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Olyvia Works: An Interview with Elizabeth Kelsey Bradley of Savouring Simplicity

  |   Olyvia Works   |   14 Comments

Are you using social media effectively to grow your blog or business? Elizabeth Kelsey Bradley of Savouring Simplicity shares her thoughts on mistakes people make when promoting their brand, + tips on entrepreneurship and being a mom business owner. | Olyvia.co

 

You know me: I can’t get enough of the kind + brilliant women in the world. Women who know their stuff inside, outside, and sideways…but don’t let it go to their head.

 

Elizabeth Kelsey Bradley of Savouring Simplicity is that kind of woman.

 

A social media consultant and life coach for holistic women entrepreneurs, this lady is making a big impact in her space. But every time I see her, guess what she’s doing?

 

She’s out there reaching out to + cheerleading for other women.

 

And not just influencers, but the new gals. The women who really need it.

 

Obviously, I couldn’t NOT have her on here. (…Let’s pretend that makes sense. haha)

 

Today Elizabeth is going to share:

 

  • How she uses her multiple passions to offer services she loves

 

  • The hardest thing she had to do as a new entrepreneur

 

  • How she juggles motherhood with work, and the one smart thing other mompreneurs should do if they’re struggling with time

 

  • Her brilliant strategy for getting more brand exposure

 

  • Why social media is completely misunderstood and misused by small and big businesses alike — and 4 epic tips on how to use it the right way

 

Here she is!

 

Savouring Simplicity website by Elizabeth Kelsey Bradley

 

1. You are an incredibly diverse woman, Elizabeth. You have talents in writing, life coaching, and social media consulting — just to name a small few! Tell us more about what you do and how you first got started.

 

Well, that is so darn true. I do do quite a plethora of things. I try to sum them up by saying I’m a writer that also helps businesses create a feel-good Social Media strategy, in addition to mentoring creative, holistic women.

 

The whole Social Media slash content marketing strategy I do came about because I had been helping friends and family for years with their online platforms, and helped launch my husband’s business and fanpage. I had this experience, and saw a great need for help, especially from holistic entrepreneurs such as coaches and yoga teachers.

 

So even though I was a certified coach (several certifications actually) I had ample training and experience in the Social Media/content marketing realm and decided to focus on that.

 

ThrivingHealer.net focuses more on my consulting services, and my personal site (SavouringSimplicity.com) is geared towards my coaching. Many of my clients actually hire me for a combo of Social media strategy and Life Coaching because the two work together to help entrepreneurs thrive online and off.

 

Also, I’ve done (and sometimes still do) a few photojournalism assignments when they come about. Mainly because I just love doing it, so it’s more of a side gig-for-fun.

 

elizabeth2

 

2. What was the most intimidating difficulty you encountered when starting your own business? Along with that, what is the biggest challenge you face on a day-to-day basis now?

 

First of all, selling my services. Actually charging for what I did was so hard. It’s a confidence issue I think most entrepreneurs face: even though we know we’re good at what we do (or a step ahead of the people we are going to be serving) we doubt ourselves.

 

When I got over that, the next issue was getting leads, so I had to focus on building my list and now saying to people ‘Hey, need help with your online platform, blog, and such? Let’s do this!’

 

Most entrepreneurs like moi need to get a system in place, which is the trial and error part. Finding or creating the system that is right for you, and implementing it.

 

3. It is so fun to follow along with your Instagram: you are always exploring such interesting places in the world. How does travel fit in with your work? How important is it to you to be able to work “from wherever?”

 

It’s integral for me to be able to work from anywhere, especially from home. My commitment to being a work at home Mom is what drives me to want to do the work I do because I can help people from anywhere, without it taking too much time away from my family.

 

Travel is important to me but more in a subconscious way. I’m a dual citizen, Third Culture Kid and expat. That equates to someone who literally has a very strange personal culture and an innate need to travel and ‘find home’ as TCKs don’t really have a home, in the traditional sense.

 

travelblogging

 

4. You’re a mom of a young daughter. The one thing I keep hearing from women entrepreneurs in similar situations is that they struggle with the ability to balance work with their family responsibilities. I know they would love for you to describe your daily schedule and how you keep your family close while also staying productive.

 

I work when my daughter is in bed, which happens to be morning where most of my clients are. I also take work or training with me when I take Kaya over to her friend’s place as they live above their restaurant, so I get to hang out and eat pasta while working. It’s an ideal situation: pasta, caffeine, a playmate for the wee one, and wifi for me.

 

For women who are struggling with time, I suggest working less and charging more. Sell packages as opposed to hourly consulting or coaching. When you are working, stay super focused and make sure before you go online that you have a concrete plan of action you stick to. Aka no goofing around on Facebook ( which we all do…).

 

5. Recently you participated in Navid Moazzez’s Branding Summit (which I saw, and loved!) and wrote a post that appeared on Cameron Diaz’s blog. What smart strategies + tips do you have for people who are looking for these kinds of opportunities to get exposure for their brand?

 

I was just talking to Reg (you know, the sexy smart gal behind byregina.com) about the fact that I think the one thing that comes easily to me is connecting with people. I just write to bloggers or editors and let them know I’m a fan of their sites and ask if I can contribute high quality content their readers will love.

 

I let them know that I share my posts through my Social Media platforms, etc. I focus on how I can share and add value. Most say yes to my pitches.

 

Navid is a good friend of mine, which is why I was kindly invited on his podcast and show. He is doing wonderful work and is the prime example of how we can all work hard and prosper.

 

elizabeth3

 

6. Even though social media has been popular for years now, there are still businesses that don’t understand how it can (or should) be used to help them grow. What are the common mistakes you see being made with social media, and what should small businesses and solopreneurs be doing instead?

 

Social Media is completely misunderstood and misused by small and big businesses alike.

 

First off, each platform is unique and should be treated differently. Second, people use SM as a passive thing, instead of reaching out to people like editors or influencers, or brands. I don’t understand why, but instead, most businesses focus on pushing (sales or blog posts) instead of building relationships.

 

When social media is used to build relationships, it is extremely powerful. (Click to tweet!)

 

When social media is used to build relationships, it is extremely powerful. - Elizabeth Kelsey Bradley on Olyvia.co

 

My suggestions for business owners would be to:

 

  • Mention an influencer/brand/potential customer on Twitter. Perhaps thank them for something they have recently done, or let them know you are reading their book.

 

  • Start a Facebook group that you add consistent value to. Make office hours (like you do on your blog Erika) or one day a week when people can promote their posts. My group is called Blogging Boost and anyone who wants to join is more than welcome.

 

Blogging Boost FB group

 

  • Engage and add value to the Facebook or Gplus groups you are a member of. And if you aren’t a member of groups, join them! Join in the conversation, introduce yourself, and promote last. Follow the group’s guidelines for additional tips.

 

  • On Instagram and Twitter, trying following hashtags instead of using them. For example, most people using the hashtag #healthcoach are…you guessed it, health coaches. So if you serve health coaches, boom, you just found where they hang out and can engage with them.

 

Most business owners use hashtags but don’t follow them. You will get much more out of following hashtags your Ideal Client/Customer uses than using them yourself.

 

7. Besides your computer and the internet, what could you never, ever, in a million years run your business without? Let’s have 5 of them!

 

1. Essential oils (I’m obsessed with them, they keep me feeling good)

2. My printer

3. Evernote

4. Mailchimp

5. Worksheets and random printables I download from Pinterest

 

elizabeth1

 

 

Elizabeth’s digital hangouts are below. She’s super sweet + shares GREAT content.

 

Blogs: http://thrivinghealer.net/ and http://savouringsimplicity.com/

 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ek_bradley

 

Instagram: http://instagram.com/savouringsimplicity

 

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/holisticwriter/

 

 

 

And here’s a Pin for you!

 Hype-free tips for growing your business using social media | by Elizabeth Kelsey Bradley + Olyvia.co

 

 

Which one of Elizabeth’s tips helped you most? Share in the comments! 

 

 

Erika Madden

(Chief Olyvia)

 

 

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  • So happy to see this interview! I love the tips, especially as they relate to creating your own community if you can’t find one to otherwise contribute to. YES to #2!! Great interview Elizabeth!!

    • Thank you for always being so supportive, Naomi. <3 I love #2, too!

      And I can't wait to feature you here as well. I will be emailing you soon!

  • Brilliant interview, you asked the perfect qs! It’s amazing when you see it written down on paper (or screen) how obvious it is… Like why didn’t I think of that already?!? Thanks Olyvia & Elizabeth!

  • Thank you SO much for having me Erika! What an honor to be on your site! I love what you did with the images in the interview too!! 🙂

    • Thank YOU, girl! Your answers were so helpful and to the point. I loved that. I’m so happy you agreed to be on here!

  • This was a great interview and a adore and am inspired by both of you. I really like the building relationships reminder. It is SUPER important. You can have the best website, product and all that but if if you don’t have relationships with people your business simply will not soar. Thanks a bunch ladies!

    • Yes it is super important! And I agree, even the perfect website means nothing if people aren’t connecting with the writer.

  • Woah! I’ve never thought of social media this way, but it truly makes all the sense in the world. I love this!

  • Oh gosh - “You will get much more out of following hashtags your Ideal Client/Customer uses than using them yourself.” My brain just twisted around in my head. Thank you Erika and thank you Elizabeth. P.S. my first two kids are TCKs 🙂

    • So glad you found that helpful Jenny, and I know what you mean! Many of us use hashtags without thinking of following them to find others, or to connect with Ideal Customers.

  • Sarah Jensen

    Such a wonderful interview! Elizabeth as ever you’ve shared so many helpful, do-able and smart tips. You’re so generous and I so appreciate how you freely share your knowledge and inspire others. Keep shining lovely. Sarah x