algorithm constantly, and introducing new tools to help your social media experience… do not dismiss them, embrace them and IG will reward you)
The most Instagrammable place you have been to?
Sophie: Ouuu maybe on my honeymoon to the Seychelles? You know when every single picture just works… it’s that sort of place. But a close second is my family cottage in Canada during the winter- love the cozy vibes and the white of the snow just works on any grid.
Your three favourite influencers you follow and why?
Sophie: I love following you of course! And I really like the vibe of Millie Mackintosh @milliemackintosh and Lydia Millen @lydiamillen. I also love Fearne Cotton @fearnecotton.
Which woman has inspired you most in your life?
Sophie: My mom for sure! She got her masters degree when I was two years old because it was her dream to be a professor, so she was raising two little girls on her own while working and studying.
If you had 5k to spend on a shopping spree, what would you buy ?
Sophie: I am the queen of less is more. So I think I would go large and get a ridiculously expensive handbag that I would have for years. Thinking Chanel but definitely could go Dior… might even have enough left over for a blazer. Exciting! I like this game!
Where do you get your creativity from ?
Sophie: I spend a lot of time listening to podcasts and reading articles about some very inspirational people in the world. I also have the best team in the world and they are constantly giving me inspiration.
As an interior designer I know its not easy to get out of your creative comfort zone, how do you get out of yours in order to make each IG account or website very different ?
Sophie: I really like to spend a lot of time with my clients. I like to know what makes them laugh, and what they take very seriously. It helps me establish a tone of voice, and then I can create a concept around that. It’s not easy to try to get into people’s heads with one or two meetings, so there is always a lot of back and forth about what represents them well and what will work on social media.
Sarah: Marry. Shag. kill.
bond theme: Sean connery, pierce brosnan, or daniel craig. go!
Sophie: People tell my husband all the time that he looks like Daniel Craig, so I will marry him. I have always been a huge crush on Sean Connery, so I’d shag him for sure. But I LOVE Pierce because he was the Bond I grew up with… so tough! Can I be best friends with Pierce??