From in-house to inbound marketing agency

Let me introduce myself! I'm Lou, Six & Flow's newest recruit and the latest addition to one of two inbound marketing pods within the agency.

Starting out in social media

So where do I start? I grew up in East London, though some like to point out it was almost certainly Essex. I was a bit of a creative/tech nerd at school, and at any given point you'd find me with a camera often annoying my friends and family with my taking of candid portraits. They got bored with having a camera in their faces, so I started to point and shoot at still life instead.

I genuinely think photography really opens up doors. I see people like Holly Cato (h_cato on Instagram), a friend who went from creating an Instagram community in London to now commissioning pieces for the likes of Canon, Huawei and New Balance.

When University rolled around, I wanted to channel my photography into something that paid me, so I used to freelance content creation, mainly food photography, food writing and recipe testing for a lifestyle magazine.

I was the person that ordered the whole menu (sometimes) just to take pictures of everything. I'd spend my pre-lecture mornings in coffee shops and post-seminar afternoons eating in a variety of restaurants taking pictures of coffee art and beautifully plated food. I dabbled in the Instagram influencer scene before influencing was a thing. More than 32,000 followers later and I let it go, but that's a story for another time.

Stepping into in-house marketing

Fast forward to just a few years ago, when I began my in-house marketing career. I'm a big fan of social media, when used correctly of course, and I love the buzz of lead generation through email marketing or direct mail campaigns. I also really love designing things.

Of the many things that inspire me at work, the people I meet take centre stage. I've worked with some of the UK's most aspirational young people in a previous charity role, and with people who spend their working week saving the planet at a recycling company.

Making the switch to inbound marketing agency

"Have you worked for an inbound marketing agency before?" That's been the most commonly asked question for me in recent weeks. And the answer is no, no I haven't worked for an agency before.

To be honest, I wanted to alter the path my career was taking. If you're in-house, you always stay in-house. If you join an agency, you always stay in agencies. I wanted to break from this and experience what it was like to work at a marketing agency, understand the pressure of juggling the client I used to be and understand what makes the ideal working partnership. I also just wanted to learn more about the industry I work in.

A little bit more about me

So, that's me - a bit of a creative/tech nerd with a love for photography and marketing. Now to the generics:

What's my favourite colour?

Usually anything dark, but I'll happily bring out a yellow ochre in the summer.

What am I interested in outside of work?

Eating, cooking, climbing, exploring, hiking and travelling, tending to our million and one houseplants and sharing them on Instagram.