No more excuses: Make this year the year your business actually becomes a media company.

Didn’t you listen to Gary Vaynerchuk?

A few years back, famous entrepreneur and social media genius Gary Vaynerchuk made this bold statement:

No matter what business you’re in,

You need to think of your business as a media business.

And he’s worth listening to! In the late 90s, after identifying “the internet” as a land-grab opportunity, Gary transitioned his father’s local liquor store into one of the first wine e-commerce platforms resulting in growing the family business from $3-60MM in sales in five years. Currently, Gary Vaynerchuk is the chairman of VaynerX, a modern-day media and communications holding company, and the active CEO of VaynerMedia, a full-service advertising agency servicing Fortune 100 clients across the company’s 4 locations.

Talk about street cred!

His media business idea stuck with us at Say The Write Things. The idea is enormous. The effort is even greater. Probably why so many ignore his advice, because it takes deep thinking, strategic chops and some discipline. That’s unfortunate this gets overlooked because we believe positioning your company or organization as a media company is critical today.

And exactly why do you need to be a media company?

1. Now it’s necessary. Like it or not, your messages are your brand. So take on this challenge by developing a process and purpose for your messages. It’s all about high-value, highly shareable content.

2. It keeps your brand competitive. It’s plenty noisy out there and standing out is no easy task. So give your brand a hand by using social and other media channels and tactics to tell compelling stories, share helpful insights and pass along real value. But do it with a committed cadence of content.

3. You’ll find value beyond mere advertising and traditional public relations. When your brand takes the initiative to create honest, storytelling moments with your content marketing messages, you have the best opportunity to leverage earned media. This is your best kind of media exposure because it has an authenticity that you just can’t buy. Plus, it can be highly efficient and cost-effective.

Best practices

Be deliberate with your editorial calendar - This is that committed cadence of content mentioned above. Map out your larger strategy, then calendar out the tactics.

Break out of the box - There are plenty of standard content marketing tactics like articles, videos and by monitoring your social channels for engagement. But remember, different beats better in most marketing or advertising messages, so push the envelope. Ask your employees a controversial question, hit your industry peers up with a provocative survey, or create a customer-driven event or best photo contest using your product or service. The crazier (with legal OK), the better because when done right, these can turn into fantastic shareable moments for your brand.

Don’t try too hard to support corporate orthodoxy - Not every aspect conveniently “ladders up” to high-level corporate themes. Most compelling content stands on its own. People are drawn to people telling real stories, not numb, contrived corporate-speak.

Remember, your employees are often your best advocates - Employees often reveal the hidden gems (stories) of brands. When you encourage and facilitate these real-life sharing opportunities, amazing things can happen.

Think about all possible touchpoints - While not always the sexiest aspect of content marketing, your many audiences such as trade partners, vendor organizations, professional associations, clubs, communities, and other groups that out to their audience. And they are hungry for content. So make that your helpful and compelling content. A small effort can go a long way.

You know you want to become a media company. So what’s holding you back?

Unique and compelling content delivered on a regular basis is your best way to bring that inner media company to life and help your brand truly stand out.

PS: Don’t delay; get our Free Guide today on Simplified Content Solutions

As a thank you for reading this article, we’d like to send you this quick-read document; you’ll discover three fresh ideas to help you generate great content faster and more effectively.

For more insights on content marketing listen to the Say The Write Things Podcast below: