Every company today is in the media business.

Not their business model, but what they do and why they do it.

Traditional media companies are extremely good at what they do.

They’re very strategic and specific.

Obviously, one of their main tasks is creating content.

But that’s not it. They don’t make money for creating content.

Neither should you.

Instead, you need to learn why they create content to understand how it leads to money.

That’s what every business today needs to do.

The media business is interesting.

Traditionally, it was a closed system that only gave certain people the right to publish information on a broad scale.

There were high barriers to entry, which made it near impossible for you or me to contribute.

Obviously, that’s all changed now.

But don’t be quick to overlook old media. Instead you should study what they do, and how they do it so well.

The media business creates content, to attract attention, to sell products.

It’s really that simple.

They’re very good at identifying a market, capturing an attentive audience, and providing targeted products to solve their needs.

And lets be honest, everything today starts with attention. If you can’t acquire and hold someone’s attention, then you’ll never make it online.

Ed Abrams, Vice President of Marketing of IBM Midmarket Business, recently said “85 percent of the time, customers’ decisions to interact with a brand begins with a search”.

85%!!!

And they’re not looking for your brand name. Search is based on intent.

They’re looking for a solution.

Whether that solution is to a life curing illness or simply for a way to procrastinate at work, it doesn’t really matter.

Google has 34,000 searches per second.

People today actively research online before making a buying decision.

Every business has to create content today. You need to create marketing assets that appreciate over time.

It gives you people’s attention and lets you build trust.

And without those two things, no company stands a chance.