The one thing that may be missing from your Content Marketing — independence.

In the post-digital world, technology is allowing brands to quickly become their own best media outlets, replacing the need to buy or rent space from more traditional media.

But the one thing consumers valued most from traditional media is in danger of fading away — third party journalistic independence. This creates an opportunity for brands to stand out in an otherwise crowded marketplace.

Media outlets can certainly have their own political leanings but, in general, journalists have operated separately from the advertising department and that church-and-state separation is at risk.

As brands create and publish more of their own content today, they have the opportunity (if not the obligation) to present more of a balanced viewpoint. I believe there will almost certainly be a backlash against brands that don’t deliver on traditional media’s independent view. So, what’s a brand to do?

Awareness is the first step

As with many things, once brands recognize this as a potential issue, they’re well on their way to dealing with it. As brands continue to hire journalists and create newsroom-type atmospheres to deliver on ContentMarketing’s promise, it’s critical that your audiences feel some level of independence from your ‘reporting’.

Of course, your consumers are savvy enough to know you’re behind the messaging. But they will appreciate (and reward) brands that make an effort toward an unbiased, third party view that helps them look smart or solve a problem. In fact, they will come to expect it. Here are a few suggestions for how to deliver on it:

Create standards (and stick to them)

For centuries, consumers have relied upon the so-called Fourth Estate of journalism to provide an unbiased viewpoint and protect the public interest. The term comes from 19^th century England, where journalists were counted on to keep the first three estates (the clergy and the upper and lower houses of parliament) honest. Make sure your ‘newsroom’ understands where the line is between helping consumers solve problems (Content Marketing) and outright promotion (traditional marketing). The masses surely will.

Be honest, you’re being recorded

Everyone knows honesty is critical but it can be tempting to be somewhat less than truthful when your brand is under attack. Be honest anyway. In this age of 24/7 surveillance, your actions will almost certainly be played back to you on a screen somewhere when the storm is over; make sure your team behaves in a way that will make you all feel good when you see that behavior again.

Be curious

One of the most admired traits of a journalist is curiosity. If it seems like there’s a story to be told, find out what that story is and tell it. People will appreciate you (and your brand) for it.

Be timely

Gone are the days when tomorrow’s newspaper is the source for the latest news. But journalists have always been the first to break the story and that continues in the modern age. Caution here — don’t be first at the risk of being wrong. Keep in mind the Russian proverb often borrowed by Ronald Reagan: trust but verify.

Be different

Of course, being balanced and unbiased isn’t easy, especially internally where brand managers and others may expect you to lean toward their perspective. The real opportunity here is to play it down the middle and replace what people are starting to miss from traditional journalism and resist pushing your product or service.

As nearly everyone continues to rush into the Content Marketing space, you can help your brand stand out and earn the attention of your audience by maintaining the balance and independence they have always appreciated from journalism.