Social content marketing, social media and product development process effectiveness in high-tech companies Nader Seyyedamiri and Ladan Tajrobehkar Department of Corporate Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Entrepreneurship, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of social content marketing in social media on the effectiveness of the new product development process of high-tech companies with regard to the e-trust as a mediator between content and effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach – For this study, a descriptive research method has been adopted. Data were collected through a questionnaire. In total, 430 questionnaires were distributed among professionals and managers working in R&D, marketing, sales and strategic departments of firms affiliated with ICT Guild Organization in September 2017. Of this number, 384 complete questionnaires were included in the study. Data were analyzed using structural equation method by Smart PLS software. Findings – Findings show that although social content marketing and e-trust influenced the effectiveness of the product development process, e-trust did not play a mediating role in the relationship between social content marketing and effectiveness of product development process in high-tech companies. Practical implications – High-tech companies, drawing on the results of this research, can utilize the component of social content marketing in social and mobile media and content publication through e-commerce, social and mobile media and m-commerce while analyzing user-generated content to identify user demands and achieve the proper idea generation. At the time of commercializing, by educating and informing customers, they mitigate fears and risks. This will lead to increasing the effectiveness of the product development process, market share and achieving revenue goals. Originality/value – This study investigates the social content marketing role in product development process in high-tech companies and tests the model in the context of the Tehran IT industries. The result of this study provides a reference for managers of high-tech companies and helps them lower the failure rate of product development. Keywords Social media, Effectiveness, Product development process, Social content marketing Paper type Research paper 1. Introduction Today, due to the rapid growth of products and market competitiveness, population growth and the diversification of needs, organizations are urged to develop new products. In the modern world, companies are obliged to compete with other organizations for their survival and success, and in this battle, firms with higher competitive advantage would be victorious. The development of new products via a novel approach aimed at the adaptation to environmental changes acts as a gateway to the competitive environment and it results in the attainment of competitive advantage in today’s dynamic world. Market conditions have exerted enormous pressure on companies and pushed them toward the development of new products as a way of gaining advantage (Ernst and Fischer, 2014). On the other hand, the dynamism and complexity of developing a new product and the competitiveness of most International Journal of Emerging Markets © Emerald Publishing Limited 1746-8809 DOI 10.1108/IJOEM-06-2018-0323 Received 19 June 2018 Revised 24 November 2018 13 April 2019 13 June 2019 Accepted 16 June 2019 The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/1746-8809.htm This manuscript has not been published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this paper. This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for- profit sectors. The authors thank all of the research participants for their undeniable contributions. Social media and product development process