Content marketing in rural India: A conceptual framework for understanding the influence of content marketing tools on purchase intention
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64171/JSRD.5.S2.236-241Keywords:
Content marketing, Rural India, Purchase intention, Consumer behavior, Digital marketing, Social media, Influencer marketingAbstract
The rapid expansion of digital technologies has transformed the communication landscape across rural India, creating new opportunities for organizations to engage consumers through content-driven marketing approaches. Unlike traditional promotional methods, content marketing emphasizes the creation and dissemination of valuable, relevant, and engaging information that assists consumers throughout their purchasing journey. Although considerable scholarly attention has been devoted to content marketing in urban and developed markets, limited research has examined its conceptual foundations and practical implications within rural Indian settings. This paper develops a theoretical framework that explains the influence of content marketing tools on rural consumers' purchase intention by integrating evidence from contemporary literature and empirical insights derived from rural markets. The proposed framework classifies content marketing activities into four major dimensions: Info Vault, Engage Sphere, Visual Information, and Promo Sphere. These dimensions collectively represent the informational, interactive, visual, and persuasive mechanisms through which content marketing shapes consumer perceptions and purchase decisions. The paper further identifies the major content marketing tools relevant to rural consumers, including blogs, websites, newsletters, online videos, picture-plus-text content, social media platforms, user-generated reviews, influencer marketing, paid advertisements, case studies, and digital magazines. The framework offers important implications for marketers, policymakers, and researchers seeking to understand digital consumer behavior in emerging rural markets. The study contributes to the growing body of content marketing literature by presenting a context-specific conceptualization that reflects the distinctive characteristics, opportunities, and challenges associated with rural India.
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