CONTENT MARKETING TOOLS AND METRICS IN CONSULTING FIRMS: PRELIMINARY RESULTS

The aim of this work is to identify the goals, tools, strategies, and metrics of Content Marketing (CM) used by European consulting firms to create value for the customer. The study adopts a quantitative methodology, in particular an online survey. A sample of 55 respondents was analyzed using descriptive statistics. CM is an activity used by 71% of the sample and is considered useful by 85% of respondents. The goals pursued with CM are mainly brand awareness and customer acquisition. The main platforms used for CM are LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. The tools most often adopted to achieve CM goals are website articles, social media content, and newsletters. The most used metrics are publishing and sharing. The small sample reduces the possibility to generalize the results. The results give some managerial implications such as: invest more in CM; use CM for maintaining contacts and increasing sales and use platforms like Instagram and YouTube; CM strategy planning. The study suggests a new CM definition which includes specific targets, the growing importance of digital tools and planned and systemic approach. This work is original as it is the first application of CM to consulting firms and contributes to the definition of CM.