Corporations are becoming publishers, said analyst Rebecca Lieb in the keynote address at Day 2 of Mediabistro’s Publishing App Expo.

In the talk, Lieb spoke about how the mobile content business is evolving. She said that in mobile, publishers are often competing with their advertisers. For example, brands such as American Express, IBM and Ford are not only advertising on digital media sites, they are also creating their own content sites.

What can publishers do to compete with the deep pockets of advertisers? Use your expertise, good storytelling. Focus on what you know, and tell your story well. Lieb pointed out that advertisers know how to write campaigns, but their strength isn’t necessarily in telling stories and this can help publishers compete. In addition, while big companies have lots of money, they aren’t always quick to market and small publishers and startups have the advantage of agility. Lieb also suggests that publishers create a more compelling experience.

In the panel, Lieb went on to say that publishers should use analytics to measure how users are interacting with your content. But she warns, don’t measure everything. “Everything doesn’t count,” she said. “Measure those indicators that are the desired behaviors you define.”