Meet our Community: Chloe Francis-Smith

Connecting with others in the marketing industry can sometimes be one of the biggest challenges. This series is aimed to show off the amazing members of our community and to encourage you to connect with some incredible women in the marketing industry. Keep reading to see how you can get involved with this blog series.

Hey, thanks for joining us! Could you please introduce yourself to our readers? 

Hello everyone I’m Chloe, Marketing Executive working within the healthcare industry, working across multiple different brands covering skincare and sexual and reproductive health. I have a hybrid role, which means that I work both in the office and at home. I work from home one day a week and I’m in the office for the remaining four. This can change, week-by-week, depending on what’s going on in my schedule. 

My personal interests are all fitness-based when I come to think about it! I love running, dance and gardening - mostly all of which I picked up (or back up again) during the Pandemic. I actually have my own hanging basket business which I began in May 2021 and is very much focused on local businesses and the community. I’ve had the privilege of providing seasonal baskets for a number of pubs just around the corner from me, and also for individuals within the area too. Feel free to check out my page on Facebook (@chlosgarden) or Instagram (@chlos_garden)!

How did you get into marketing? Did you follow a traditional route? 

No, I really didn’t! I actually didn’t really know or understand what marketing was until I began my first job after completing my A-Levels. It was my first boss that properly introduced Marketing to me, and this is where I also completed my Level 4 CIM Certificate in Professional Marketing. Initially, I worked within the Financial sector and from there I moved into the Coffee and Water industry. Shortly after this, I ended up at the company I now work for, so I do have an extensive breadth of experience within various types of industries, within both B2B and B2C marketing. I would definitely recommend gaining experience across a variety of areas as it gives you confidence and allows you to see marketing from a holistic viewpoint.

What is your favourite thing about working in marketing? 

My favourite thing about working in marketing probably has to be how much there is to learn and how frequently things change. Marketing is in everything and everywhere, and you can’t unsee this once you’ve been working in the industry.

Which section of marketing is your favourite and why? 

My favourite section of marketing is probably copywriting and social media. Copywriting has always been a passion of mine since my school days and social media because it’s incredible to see how much power social influence has on people and all the good which has come out of social media. It creates a place for people to learn and discover, all from the comfort of their own sofa! I think we all take it for granted more than we like to admit.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in their marketing career? 

Looking back at all the success I have had in marketing, I can definitely see a common theme. I’d say, especially early on in your marketing career, try as hard as you can to be a YES person. I’ve found that the more I’ve put myself out there and come out of my comfort zone the more I have reaped the benefits and progressed. Attend that webinar, find time to use LinkedIn, connect with someone new, and ask as many questions as you need to.

How did you hear about our membership? Why did you decide to take the leap and join our members community? 

I first found Girls in Marketing on Instagram! I began following their account and eventually took the plunge into membership in April this year. They had a great deal on at the time which lured me in! It was 30% off their membership for the first 3 months. I thought I would use this offer to try it out and make sure it was definitely for me. I’ve now been a member for 6 months and I wouldn’t look back. It’s 100% worth the money and has helped me in more ways than I could have imagined.

How has The Girls in Marketing Membership affected your marketing career prospects? 

It’s definitely made me more aware of the fact that you constantly need to be evolving, no matter where you are on your marketing journey. No matter whether you are the CMO of a world-wide organisation or attending your first university lecture, make sure you’re investing in your future and always looking to better yourself.

And finally, as we ask all our podcast guests, do you have a motivational mantra that you live by?

My motivational mantra probably has to be: “If you fail to prepare, then prepare to fail”.

This is something that has stuck by me since GCSE years and will continue to. It keeps me grounded and reminds me that you must put the groundwork in for something that you really want, and that if you fail to do so, that really you only have yourself to blame. 

Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn! Here’s the link to my profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloefrancis-smith 

If you'd like to become a member and connect with our amazing members, like Chloe, you can sign up here.