Have you ever heard of someone actively seeking out an ad on the Internet? Probably not.

But did you know that AirBnB has a magazine? Or that MailChimp has a podcast around pivotal moments in a person’s career? Or that Creative Mornings has a newsletter that shares inspiring links for creatives?

Increasingly, businesses are becoming publishers of their own stories — and of other stories that connect with their target audience.

It speaks to a larger trend: Traditional publishers are no longer the gatekeepers between the public and a business. And now, consumers expect that they can engage with a brand on social media. This has necessitated that all businesses be storytellers and we’re seeing the effects:

Marketers spent a reported 56% more on content creation over the last year, making it the top growing area for content marketing.

Content Marketing Institute’s 2019 trends report.

Content creation and strategy is so central to business in 2019 that Axios published a story a few weeks ago with this headline: “The job of the future is editor in chief.”

Quoting their chief financial correspondent, the article went on to say: “(it’s) Much better to create something that people do want to read directly, and give them that.

“You know how every company is a technology company? Well maybe on some level every company is a media company, too. There’s no point felling trees in forests if nobody hears them.”

That last point is key — a content strategy outlines what story you’ll tell but how it will reach and engage your target audience. Just blogging isn’t enough — you have to think about the whole customer journey.

Content strategy increases your success

The Content Marketing Institute report shows a huge increase in just having a documented strategy for content. Of their surveyed respondents, 65% of “most successful” content marketing performers had a strategy, compared to 39% of all respondents.

That means if your strategic goal is to up your blog game this year, you can’t just get an intern to create some posts about the cool stuff you’re doing and hope that works. You can’t pick clip art memes or try to hashtag every #NationalWhateverDay.

You should be creating optimized content that supports your business goals — and if you’re a business owner like me, you don’t have time for things that don’t work. That’s where Minerva Media Co. comes in.

With more than a decade of experience in content production and more than 8 years in social and digital strategy for content, Minerva Media Co. can help you create a sustainable plan for content that performs.

So, what are you waiting for?