Everyone is a Media Company
I think it was Gary Vaynerchuk that I first heard utter this sentiment a few years ago.
In our increasingly connected digital world, the idea that everyone is a media company is becoming more common online.
I think this is also more important than ever for project builders and Indie Hackers.
"Personal branding is the story people tell about you when you're not in the room....All you have in your life is your name and the reputation you garner.”
Building personal brand and community is increasingly becoming a key component for success, even for digital startups and SaaS products.
"The cost of entry for being relevant in our society today, is content" - Gary Vaynerchuk
The stories we tell about ourselves and our products through content creation serve to broaden our reach online, while also helping us to refine our personal brand and product offerings.
Do you agree? Is everyone a media company whether they know it or not?
It seems to be these days. Everyone's in marketing. Everyone's in sales. Tech. Support. As Indie Hackers we wear all the hats. Turns out we also wear parent, spouse, child, friend, and many other hats as well ;)
Very true @witsuma. We must wear many hats and play many roles!
This is so true. The size the media is going smaller but the units are going up.
I think we should stop trying to be media companies and go back to being solid community denizens. Media companies are all trying to get attention and shout over one another. It's a zero-sum game. These aren't stories (and nobody is listening because they're either yelling or ignoring)...stories connect us. We share them.
This is a great point @missrogue. Gary Vaynerchuk also describes how "marketers ruin everything" and I thought of that when you mentioned all the attention grabbing as a zero-sum game.
You are right, as humans we resonate with stories that make us feel a connection to something greater than ourselves. Thanks for sharing your insight!
I didn't mean to be a party pooper on your message @gordon, but I've watched social evolve/devolve over the years and I, for one, was getting tired of the growing number of wannabe Gary Vees on multiple platforms. I was missing the conversations and sharing! It's interesting, though...the social distancing from COVID-19 has led to a LOT more focus on community again. I love it!
(I don't love the distancing and pandemic though! I hope it stays after everything is cleared!)
No I totally understand. I am also very aware of how social media in recent years has become; more media and less social.
Lots of focus now on community building, remote relationships, and value creation which is great to see!
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Thanks vey much @lucarenga. Chat again soon :) !
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@lucarenga I ROFL'd at this:
"I am happy that everybody wants to be a media company because it eliminates a lot of competition for me. The main platform are more and more crowded every single day."
If I could add a giphy, it would be that guy pointing at his head: https://gph.is/2jAdoZw
Keep focusing on building an amazing business!
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Thanks for this insight @lucarenga. You make some great points. I think many of them are accurate too. There is definitely a point at which you hit diminishing returns for all the time spent content creating on these social channels.
Can you give any insights into your own business and what it does? I can send you an email if you don't want to talk about it on IH.
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Thanks for these insights and sharing this breakdown @lucarenga. You seem to have some great experience.
I love your focus on real world relationships and how your business relationships are more like 'friendships' as you say. This is amazing.
I also like how you are building your 'flywheel'. You are creating your own 3 tier funnel and you are the beneficiary of the growth of your clients at every stage of the journey.
I agree that founders need to focus on product and relationship. This is why I believe community building is such an integral part for early founders. For me, content creation and providing value up front is a strategy for building initial community.