Phoebe Singer: Freelance Marketing Manager
Phoebe Singer
BA History, 2020
Based in: London (remote)
First job:
Various part-time roles, including swimming teacher, lifeguard, and waitress.
Strangest interview question:
What kind of cocktail are you and why?
Advice for current students:
Take opportunities you think you'll enjoy, even if they don't align with your planned career. Don't be afraid to speak your mind and share your opinion, but also make connections and friends (support them and they will support you).
Ambitions for the future:
I would like to expand my single freelance business to a small agency, working with other freelance marketers to support the workload. I am currently writing my first novel and would like to have that published in the next year or so!
Freelance Marketing Manager
Describe your current role and what attracted you to it.
I work as a Marketing Manager for a variety of companies in different industries, including technology, finance, hospitality, charity, sport, and wellness. I have worked in marketing since graduating and love the creativity and array of experience I have had from working with smaller companies. I am always learning new ways to reach and engage audiences.
What’s your favourite part of the role?
I love that everything I do acts as the shopfront for companies. There is a lot of variety in the work I do as a generalist marketer, and more so as a freelance marketer working in different industries. My learning and experience have increased ten-fold since becoming a freelancer, and I am enjoying being my own boss in that sense.
What are the key skills you learnt at Warwick that have helped you with your career to date?
I started in marketing as a content writer, using the many essays I wrote at Warwick to support! A lot of my work has been with complex business-to-business products, which I have to understand and translate into digestible marketing copy– a skill I definitely learnt during my History degree.
Did you have a specific career path in mind when you chose to study at Warwick?
I chose History as I enjoy the subject and learning about people's stories. A long-term goal of mine is to be an author (which I am currently pursuing alongside my job), but marketing was something I turned to after graduating.
What top tips do you have for Warwick graduates who would like to work in your sector?
There are a lot of ways to get involved in marketing, whether that is the marketing channel (social media, email, events, content, etc.) or function (design, copy, analytics). I would start by making your experience as wide as possible, as marketing feeds into all areas of business and omnichannel marketing is on the rise. I volunteered with some charities I was passionate about to widen my experience in business to consumer (B2C) marketing, alongside my day job in business to business(B2B) marketing, which I think has greatly helped in my freelance career.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I try to keep a steady routine as a freelance marketer, starting with a dog walk and workout. I plan my day by time-blocking based on clients and which tasks need to be completed that day, or what can be completed later in the week. My tasks include creating or editing content for social media, writing blog and website content, building email campaigns, planning events, writing decks, and brand copy as well (not all in one day!). As a freelancer, I also manage my expenses, taxes, and outreach to keep new clients coming in.
What has been your greatest career challenge to date and how did your experience and skills help overcome it?
I became freelance in 2023 after my previous role was made redundant. I was quite lucky to fall on my feet and find new clients quite quickly, but a year later I moved on from a few of my clients and had the lightest workload (and therefore salary) I had had since graduating. It was hard but I learnt to put myself forward for new opportunities, to sell myself and my services, and to build a personal brand. Now, I have found new clients and am on my highest salary since graduating! Learning to roll with the ups and downs of freelancing has been an important lesson.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given in relation to your career?
The importance of networking! I was told this often, but it has been especially true since becoming freelance. The majority of my work has come through my network, with friends and former colleagues referring me when they hear of an opportunity. It can be hard to network if you're not that kind of person, but you can speak to people individually or online to foster new relationships as well.
What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were applying for jobs?
When I was applying for roles as a graduate, my parents kept telling me to not take the rejections personally, and that it's a numbers game. It is annoying to hear when you're desperate for a job, but it is true (parents know best, after all!). I also think it is important to remember that jobs aren't meant to be your life. I had felt really settled in my first role and was made redundant suddenly, so I'm aiming to not settle or rely so heavily on a job again.