scholarly journals Social media marketing and customer engagement : a focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-69
Author(s):  
B URBAN ◽  
◽  
TL MAPHATHE ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Social Media Marketing ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Medium Enterprises

Social media platforms are increasingly used by SMEs who have fewer resources and need to rely on social media marketing to engage with their customers. This article investigates the extent to which social media platforms specifically Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter contribute to increased customer engagement. While past studies have concentrated on the adoption of social media in predominantly western contexts, this research is focused on SMEs in a relatively under-researched African market context, South Africa. The research design was a quantitative cross-sectional study relying on primary data collection, where hypotheses were tested using statistical analyses in terms of correlational and regression analyses. Results support the hypotheses where the use of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter platforms show a significant and positive relationship with increased customer engagement. The findings have management implications where owner-managers should make use of social media by maintaining and growing an extensive network of ties to both collect information and identify resources, as well as to build a reputation and engage with their customers.

scholarly journals Effects of Social Media Marketing Towards Probiotic Chicken Customers’ Purchase Intention: Customer Engagement as a Mediator

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. 518-531
Author(s):  
Nadia Ambar Shofiya ◽  
Ira Fachira
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Purchase Intentions ◽  
Social Media Marketing ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
The Social ◽  
Medium Enterprises

Social media has become an inseparable part of marketing, particularly for small and medium enterprises. However, there is a limited knowledge on how it helps small and medium enterprises in selling probiotic products. This study aims to explore how social media marketing influences the purchase intentions of probiotic chicken customers. This research uses a quantitative approach to collect data through an online survey from 215 participants. The results show that the factors of entertainment, trendiness, and e – word of mouth of social media marketing, alongside customer engagement, significantly affect customers’ purchase intentions. Data analysis reveals that the factors of social media marketing have greater influence towards purchase intention when mediated by customer engagement, compared to their direct influence towards purchase intention. Therefore, improving the quality of the social media marketing factors enhances customer engagement. Hence, customer engagement also plays an important role in social media marketing by directly influencing the customers’ purchase intentions.

scholarly journals The Effect of Social Media Marketing on Sales Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises in the Fashion Industry in Nairobi County, Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-71
Author(s):  
Armstrong Maelo Mulunda ◽  
Mary Mukabi ◽  
Racheal Macharia
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Marketing Channels ◽  
Social Media Marketing ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Sales Growth ◽  
Fashion Industry ◽  
Medium Enterprises

Small and medium enterprises in the various sectors of the Kenyan economy have been adopting social media marketing to steer their marketing objectives. The fashion enterprises have not been left behind in adopting and engaging their customers through the social media marketing channels. The traditional channels of marketing that include television, radio and billboard marketing are perceived to be more expensive compared to social media marketing channels, and thus has led to more enterprises switching to social media marketing. However, the local enterprises in the fashion industry still face stiff competition from cheap imported second-hand fashion products from other countries. The local fashion designers also face stiff competition from well-established global fashion brands that have penetrated the Kenyan market. High cost of capital and limited access to financing has also been a major challenge for the fashion enterprises and has led to many of them lacking sufficient resources to implement their marketing objectives. Furthermore, the fashion industry is very dynamic and there exists the challenge posed by the ever-changing consumer preferences in relation to the fashion trends. Lack of market readiness has led to poor performance of the fashion enterprises. The study sought to establish the effect of social media marketing on sales growth of small and medium enterprises in the fashion industry in Nairobi County. The study was anchored on two theories that include Technology Acceptance Model and Social Network Theory that related to the variables under study. The research used descriptive cross-sectional design with the target population comprising of the 210 fashion SMEs in Nairobi County dealing in fashion accessories, bodywear and footwear. The study used a census technique, where all the 210 listed fashion enterprises were studied. Primary data was collected through structured questionnaires. Data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Science Software (S.P.S.S) version 25. Regression analysis was performed to test the hypotheses of the study. The study established that Social media marketing had a positive significant effect on sales growth of small and medium enterprises in the fashion industry in Nairobi County. The study recommends that the fashion enterprises adopt effective social media marketing tools to steer their marketing campaigns and improve sales performance. Furthermore, the marketing strategies adopted should be optimized and enhanced to improve customer service and customer interaction with the fashion enterprises. Through social media adoption, the enterprises ought to share relevant and up-to-date content on their social media platforms to target their customers so as to accrue its benefits that include low costs of adoption and improved interaction between the customers and the fashion enterprises.

scholarly journals Innovative Social Media Marketing Communication Application for Thai Hotel SMEs

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Torboon Puangmaha ◽  
Tatri Taiphapoon ◽  
Pakpachong Vadhanasindhu ◽  
Sukree Sinthupinyo
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Social Media Marketing ◽  
Design And Technology ◽  
Marketing Communication ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Application Development ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Industry Professionals

<p class="0abstract">Social media marketing communication has been widely adopted in organizations due to its values of interactivity, integration of communication channels, information collection and immediacy.  Nevertheless, a majority of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) do not realize how to systematically and effectively implement social media marketing communication.  In addition, few studies on application development of social media marketing communication have demonstrated the support for Thai hotel SMEs. This study aims to understand the pain points and expectations of SMEs in the Thai hotel industry, to design and develop an innovative social media marketing communication application for business promotion. The research utilizes design thinking process for application development using semi-structured interviews with 10 industry professionals. Based on results from the data analysis and conceptual prototype design, validated by group of professionals in business, innovation design and technology, the proposed prototype is practical and suitable for developing an innovative application that promotes Thai hotel SMEs’ social media marketing communication.</p>

Adolescents with chronic disease and social media: a cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Vol 105 (8) ◽  
pp. 744-748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura De Nardi ◽  
Andrea Trombetta ◽  
Sergio Ghirardo ◽  
Maria Rita Lucia Genovese ◽  
Egidio Barbi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Inflammatory Bowel

ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the attitude of adolescents with chronic diseases toward social media exposure, focusing in particular on Facebook.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingAn anonymous semistructured survey was distributed to an Italian hospital-based cohort of adolescents with chronic disease to explore the role of Facebook in their daily life.PatientsWe recruited 212 adolescents (aged between 13 and 24 years) with a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease, diabetes mellitus type 1 and cystic fibrosis.ResultsTwo hundred and seven of the 212 (97.6%) expressed the need of sharing their illness experience with friends, 201 out of 212 (94.8%) usually searched information on the internet to find new therapies and to discover their prognosis. One hundred and forty-nine out of 212 adolescents (70.3%) perceived dependence on their parents as the most negative aspect of having a chronic disease, and 200 out of 212 (94.3%) were looking for friends with the same disease on Facebook. Two hundred and ten out of 212 (99.1%) did not want their doctors or nurse on their social media platforms. During the active disease periods, the time spent with social media increased from an average of 5 to 11 hours.ConclusionsThis descriptive analysis focused on the Facebook impact on chronic disease perception among affected adolescents. It showed that they used to spend an increased amount of time on this platform during disease flare-up and highlighted their wish of keeping doctors and nurses away from their social dimension.

Influence of Social Media Marketing on the Brand Image of Organizations in the Hospitality Industry of Sri Lanka

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Romello Perera ◽  
Irosha Perera
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Brand Image ◽  
Social Media Marketing ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

The research paper aims to identify significant factors affecting towards the Social Media Marketing which can influence and affect the Brand Image of organizations in the hospitality sector. The identified factors include the following; 1. Positivity, 2. Consistency, 3. Differentiation, 4. Personality, and 5. Engagement Opportunities on Social Media. A framework was developed to highlight the relationship of the factors and their direct influence and impact on the Brand Image. A questionnaire is used to obtain primary data, and the data is analysed using a variety of statistical tools to measure and evaluate the strength of the influence and impact of Social Media Marketing on Brand Image of Hospitality Brands. Assessing the influence and impact of Social Media Marketing on their Brand Image can help organizations in the hospitality industry to evaluate the success of their Social Media Marketing Campaigns, while organizations that are currently not engaged in Social Media Marketing can gain a better understanding on how to utilize Social Media platforms to enhance their Brand Image.

scholarly journals Perception of Advertisements for Healthy Food on Social Media: Effect of Attitude on Consumers’ Response

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (18) ◽  
pp. 6463
Author(s):  
Pedro Cuesta-Valiño ◽  
Pablo Gutiérrez Rodríguez ◽  
Estela Núñez-Barriopedro
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Media Effect ◽  
Cross Sectional

The growing concern for health is currently a global trend, so promoting healthy products is an opportunity that companies can exploit to differentiate their products in highly competitive markets. The purpose of this research is to examine the antecedents of social media advertising value and their consequences for attitudes to healthy food and intentions to consume it, in a representative sample of Spanish consumers. The theory of Ducoffe’s advertising value model was used as a conceptual framework for the antecedents of attitudes based on utilitarian and hedonic values. To achieve this objective, a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out based on primary data from a survey of a representative sample of the Spanish population with 2023 valid questionnaires. The Partial Least Square (PLS) method was applied to test the hypothesized relationships and predictive variables. The result of this research allows us to determine which variables influence the consumer’s response, as measured by intention, motivated by the consumer’s attitude to the value of healthy food, as influenced by the advertising value on social networks. Furthermore, the findings show that, for advertising healthy food on social networks to be valuable, it must be credible and richly informative.

scholarly journals Assessment of awareness and satisfaction of online renewal of practising license among pharmacists in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-175
Author(s):  
Ukamaka G. Okafor ◽  
Abubakar Ibrahim Jatau ◽  
Olukemi Alabi ◽  
Elijah N.A. Mohammed
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Application Process ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Online Application ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
License Renewal ◽  
Online Process

Purpose: To assess the awareness and satisfaction of online renewal of practice licence among pharmacists in Nigeria.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among pharmacists in Nigeria. Participants were recruited through; online (via social media platforms) or in person at Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) office during application for renewal of license.Results: A total of 878 participants completed the survey. Of this, 97.4 and 79.9 % were aware and satisfied with the online process, respectively. The respondents rated the process as excellent (19.1 %), fair (22.2 %), good (55.0 %) and poor (3.6 %). Most of the reported challenges included linking payment of association dues with license renewal, poor customer service and password retrieval.Conclusions: The level of awareness and satisfaction of the online renewal of annual licence among pharmacists in Nigeria is high. Measures are still needed to improve the online application process. Keywords: Pharmacists Council, Online, Licence, Pharmacist, Practice

scholarly journals Assessment of Altmetrics and PlumX Metrics Scoring as Mechanisms to Evaluate the Top 100 Trending Hidradenitis Suppurativa Articles on Social Media: Cross-Sectional Study

10.2196/23724 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. e23724
Author(s):  
Chapman Wei ◽  
Aaron Fong ◽  
Theodore Quan ◽  
Puneet Gupta ◽  
Adam Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Hidradenitis Suppurativa ◽  
Citation Count ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Scientific Article ◽  
Journal Title ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Media Platforms

Background Dermatologists are increasingly utilizing social media platforms to disseminate scientific information. New tools, such as altmetrics and PlumX metrics, have been made available to rapidly capture the level of scientific article dissemination across social media platforms. However, no studies have been performed to assess the level of scientific article dissemination across social media regarding hidradenitis suppurativa, a disease that is still currently not well understood. Objective The aim of our study was to evaluate the utility of altmetrics and PlumX metrics by characterizing the top 100 “trending” hidradenitis suppurativa articles in the altmetric database by the altmetric attention score and PlumX score. Methods Altmetric data components of the top 100 hidradenitis suppurativa articles were extracted from the altmetric database. Article citation count was found using Web of Science. PlumX field-weighted impact scores for each article were collected from the Scopus database. Journal title, open-access status, article type, and study design of original articles were assessed. Additionally, the altmetric attention score, PlumX score, and citation count were log transformed and adjusted by +1 for linear regression, and Spearman correlation coefficients were utilized to determine correlations. Results Most of the top 100 “trending” hidradenitis suppurativa articles were published in JAMA Dermatology (n=27, 27%). The median altmetric attention score, PlumX score, and citation count were 25.5, 3.7, and 10.5, respectively. The most mentions regarding social media platforms came from Twitter. Although no correlation was observed between the citation count and altmetric attention score (r2=0.019, P=.17), positive correlation was observed between the citation count and PlumX score (r2=0.469, P<.001). Conclusions Our research demonstrated that citation count is not correlated with the altmetric attention score, but is strongly correlated with the PlumX score regarding hidradenitis suppurativa articles at this point in time. With the continual increase of social media usage by medical professionals and researchers, this study can help investigators understand the best way to captivate their audience.

scholarly journals Innovación en los procesos de distribución, mediante el uso de las TIC. Un estudio exploratorio en las mipymes

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-122
Author(s):  
Paula Rosalinda Antonio Vidaña ◽  
Daniel Martínez Navarrete ◽  
Luz del Carmen Muñoz Palacios ◽  
Carlos Alberto Ruiz López
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Redes Sociales ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Medium Enterprises

El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo identificar el nivel de adopción de las TIC´s en los procesos de distribución de las Micro, Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas (MIPyMES). El estudio fue concluyente de tipo descriptivo, que por tomar la muestra en un momento específico es transversal simple, aplicando una muestra de 483 encuestas en un periodo de febrero y mayo 2020, en los municipios de Orizaba e Ixtaczoquitlán.  Se obtuvieron resultados, que en un 23.1% consideran que no necesitan medios como redes sociales, el 34.1% consideran no necesario el usar el servicio de paquetería, lo cual fue un punto discursivo como parte del análisis, entre otros resultados mostrados. Abstract The objective of this research consisted of identifying the level of impact Information and Communication Technologies (Ict) had in distribution processes in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The study consisted of a conclusive descriptive type: which, due to the application of a survey during a specific period, it is a simple cross-sectional study applying a sample of 483 surveys between the months of February and May 2020, in the municipalities of Orizaba and Ixtaczoquitlan, in the State of Veracruz. Results showed that 23.1% considered that they had no need for media such as social networks, 34.1% considered the use of postal or parcel services unnecessary, which was a discursive standpoint as part of the analysis among other given results.

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