High-tech entrepreneurial content marketing for business model innovation : A conceptual framework

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to advance the theoretical development of the content marketing concept and its integration into high-tech marketing theory, in entrepreneurial contexts and from a business model innovation perspective. Design/methodology/approach The paper provides a conceptual overview of content marketing and business model innovation concerning high-tech entrepreneurs. Findings The high-tech entrepreneurial content marketing (HIT-ECM) framework has five delineating elements with a small high-tech firm as the focal point: adapting content marketing in the business model, customizing content and customer profiling, organizational learning and experimenting with the business model, building strategic networks and content marketing and the small high-tech firm’s business model innovation. The HIT-ECM framework considers how high-tech entrepreneurs capitalize on their capabilities and use innovative marketing strategies to sell their high-tech solutions under unpredictable conditions and limited resources. Practical implications From a managerial perspective, HIT-ECM poses five questions managers should ask themselves when they adopt content marketing and integrate it into their existing business models: how can content create value, how novel content development activities reflect on innovating the business model, how will content development reflect on the business model structure, who is involved and what are the revenue streams of content development. Originality/value This is an original paper that presents the HIT-ECM framework for high-tech entrepreneurs to use content marketing and capture customer value through every aspect of their business operations, as well as updating and innovating their business models.