AI-Powered Content Strategy Implementation: Evaluating Effectiveness for Startups in Four Industries
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Publication Date
Summer 2025
Digital Publisher
Digital Commons at St. Mary's University
Collection
McNair Scholars Symposium
Keywords
startups, Content Inc. model, Business Model Canvas (BMC), artificial intelligence (AI), content marketing
Description
Startups face significant challenges in today’s rapidly evolving digital marketplace, particularly when competing with larger firms that can more readily absorb risk and adapt to technological change. Although established frameworks such as the Business Model Canvas (BMC) and Joe Pulizzi’s Content Inc. model provide valuable guidance for early-stage ventures, they do not fully address the demands of modern marketing in an era increasingly defined by artificial intelligence (AI). This qualitative multiple-case study examines how an AI-enhanced Content Inc. model can support more effective content marketing strategies for startups operating in four distinct industries: food, custom software development, outdoor consumer products, and grant management software. Using the BMC as a contextual framework, this research focuses on founders’ firsthand experiences and feedback to understand how AI tools influence the development and implementation of content strategies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the founders of each participating startup to capture insights on current practices, challenges, and the practical application of AI within a content-driven approach. Cross-case analysis was then used to compare how each industry adapted to the AI-enhanced model, highlighting which sectors may be best positioned for successful implementation. While the study’s findings are limited by its small sample size and an eight-week research period, the results aim to offer actionable insights for startups seeking to build sustainable growth through more efficient, technology-supported marketing strategies.
Disciplines
Advertising and Promotion Management | Artificial Intelligence and Robotics | Business Intelligence | Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | Marketing | Technology and Innovation
Format
MOV
Medium
Video
Size or Duration
26 minutes 34 seconds
City
San Antonio, Texas
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
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