I once shared that I switched careers from Research and Brand Consulting to Social Media Consulting. But I remain an Executive Director in charge of HR & Knowledge. This gives me a unique perspective.
Media content is expensive; maybe not always materially so, but it takes time to create and so, there’s an opportunity cost. While C-Suite Executives worry about sales funnels and Return on Investment (ROI), creatives care about innovation and content virality. Creative professionals sometimes believe that creativity is an end in itself, much like Socrates believed knowledge should be pursued for its own sake. But, operating managers care about how much product is sold relative to media spend. Rightly so.
This year, I began to pivot my social media speaking engagements to focus on sales. I remembered the years I spent, trying to convince my company to invest in a new social media unit. I only won the argument when social media began to bring in significant revenue. Therefore, I consider it a mission of sorts to teach businesses how to extract commercial value from social media.
As a creative professional, you can increase your value to your organisation by learning the language of financial numbers. You already speak the vocabulary of imaginative delight. Now, you must become bilingual. Learn how to clearly demonstrate, how your creative content will generate sales and then, track those sales. Focus on the bottom line. Your managers will love you for it.