“I’m a Revenue Manager. Not a Digital Marketer. Or so I thought.”

I'm a revenue management guy. Not a marketing guy. At least that's what I thought when I was given the opportunity to make that pivot in my career. 

I was an RM for years. My identity was intertwined with Revenue Management. I liked it. I was good at it. I loved finding new ways to optimize revenue and control some of those key business levers. 

To be honest, I was a little worried that my skill set wouldn't translate to digital marketing. But I quickly realized that wasn't true at all. 

The analytical mindset that you develop in revenue management is invaluable to digital marketing. It was the creative side of digital marketing, I think, that was perhaps my greatest learning curve—understanding the impact of visuals, the nuances of ad placements, and the subtleties of customer engagement online. 

But that sometimes steep learning curve was worth it. While change is uncomfortable, the world of digital marketing really armed me with a new perspective. 

You see, I didn't stop being a revenue manager. I still spoke the language. I brought that background and experience to all of my marketing conversations. And vice-versa. Now when I talk to revenue managers about things like channel mix, I am bringing new insight from digital marketing. These conversations take on a whole new dimension. 

This new cross-departmental mindset now sets me apart from other revenue managers and other marketers. It also helps facilitate collaboration across departments. It helped me close gaps and break down silos. 

In digital marketing, you’re constantly experimenting, learning, and evolving. It’s a field that requires you to be agile and adaptive. My advice to anyone considering a similar shift is to embrace the discomfort that comes with change. It’s in those moments of uncertainty that you find opportunities for growth and innovation.

Digital marketing is a world where numbers meet creativity, and it's here that this life-long revenue manager found a new home.