BUS203: Principles of Marketing

Theoretical Contributions

There is limited previous research about content marketing, and because of this there is a research gap that needs to be filled with a variety of perspectives that help the understanding of this concept. This has led to confusion around the concept content marketing.

In this paper, we've established the definitions of content marketing and the premises of this strategy in digital marketing. Content is a key component of online marketing strategies that attract and retain consumers organically. This paper also contributes in providing an understanding of how content can be used in marketing, or more specifically, in engaging customers, which is central to the development of an consumer-centric approach in online settings.

In addition, this study offers further insights into the challenges associated with developing an effective content marketing strategy. The most important challenge relates to the change in marketing paradigm from online selling online, to supporting and helping consumers in online settings, by nurturing each relationship with consumers for long-term success with content marketing tactics.

Managerial Implications

In online frameworks, managers have many opportunities to engage in content marketing strategies, as the ones developed in this paper. However, the core objective should expanding the brand using content marketing. Digital content, whether it be "not paid for", "paid for" or social, is at the heart of brand-building processes.

To succeed in content marketing, this study showed that managers need to focus on developing brand stories that engage consumers with useful, relevant and valuable content. Turning to value, the research reported in this article suggests the importance of the content being valuable and useful to the audience, and helping them to complete a task or solve a problem. Because content implies to some extent web-based information quality, managers can reflect on the five dimensions of qualitative information: usefulness, goodness, accuracy, currency and importance, as suggested by Rieh.

Limitations and Future Research

The limitations of this studies are those commonly associated with theoretical research. The present research has encompassed many ideas regarding 'content marketing' in online settings, however an inclusion of more sources could have provided additional insights. For example, this paper did not discuss the need for content marketing KPIs and metrics and the development of appropriate dashboards for organizations to monitor the evolution of each content format. This aspect represent an intriguing prospect for a future research, with an empirical dimension. Moreover, future studies could also explore the effectiveness of various content marketing tactics in different industries or in relation to the decision making process and finding which content format can persuade consumers based on different stages in buyer's journey.