Media Companies Are Waiting To Make You a Publisher

I read two fantastic posts by Paul Conley regarding content marketing. (fyi, Paul’s blog is targeted to reporters, editors and anyone else interested in b2b publishing.)

The first post from Paul lays the groundwork for what is going on in content marketing. Paul refers to an article I wrote for Folio that positions corporations as the new kings of content. In essence, the territory that has long been held by traditional media companies is now being overtaken by businesses.

Paul really hits the mark here in response to my article on the fundamental difference between media companies and content marketers:

“And of course the content marketers have a remarkable advantage over the rest of us — they don’t need to make a profit from their sites. A content marketer site isn’t a profit center, it’s a marketing expense.  It exists to serve the larger brand. In other words, although content marketers are content creators, they are not in the content business.”

We Want You

Paul’s second post is where the opportunity lies for marketers. Many B2B media companies are struggling with their business models. Print advertising is declining due to the lack of measurement issues and the proliferation of about 1,000 other ways you can market your products. Web revenues are usually great, but publishers are running out of inventory. Even for those media companies that have created more inventory, the growth in web revenues still haven’t been able to keep up with declining print revenues. Take all that, and then throw on the fact that marketers such as you are launching first-rate editorial initiatives without the need to make a profit.

Publishing companies are starting to convert themselves into agencies with publishing expertise. Paul makes the point that:

“Because now you’re [the publisher is] working for a fee, not for ad dollars. And your client [you] isn’t an advertiser, he’s a publisher … just like you.”

Paul contends that the next logical step for a publishing company’s business model is to turn marketers into publishers. As we know, this is already happening, but traditional publishers have really only dabbled in true content marketing to this point (microsites, special issues, webcasts). The difference will be less about product and more about publishers truly solving marketers challenges by teaching them how to create great content. It’s a significant philosophy change for publishers, but one that is already starting to happen (because it has to).

The opportunity for you is that publishers will evolve from yesterday’s contempt for your content marketing products to tomorrow’s wanting to help you create better content. There is no doubt about the expertise that exists in traditional media companies. Now you have the opportunity to tap into that expertise.

Not sure the media companies are willing to help…just ask.

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