Utilizing Content Marketing in Small and Medium-Sized Organizations
Parviainen, Ville (2014)
Karelia-ammattikorkeakoulu (Pohjois-Karjalan ammattikorkeakoulu)
2014
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2014061512925
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2014061512925
Tiivistelmä
The major objective of this study is to find out how and to what extent online content is currently utilized for marketing purposes among small and medium-sized organizations in Finland. Additionally, positive and negative future prospects concerning this type of content marketing were explored.
The study is mainly qualitative by nature. The empirical part of this thesis was carried out between July 2013 and March 2014 and it consists of five semi-structured interviews with five professionals in online marketing. The interviews were divided into four themes, discussing the topics of what is essential in content marketing, how it is carried out today, what its future may look like and what threats might arise. The interviewees were selected based on their respective organizations' existing online marketing efforts. The results were recorded, transcribed, and then subjected to a SWOT-analysis. Additionally, a small-scale content curation project was undertaken using the commissioner's social media channels, and was also examined through selected key performance indicators.
The attained results suggest that content marketing is an effective tool in building customer satisfaction and relationships in the online era and will continue to grow in popularity. It is, however, labor-intensive in nature, requiring a considerable amount of effort from an organization. Furthermore, the threat of negative public opinion on the issue is one that should be mitigated through openness and the delivery of quality content.
The study is mainly qualitative by nature. The empirical part of this thesis was carried out between July 2013 and March 2014 and it consists of five semi-structured interviews with five professionals in online marketing. The interviews were divided into four themes, discussing the topics of what is essential in content marketing, how it is carried out today, what its future may look like and what threats might arise. The interviewees were selected based on their respective organizations' existing online marketing efforts. The results were recorded, transcribed, and then subjected to a SWOT-analysis. Additionally, a small-scale content curation project was undertaken using the commissioner's social media channels, and was also examined through selected key performance indicators.
The attained results suggest that content marketing is an effective tool in building customer satisfaction and relationships in the online era and will continue to grow in popularity. It is, however, labor-intensive in nature, requiring a considerable amount of effort from an organization. Furthermore, the threat of negative public opinion on the issue is one that should be mitigated through openness and the delivery of quality content.