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THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN HONG KONG

By

Executive Summary

Aim: This study aims to assess the importance of using social media marketing in small and medium enterprises in Hong Kong.

Objectives: To achieve this aim, the following purposes were developed: to assess the challenges that SMEs face when integrating social media marketing in their businesses; to evaluate how social media marketing is changing marketing experience for SMEs in the retail sector; to determine whether social media marketing is effective in attracting and retaining customers; to assess the benefits of social media marketing strategies for SMEs, and to determine the most effective social media marketing platforms, and to determine whether SMEs in the retail industry should embrace social media marketing in their operations.

Methods: The study pursued a qualitative research approach, where only secondary research was carried out. Data and information were collected by reviewing relevant literature and using a case study of the use of social media marketing at Coach.

Findings: The study found that social media marketing is essential for SMEs in the retail industry, mainly because it helps SMEs minimise marketing and advertising expenses. In addition, it helps in reaching a broader customer base compared to traditional marketing.

The organisation of the study: This study is divided into various chapters/sections. The first chapter is the introduction, where the researcher discusses the background that prompts this research, the aim of the study, the objectives, and the importance of conducting the research. The second chapter is a literature review, where a review of existing research and evidence on the topic of study is evaluated to determine what is already known and the gaps in knowledge on the research topic. The third chapter is the methodology, which explains how data was collected and analysed in the study. The fourth chapter is the analysis, where the researcher presents an analysis of the case study. The fifth chapter is the discussion, where the findings from reviewed literature and the case study are discussed in detail. The sixth chapter is the conclusion, recommendations, and suggestions for further research.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary 1

Chapter One: Introduction and Context of the study 1

1.1 Background 1

1.2 Problem Statement 5

1.3 Research Aim and Objectives 8

1.3.1 Aim of the study 8

1.3.2 Research Objectives 9

1.4 Research questions 9

1.5 Rationale of the study 10

1.6 Scope of the study 11

1.7 Structure of the study 11

Chapter Two: Literature Review 13

2.1 Understanding traditional marketing and social media marketing 13

2.1.1 Traditional marketing 13

2.1.2 Social media marketing 14

2.2 The effectiveness of social media marketing strategies 19

2.2.1 Reaching and attracting customers 19

2.2.2 Interaction opportunities 20

2.2.3 Costs 21

2.2.4 Tracking of results 22

2.2 Challenges associated with social media marketing among SMEs 23

2.4 Benefits of social media marketing to SMEs 27

3.1 Research design 33

3.2 Research approach 34

3.6 Data analysis methods 37

3.6 Ethical considerations 38

Chapter Five: Conclusion, Recommendations, and suggestions for further research 46

6.1 Conclusion 46

6.3 Suggestions for further research 47

Chapter Six: Reflections on developing personal competence 48


Chapter One: Introduction and Context of the study 1.1 Background

Marketing is one of the most crucial elements for the survival of any business. Todor (2016) asserts that the primary marketing goals include attracting new customers and retaining existing ones. Slater et al. (2010) show that marketing strategies help draw customers towards a business, and when entrepreneurs can take care of their customers, profits and market share follow. Essentially, marketing helps answer two vital questions: how companies will address the competitive marketplace; and support and implement daily operations (Slater et al., 2010). In the marketing presence, selling in industries becomes simplified because entrepreneurs are fully aware of customers' needs and customer value. They are aware that prices can effectively promote products due to the strategies used in marketing. Today, large-scale businesses are reaping the rewards of creating good marketing strategies and superior customer value. The contemporary marketplace is highly competitive, and techniques that can ensure consistent approaches for offering products or services in ways that can outsell competition are very crucial for businesses (Todor, 2016).

Marketing strategies are essential because they can help businesses research objectives related to their industries, e.g., how to beat the competition (Todor, 2016). Research proves that marketing assists businesses by providing additional skills and knowledge required to ensure that the creative business components are used to the best advantage to allow companies to succeed and grow (Kumar et al., 2017). Good marketing strategies make it easier for companies to attract customers. Moreover, it helps entrepreneurs and customers understand and share information regarding what customers need and what can be done (Kumar et al., 2017).

Social media plays a pivotal role in strategic marketing (Ahmed & Hussain, 2018). Social media offers a robust marketing opportunity to business entities since it has a more extensive customer base and is cheap to market. Additionally, social media is conducive to powerful digital marketing, adequately connected in Hong Kong (Chan & Guillet, 2011). Business-consumer interaction is one of the most significant roles social media plays in the development of SMEs. Social media websites provide an essential communication platform with consumers. According to Kumar et al. (2017)., social media is crucial in brand development, brand awareness, and growing new customers among SMEs in Hong Kong. Ahmed and Hussain (2018). reiterates that social media marketing among SMEs is excellently effective as these types of business ventures need to establish themselves as the platform provides a cost-effective marketing platform.

Moreover, most SMEs are still establishing their roots. Therefore, they require a more robust form of marketing to attract new customers and maintain customer loyalty (Appel et al., 2019). Social media offer an opportunity for personalised business-to-consumer interaction and help the business grow in its spheres by surveying the rapidly changing market behaviours through personalised consumer attention. Therefore, it plays an integral role in traditional and digital marketing among SMEs, therefore crucial in their development.

According to Hong Kong Trade and Industry department, SMEs make up to 98% of Hong Kong's business ventures and employ approximately 45% of the labour force in the private sector. Hong Kong has grown to become one of the business giants in the Asia Pacific region, thereby having favourable regulations that promote trade and business (Trade and Industry Department of Hong Kong, 2020). Hong Kong's ambitions have been the cornerstone for the tremendous growth of SMEs, and the government of Hong Kong has been massively aiding their growth and development to attain its ambitions. SMEs in Hong Kong have significantly benefited from favourable policies and programs, comprehensive business information support, free funding projects, and facilitating their expansion. Hong Kong considers the success of SMEs as one of the pillars required for the prosperity and success in its ambitions of becoming a giant regional business hub (Trade and Industry Department of Hong Kong, 2020). The support for the growth and development of SMEs in the country has since faced an uphill task of countering the expansion and market forces of established large business enterprises that large control shares of the Hong Kong market (Appel et al., 2019). The SMEs will have to overcome such hurdles in their growth, and one way of intensifying their expansion is through robust social media marketing.

Small and medium enterprises in Hong Kong face competition from thousands of competitive business organisations categorised as formal industries. Such organisations display diverse marketing strategies that enable them to remain viable and to survive. On the contrary, SMEs face numerous challenges in their marketing initiatives. A lack of effective marketing strategies places them in disadvantaged positions when competing with larger businesses in the same markets (Durmaz & Efendioglu, 2016).

To partially address the challenge of limited and competing resources, all large businesses are currently engaging in social media marketing to save on traditional or conventional marketing (Todor, 2016). For instance, all renowned firms and companies have Facebook pages, Twitter handles, Instagram channels, and other social media platforms to market their products and services while engaging with their customers. These strategies have derived success from companies more than ever. Based on the positive impacts that renowned and large companies and businesses derive from employing social media marketing in their marketing strategies, it has become essential to assess the value or importance that small and medium enterprises in Hong Kong can derive from social media marketing tools. This will help determine whether SMEs can attract similar positive results that larger companies and organisations use social media marketing strategies (Geraghty & Conway, 2016).

1.2 Problem Statement

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are developing and growing in the Hong Kong market (Appel et al., 2019). The good Hong Kong market platform offers a favourable market environment for SMEs, which constitutes the market's lion's share. The flourishing business SME market has witnessed rapid growth fueled by the growing propensity for digital marketing and the robust growth in strategic marketing. Social media marketing mainly played an integral part in business ventures in Hong Kong. Its roles in the growth and development of well-established business entities have been well-documented (Geraghty & Conway, 2016). Some studies have proved that SMEs would significantly benefit from widespread social media marketing to boost their customer base and grow into new horizons (Durmaz & Efendioglu, 2016); SMEs, however, engage in less robust marketing strategies to increase their sales, especially in the digital and online forums, due to marketing constraints, brand unawareness, and other marketing challenges.

Small and medium enterprises face numerous marketing challenges in the wake of their expansion, especially when competing to sell similar products and services with large corporations. Large corporations can mobilise resources such as capital, skills, and talent to develop rigorous and robust marketing strategies (Geraghty & Conway, 2016). For instance, large corporations can pay for adverts on national television stations, hold shows and exhibitions, and use roadshows for marketing their products and services. These are costly methods of marketing that may not be possible for small and medium enterprises due to a lack of enough resources. Seemingly, SMEs find marketing a significant challenge. Even SMEs with marketing departments typically have limited resources, and they find themselves struggling to sell their products and services effectively (Geraghty & Conway, 2016).

Financial security is one of the critical factors hindering SMEs from conducting thorough business marketing. SMEs lack the much-needed capital base to engage in effective marketing strategies (Geraghty & Conway, 2016). As posited by Durmaz & Efendioglu (2016), the small size of these business ventures forces them not to rely on thorough marketing practices. However, Geraghty and Conway (2016) reported that SMEs would significantly improve their performance with adequate marketing strategies, mainly social media platforms. Most SME ventures would not realistically meet strategic marketing that requires sufficient financing. According to Durmaz & Efendioglu (2016), very few companies are willing to spend millions on their marketing, but the scenario is worse for SMEs. Small and medium enterprises are faced with exceedingly limited budgets for promoting their products and services. Traditional techniques for advertising such as direct mail and print advertising can be costly and difficult to assess in terms of returns. For this reason, some SMEs do not market their products and services but instead rely on return customers.


Other considerable drawbacks hindering the utilisation of adequate marketing services include unmatched competition from well-established big firms and lack of sufficient human resources and time required to conduct marketing strategies (Appel et al., 2019). The owners or families operate most small and medium enterprises. Remarkably, owners play active roles in running the operations of SMEs. There is never enough time for SME operators to run the business and market it simultaneously (Geraghty & Conway, 2016). Marketing demands planning, reviewing, and using the findings to influence the subsequent plans (Durmaz & Efendioglu, 2016). Failing to do this translates to missing out on gaining sales or prospects. Most small business operators lack the marketing knowledge that is required in the development of solid marketing strategies. Consequently, few of these operators attempt to engage in marketing their business and products. In the middle of these challenges, social media marketing seems to have brought a solution to SMEs struggling to sell their products and services (Durmaz & Efendioglu, 2016).

The use of social media marketing has become almost inevitable if businesses want to succeed in the current competitive business world. Social media marketing will boost the position of SMEs and significantly play a part in their development and growth in the favourable Hong Kong market environment. SMEs should be empowered to utilise the opportunity to engage in social media marketing to build new customers, establish good communication interactions with them and popularise their brands which helps in their expansion. While large companies can use sophisticated social media marketing tools, less complicated ones have proved efficient for small businesses like SMEs (Durmaz & Efendioglu, 2016). For instance, social media platforms have been ranked as some of the most influential and user-friendly marketing platforms. Therefore, social media marketing can impact SMEs positively by aiding their growth and boosting their sales in the background of hindrances like cost and required resources to conduct the marketing strategy.

1.3 Research Aim and Objectives 1.3.1 Aim of the study

This study aims to evaluate the importance of using social media marketing tools for small and medium enterprises in Hong Kong to determine whether they are effective in attracting and retaining customers to achieve sustainability and growth of SMEs.

1.3.2 Research Objectives
  1. To assess the challenges that SMEs face when integrating social media marketing in their businesses

  2. To evaluate how social media marketing is changing the marketing experience for SMEs in the retail sector

  3. To determine whether social media marketing is effective in attracting and retaining customers

  4. To assess the benefits of social media marketing strategies for SMEs and to determine the most effective social media marketing platforms for the growth and expansion of marketing among SMEs

  5. To determine whether SMEs in the retail industry should embrace social media marketing in their operations

1.4 Research questions
  1. What challenges do SMEs face when integrating social media marketing in their business in Hong Kong?

  2. How is social media changing the marketing experience of SMEs that operate in Hong Kong's retail industry?

  3. How is social media marketing effective in attracting and retaining customers for SMEs in the retail industry in Hong Kong?

  4. How beneficial are social media marketing strategies for SMEs, and which are the most effective platforms or tools for SMEs in Hong Kong?

  5. Should SMEs embrace social media marketing in their operations in the wake of their development and expansion?

1.5 Rationale of the study

The importance of small and medium enterprises cannot be taken for granted. SMEs play essential roles in the economy of any country. Within small communities, the importance of SMEs is rooted in purchasing and selling with neighbours and friends (Savlovschi & Robu, 2011). Within the rural settings and big cities, the importance of SMEs is witnessed in the economic benefits of local shopping. In some setups, small businesses are the only companies specialising in providing personalised or unique customer experiences (Biondi et al., 2002). Small and medium enterprises offer employment opportunities while at the same time serving as the building blocks of some of the largest corporations (Biondi et al., 2002). Fundamentally, SMEs play essential roles in developing the economies of nations. Their roles in employment generation, production, facilitation to equitable distribution of income, and contribution to exports are crucial (Savlovschi & Robu, 2011). As such, the growth and survival of SMEs require considerable attention. Currently, SMEs have become less competent and less effective in their operations due to increased competition from large companies enjoying economies of scale. Streamlining the processes of SMEs can go a long way in improving their effectiveness and performance. One of the ways SMEs can improve their efficiency and operations is by employing effective marketing strategies. This study is critical because it will help assess whether and how social media marketing can help SMEs improve their operational efficiencies in enhanced marketing. SMEs can adopt some of the social media marketing strategies that will be more effective in this study to market their products and services to attract and retain more customers.

1.6 Scope of the study

This study will use secondary research only. As such, it will not involve primary research. Data in this study will be collected from secondary sources that include journals, corporate publications, books, and other essential peer-reviewed materials on research. In addition, the study will mainly focus on SMEs that are based in Hong Kong. Therefore, while other studies about the use of social media in businesses worldwide will be reviewed, the scope of the study will be narrowed to social media marketing in Hong Kong.

1.7 Structure of the study

This study is divided into six chapters. The first chapter is the introduction. In this chapter, the researcher discusses the background that prompts this research, the aim that the study seeks to achieve, the objectives, and the importance of carrying out the research. The second chapter is a literature review. This chapter encompasses a review of existing research and evidence on the topic of study to determine what is already known and the gaps in knowledge on the research topic. The third chapter is the methodology. This chapter explains how data was collected in the study, such as carrying out secondary research, analysing data collected, and considerations observed in data collection, analysis, and presentation. The fourth chapter is the analysis, where the researcher presents an analysis of the case study. The fifth chapter is the discussion, where the findings from the case study are discussed alongside the reviewed literature findings to identify how the results confirm or differ. The sixth and final chapter is the conclusion, recommendations, and suggestions for further research.

Chapter Two: Literature Review 2.1 Understanding traditional marketing and social media marketing 2.1.1 Traditional marketing

According to Cant and Wiid (2016), traditional marketing refers to all marketing channels that emerged before online advertising. These channels could be separated into leads prospecting, general ads, and customer relationship. The most popular approaches within these channels include print adverts such as adverts on magazines and newspapers, broadcast adverts such as radio and television adverts, outdoor adverts, for example, using filters and billboards, door-to-door sales, brand activation, for example, using events and kiosks, direct mail, door-to-door sales, and telemarketing (Cant & Wiid, (2016). The most widely used traditional marketing options in Hong Kong are television (9.7%), print media (8.4%), event marketing (8%), outdoor marketing (5%), radio (2%), among others (Thomala, 2022).

Traditional marketing concentrates on reaching a broad general audience to win numbers with the idea that the more people will see ads, the more a business will attract leads. Cant and Wiid (2016) find that the active method of promoting brands using traditional advertising is deficient. Enterprises have to present it to attract attention when most people are not interested in or open to purchasing what a business offers at that particular time. For instance, even though the public can see adverts on television, they may not be interested in what is being advertised at that specific time (Dzisi & Ofosu, 2014). For this reason, Dzisi & Ofosu (2014) maintain that traditional advertising effectively creates brand awareness but does not guide leads to conversion. It may demand increased efforts and additional resources tying in the entire marketing strategy in conventional marketing had to be redefined to conform to the growing digital technology and the changing consumer needs and behaviour that shaped the digital market (Appel et al., 2019). Most traditional marketing options like event marketing were less utilised after the pandemic, and strategies favouring growing digital marketing and technology like social media marketing were significantly embraced. With the advent of rapidly growing technology and the impact of COVID-19, traditional marketing faced unprecedented challenges, as posited by (Melović et al., 2020). Marketing strategies

2.1.2 Social media marketing

Social media marketing entails more than only advertising through social media sites. Even though the concept started through online advertising, it has proliferated within the last two decades (Srinivasan et al., 2016). Social media marketing is a form of digital marketing that utilises popular social media platforms to achieve marketing and branding goals (Appel et al., 2019). The core of social media marketing is simple; it is a strategy that utilises online platforms, tools, and channels in promoting services or products (Strauss & Frost, 2008). All communication, advertising, or engagement with target customers is done online. Social media marketing is part of digital marketing that includes other methods such as content marketing, email marketing, search engine optimisation (SEO), and inbound marketing (Salehi et al., 2012). Adding to the findings of Salehi et al. (2012), Srinivasan et al. (2016) reported that the new digital method of advertising focuses less on volume and more on efficiency; with a significant goal of producing ads and relevant content that is tailored towards people that are more inclined to purchase things from the business. Within this context, digital marketing values intelligence and automation. Social media marketing benefits from gathering data volumes that are impossible or difficult to collect or analyse using traditional marketing channels (Trusov et al., 2009), which translates to real-time tracking flexibility in adjusting campaigns fast among businesses. Thus, social media marketing is considered one of the best ways to embrace new channels, adapt to new demands, and identify new market opportunities (Salehi et al., 2012). Essentially, the focus on engagement and data in social media marketing makes it different from traditional marketing.

According to the Hong Kong advertiser's association (2020), social media marketing is one of the most widely used digital marketing strategies in Hong Kong, accounting for 11.3% of the marketing strategies, an increase in utilisation from 10.5% before the COVID-19 pandemic. Video-based advertisements were slightly more popular than social media marketing at 11.5% of the marketing share in Hong Kong. Sulaiman et al. (2020) reported an increase in SME digital advertisement utilisation, mainly social media marketing. Civelek et al. (2020) claim that social media advertising is a challenge among Hong Kong SMEs as they are in a revolutionary process of adopting changes in the business platform. As reported by the Hong Kong advertiser's association (2020), the most widely used social media platforms in Hong Kong are Facebook, Whatsapp, and Youtube.

2.1.3 Importance of social media marketing and how social media marketing is changing marketing experience for SMEs

There has been robust support and mobilisation of SMEs to embrace digital marketing (Ngai & Ng, 2013, p. 4) in the Hong Kong market. The advent has witnessed an increased utilisation of social media marketing among SME retail companies to promote their products, connect with new clients, and interact with them to determine their needs and preferences (Melović et al. (2020, p. 18). Social media marketing enables adequate business-consumer interaction to improve product quality and business brand. It allows market researchers to determine the best way to approach and grow the brand in any market platform. As noted by Civelek et al. (2020), social media marketing would significantly promote the growth of SMEs in the Hong Kong market. Additionally, SMEs would accrue a competitive advantage in growing faster due to robust social media marketing over large corporations. To support these claims, (Melović et al. (2020, p. 10) eluded that SMEs benefit from their agility in venturing into new markets if they embrace substantial social media marketing strategies.

Cost-effectiveness is perhaps the most beneficial aspect SMEs would use to explore social media marketing. A study done by Appel et al. (2019) indicates that up to 90% of SMEs recommended the effectiveness and value of social media marketing in their businesses. The strategy lowered the financial risk of most SMEs by providing a cost-effective marketing strategy. Appel et al. (2019) support these assertions by opining that small businesses should implore social media marketing as the most effective yet cheapest marketing strategy. Contrary to this, Ahmed and Hussain (2018) claim that it is only a mix of social media marketing with other systems that make it cost-effective; otherwise, it is still costly to most small businesses due to the higher cost of management. For instance, Facebook is one of the cheapest yet most effective social media platforms many SMEs employ to market their brand. Little capital is required to venture into this platform. Yet, a company benefits big from a large customer base than using media like video advertisements, which are more costly and limited.

One of the most underrated benefits of social media advertising is a brand development and building. Chen (2021) opines that many small firms have built their brands employing the power of social media marketing. Consumer behaviours and preferences would be easily swayed to the advantage of the business if the right social media marketing mix is employed (Ahmed & Hussain, 2018). Branding enables customers to know what to expect from a particular company and is critical in distinguishing it from other businesses (Chen, 2021). Social media provides a crucial platform that helps build a competent and strong brand that will stand out. Consumers' needs and preferences allow refining particulars in the business to make the brand stand out from the competition. The resultant impact is increased customer loyalty, business recognition, and company image (Melović et al., 2020). Chen (2021) further posits that a more robust business brand in the social media platform attracts a strong network of fans, making the brand quickly assimilate new customers. Moreover, social media increases the exposure of a particular business brand, which ultimately increases the traffic to the business website, which translates to increased sales (Ioanid et al., 2018). In connection to this, Chen (2021 argues that a strong brand allows the business to acquire new business and marketing partners, reducing the overall marketing cost.

2.2 The effectiveness of social media marketing strategies 2.2.1 Reaching and attracting customers

Grundey (2008) explains that the significant difference between traditional and social media marketing is understanding what a business needs to do to succeed. Marketing is a matter of reaching readers and attracting them towards a brand. Traditional marketing strategies put brands out there to instigate methods of quickly capturing audiences' attention (Dzisi & Ofosu, 2014). As such, they require leaving a mark every time adverts are displayed. On the other hand, online marketing channels rely on connections and relationships, where they try to invite the public towards becoming part of the life of a brand (Grundey, 2008). Other than focusing on reaching customers only, social media marketing uses important content in laying paths that attract new leads (Strauss & Frost, 2008). The tracks are also essential in leading attracted authorities towards the brand.

Many consumers have access to the digital platform in the current era of tremendous digital market growth. Ngai and Ng (2013) reiterate that the current era of revolutionary digital technology has enabled many consumers to go online in a sudden change in business market platforms. As stated by Statista, 87.5% of the population in Hong Kong are actively using social media platforms. A further 90% of the population has access to the internet and considers digital marketing over traditional marketing (Appel et al., 2019), causing a change in consumer behaviour and preferences to be more dynamic, quality-oriented, and explorative. The impact of this move is a consumer base that is not likely to maintain customer loyalty. Appel et al. (2019, p. 13) explained that the numerous upcoming digitally oriented markets offer a preference for them.

Appel et al. (2019, p. 14) postulate that social media platforms provide a wealthy consumer base in the current market situation. Additionally, it gives an excellent interaction platform between SMEs and the consumers over product improvement and preferences. This makes social media a powerful tool for building customer loyalty and attracting new customers. Moreover, the adequate presence of social media users offers an excellent platform for building the business brand and expanding into new horizons.

2.2.2 Interaction opportunities

Social media marketing offers a strong customer and brand interaction critical to any business venture. The rich presence of online users in Hong Kong ensures adequate social media interaction with customers. Consumers prefer using social media platforms to engage with their favourite brands due to ease of accessibility, availability, and cost-effectiveness. Engaging with consumers in the venues is also beneficial. Consumers gain confidence in the brand and can help in the marketing process by sharing their positive experiences, which is critical at building a new customer base (Ioanid et al., 2018). The impact of such interactions creates the brand name and helps the business grow considerably.

On the contrary, negative reviews and poor consumer-to-business interaction result in poor outcomes for business ventures marketed on social media platforms. The users offer a very effective and efficient tool of influence over the market situation (Ioanid et al., 2018). The interaction opportunities with clients are a golden opportunity for SMEs to empower their growth and development.

2.2.3 Costs

According to Loanid et al. (2018), even though some social media marketing platforms can be significantly cheap, others can cost almost the same as traditional marketing. However, one of the main reasons most businesses migrate to social media advertising is optimisation (Salehi et al., 2012). Social media marketing offers more data and methods of analysing it to companies, thus making brands focus their investments on social media channels that produce the best results (Strauss & Frost, 2008). Before online marketing, most marketing campaigns demanded huge investments in reach, but they had lower conversion and engagement rates (Strauss & Frost, 2008). Today, it is possible for businesses to be on campaigns with smaller budgets that enable them to connect with buyer personas, thus attracting significantly higher leads (Srinivasan et al., 2016).

2.2.4 Tracking of results

Observing audiences' reactions in real-time is one of the major factors that create a vast difference between traditional and social media marketing (Grundey, 2008). For instance, with an advert on the television or radio, it is difficult to determine precisely how many people watched or listened to it (Dzisi & Ofosu, 2014). This is the same with an advert on print media, e.g., in a magazine. It is challenging to determine the number of people who bought the magazine or read the advert even after buying the magazine. Moreover, it is impossible to tell what people did after watching an advert or how they perceived the brand or product (Strauss & Frost, 2008). Such impacts can take a significant amount of time and effort to measure in traditional advertising (Salehi et al., 2012). On the other hand, such data is the core of social media marketing. For instance, considering an avert on youtube, it is possible to ascertain the number of people who viewed the advert, the number of people who liked the brand or product, the number of dislikes. It comments about the product (Grundey, 2008). With well-structured campaigns, alongside effective key performance indicators, it is possible to test different approaches concurrently, monitor other channels, and understand the best media for the business (Salehi et al., 2012).

2.2 Challenges associated with social media marketing among SMEs

Gliga & Evers (2010) found that despite the use of internet and internet marketing growing significantly over the years, it is evident that most small and medium enterprises continue using traditional tools of marketing. Another study conducted by Kumar et al. (2017) found that most SMEs believe that online marketing is complex and time-consuming. Consequently, this makes them reluctant to invest in social media marketing. Nonetheless, while some small and medium enterprises are working to adopt new digital marketing tools, others are confident that traditional marketing methods are working (Salehi et al., 2012). Therefore, SMEs do not need to explore new digital marketing tools. Research maintains that the marketing landscape changes with businesses moving more budgets from traditional marketing to social media marketing. Some experts have argued that the death of conventional marketing is inevitable (Kumar et al., 2017). On the other hand, other researchers say that traditional marketing plays an essential role in marketing even though social media marketing is increasing. The truth is that even though conventional marketing is not dead, it is clear that traditional marketing tends to be inferior compared to social media advertising (Dzisi & Ofosu, 2014). Research finds that the bitter truth is that even with the realisation that social media marketing provides numerous benefits to businesses, most small and medium enterprises hold onto traditional marketing methods as their primary marketing strategies (Todor, 2016). One of the main reasons SMEs are reluctant to adopt social media marketing is that they tend to consider and rely on the most tried marketing tactics they consider trustworthy and the most effective.

Social media marketing offers lucrative opportunities for the growth of Small and medium businesses. However, SMEs often face numerous challenges in utilising any marketing strategy. According to Kumar et al. (2017)., SMEs often face challenges in social media marketing which stem from the size of the business, leadership structure, age, type, and geographical location. Civelek et al. (2020) further illustrate that up to 93% of small businesses have reported a challenge in social media marketing, and the most challenging websites registered were LinkedIn (32%), Instagram (19%), and TikTok (17%). At the same time, the most favourable were Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. In their study, Todor (2016) argues that to achieve success, SMEs must navigate various challenges like privacy issues, difficulty in measuring results of the strategy, reputational damage due to ineffective marketing, and lack of social media marketing experts to lead the team. Additionally, Civelek et al. (2020) argue that these problems SMEs face in social media marketing due to their inexperience and naivety in digital marketing lead to challenges in generating leads, gaining new followers, engagement with followers, and posts, consistency in content posting, and the creation of new content.

Legal issues like privacy, intellectual property, and online security pose a significant challenge for most SMEs. Before they utilise the marketing strategy, SMEs need to understand better the laws and regulations on the online platform, as proposed by Civelek et al. (2020). Appel et al. (2019) further reiterate that online security and privacy matters are the most snowballing challenges SMEs face in the new digital platform embracing social media marketing. According to Chan and Guillet (2011), different social media platforms are guided by different regionally rules and regulations. Many SMEs are afraid of the financial risk of breaking such information technology laws and are therefore cautious about embracing social media marketing.

Additionally, small businesses are scared of hidden costs in social media marketing, like security fees. As posited by Chan and Guillet (2011), many small SMEs' security and operational risk of social media marketing remains high. Hence SMEs should be careful before adopting the strategy.

They measured the effectiveness and results after social media marketing has become a hurdle to many small businesses (Sulaiman et al., 2020). There is no feasible tool used to gauge the strength of social media marketing among many companies that rely on social media to market their brands (Ioanid et al., 2018). Chan and Guillet (2011) further assert that no business entity would want to operate blindly without knowing the actual cost and time risks. Many small companies use it without measuring the impact of social media marketing on their brand value (Chen, 2021). This proves problematic for some SMEs to utilise social media marketing strategies. In relation, most SMEs fear reputational damage in case of poor brand image, online criticism, security, and privacy issues. Ahmed & Hussain (2018) posits that social media platforms play a huge role in shaping the reputation of any business, and in case of a negative attribute, the same platform that built it considerably accelerates its reputational damage. Ahmed and Hussain (2018) notes that the most prevalent cause of reputational damage among SMEs is ineffective operations, overuse of advertising, and poor interaction with social media customers and users. Appel et al. (2019) affirm that the impact of reputational damage entails damaged brand image and value reduced social media followers and leads, which significantly affect sales. The risks of reputational damage may outweigh the benefits of social media marketing (Ahmed & Hussain, 2018).

In the era of the digital technology boom, very few experts in social media marketing would adequately guide SMEs in the full utilisation of social media platforms. Chan and Guillet (2011) claim that most of the available experts are at the service of well-established companies making small companies lack adequate expertise in social media marketing, which affects their uptake of the strategy. Todor (2016) states that experts in social media marketing and information technology aid in market approach, navigation, and survival strategies that positively impact the company's performance. However, Chan and Guillet (2011) opine that most SMEs do not afford expert advice due to cost constraints, putting most SMEs at dire financial risk.

Before utilising social media marketing services, SMEs should consider the various challenges that may impede the progress of the business. Ahmed and Hussain (2018) stated that the benefits of implementing a social media marketing strategy outweigh the risks, thereby recommending SMEs to embrace social media marketing in the wake of digital technology advancement to match market competition despite the discussed challenges.

2.4 Benefits of social media marketing to SMEs

Keeping in mind the recent growth of social media marketing, especially in the United States, Todor (2016) finds that it will not take long before social media advertising takes over traditional advertising. Salehi et al. (2012) find that 60% of marketers in different industries already use social media marketing in their marketing efforts. Based on the growth and advancement in technology, there are some facts that SMEs need to understand to understand the benefits that they can accrue from employing social media marketing in their operations. SMEs need to understand that more than 80% of consumers conduct online research before deciding on the service or product to invest in (Scullin et al., 2004). In the United States, Todor (2016) found that 60% of adults use Facebook regularly. In addition, Xu et al. (2016) also maintain that 4% of B2B marketers actively use Linkedin to market their brands. It has been projected that mobile marketing will account for more than 70% of spending in social media advertising by 2019. Grundey (2008) maintains reports that B2C businesses admit that social media is the most effective tactic in content marketing.

Various benefits have been put forward regarding social media marketing. As aforementioned, traditional marketing hinders direct engagement and interaction with customers. On the contrary, social media marketing offers higher levels of interaction and engagement (Xu et al.,2016). Social media marketing ensures that the target audience is connected instantly with the brand through different social media marketing channels (Taiminen & Karjaluoto, 2015). Businesses can quickly build long-lasting and better relationships with customers through direct interactions (Salehi et al., 2012). Companies perform better when they run in conjunction with the requirements of their customers (Cant & Wiid, 2016). Social media marketing enables companies to do this as they engage with customers to solve their problems without wasting time (Trusov et al., 2009). Additionally, the consumer and business interaction leads to consumer satisfaction, and the overall consumer experience with the business is desirable. Consumers ultimately gain trust in the industry and increase traffic to the business social media platform.

Businesses can position themselves in the market environment through a brand identity and establishment (Chan & Guillet, 2011). Social media marketing makes it possible to access desired information regarding customers and prospects to assist the business in crucial marketing decision-making processes. (Dzisi & Ofosu, 2014). For instance, it is possible to determine the number of people leaving or visiting a business's social media site or the percentage of visitors converting to customers (Dzisi & Ofosu, 2014). Market research is also critical in determining the types of goods to offer and how to approach consumers to build strong consumer trust (Chen, 2021). As noted by Chan and Guillet (2011), the good market insight noted through market research by monitoring the results after utilising the marketing strategy can be useful in expanding the scope of the business improving brand authority and loyalty.

Moreover, increased brand awareness results in increased business outcomes, which are substantially beneficial to the business. Apart from tracking positive sales and brand development, enterprises require a monitoring strategy to scan for any problem consumers might be facing and respond swiftly to avoid any reputation damage (Chen, 2021). Social media monitoring in this business marketing model is critical in elucidating the business's level of support to its consumers. For instance, in 2020, 59% of social media marketing channels consumers reached out to companies on social media because of the excellent satisfaction they had with the business (Civelek et al., 2020). Forty-seven per cent reached out because they had a question or a clarification regarding the company. At the same time, 40% were reported to have reached out because of bad experiences like inadequate support and lack of consumer-business interaction.

The objective of SMEs is to grow significantly and expand to global reach (Xu et al.,2016). SMEs need to start as early as possible to employ strategies to help their businesses become renowned in their countries and even abroad. A firm can create highly customised campaigns through social media marketing, thus widening its reach to different countries or cities (Taiminen & Karjaluoto, 2015).

One of the most incredible benefits of social media marketing is that this marketing method is more effective and less expensive in terms of spending money on marketing. Returns on investment help decide whether marketing campaigns are successful or not (Todor, 2016). It is not surprising that social media marketing fetches a better return on investment because it is cheaper compared to traditional marketing methods in different ways. Social media marketing helps businesses in gaining more while spending less. As observed, numerous facts and data prove that social media marketing is the way to advertise for companies. Since small and medium enterprises lack enough resources to engage in more robust marketing strategies that are costly, Scullin et al. (2004) opine that there is minimal risk and great rewards linked to social media marketing. Even though most of the studies do not concentrate on social media marketing in SMEs but rather on the general business arena, the observed impacts of social media marketing are highly applicable to SMEs. However, it is vital to conduct research specifically among small and medium enterprises in Hong Kong to determine the specific impacts of social media marketing in SMEs.

With social media marketing, SMEs must open free business websites and start marketing the brand. The cost of running such a platform is minimal concerning other marketing tactics, making this model very efficient (Chen, 2021). Civelek et al. (2020) state that in case of any paid promotions, little funding is spent, which cannot offer a financial risk to the business. The effectiveness of social media marketing has been proved to reap more benefits in combination with other tactics like video advertisements (Ahmed & Hussain, 2018). For instance, a business can make promotional videos about its products and post them on all its social media platforms to supplement other forms of marketing like graphics, text, and pictures, which offers more benefits to the business as it combines two marketing strategies in one as proposed by (Chen, 2021).

SMEs are highly recommended to embrace social media marketing due to its role in their expansion and its benefits despite the risks involved in marketing in the digital platform.

2.5 Conceptual Framework

Challenges SMEs face in social media marketing integration.


Effectiveness of social media in attracting and maintaining new customers


Adoption of social media marketing by SMEs


Influence of social media on marketing experience



Benefits of social media marketing



Chapter Three: Methodology

3.1 Research design

A secondary research design was employed during data collection. This will involve a review of secondary literature and case studies to come up with a conclusion regarding the research topic. Secondary research refers to a method of analysis where the researcher depends on existing research materials instead of gathering primary data for research. This approach is less expensive in this study because the researcher did not have to travel far and wide searching for data, e.g., arranging and conducting interviews (Cowton, 1998). In most cases, data from secondary research is accessible from archives, the internet, organisational reports, libraries, educational institutions, books, seminar papers, and other relevant literature sources. Even though secondary research was employed in this study, extra caution was maintained by the researcher to see to it that only valid data was collected to avoid negative impacts on the process of research and in the outcomes.

There are several reasons why secondary research is advantageous compared to primary data, and these advantages were of much essence in this study. Unlike primary research, which can be time-consuming and expensive when collecting preliminary data, secondary research helped the researcher complete the investigation within the period required and with limited resources (Lefever et al., 2007). Consequently, expenses that could have been incurred when gathering first-hand information, for instance, travel expenses, were eliminated, thus making the study financially viable. The secondary data collection also helped prevent the repetition of knowledge by mapping out existing research efforts (Lefever et al., 2007). This allowed the researcher to explore new areas of expertise rather than concentrating on existing knowledge.

3.2 Research approach

The research approach that was adopted in this study was qualitative. The adoption of the qualitative research approach was based on the fact that the study did not seek to find or identify the relationship between variables. Still, it sought to assess a concept's effectiveness (social media marketing). As such, this study required assessing real-life scenarios where social media marketing has been employed in a business and the impacts it has had on that business or business. Qualitative research is essential and effective because it is easily understandable, and all researchers, including inexperienced researchers, can interpret it (Remenyi & Williams, 1996).

The qualitative design will provide a detailed description of the subject matter and an in-depth analysis of the cause-effect relationship (Remenyi & Williams, 1996). Additionally, this approach will enable a broader approach to the subject matter and allows for detail-oriented data to be collected for s firm conclusion. This approach's cost-efficacy and timeliness make it more desirable for the project.

3.3 Sample size and justification

The project involved a review of 30 secondary literature sources and case studies published in the last seven years in peer-reviewed journals. The sample size was arrived at because Hennink et al. (2019) recommend that for studies utilising a review of secondary sources, 20 to 30 or more articles would be employed to gain adequacy into the topic of discussion. However, Zhang et al. (2021) refuted that larger sample size in such studies would result in information repletion and is not recommended to be utilised. Peer-reviewed literature sources were preferred because they provide an expert opinion on the subject, therefore, present credible information (Hennink et al., 2019). The publication period of sources was restricted to less than seven years to provide current, up-to-date information regarding social media marketing and SMEs, as the most recent news is desirable. Pearson correlation will be determined to assess the sample size's significance and evaluate if the chosen sample size is adequate to infer based on the results. The Pearson correlation is a multiple regression test to determine if the articles in the sample size are correlated and a value ranging from -1 and +1 being the average values.

3.4 Sample selection method and justification

When identifying articles for review, Hiebl (2021, pp. 3 - 4) proposed three steps select the sample articles and case studies used. The first step involves an exhaustive search on PubMed, where key search terms regarding the research topic will be utilised. In this case, the search term is "Impact of social media marketing among SMEs in Hong Kong." This step identifies relevant articles which are related to the searched topic. The second step postulated by Hiebl (2021, pp. 3 - 4) involves screening the identified articles with the more targeted search for specific words in the texts, abstract, and headline to determine the most suitable sources to utilise during the study. In this stage, an inclusion criterion is set, for instance, in terms of quality of the article, years of publication, impact factor of the journal where it is published, and what the article addresses. The final step involved the presentation of the last 30 articles that were utilised. The inclusion criteria in the second step significantly narrowed down the articles used. This step seeks to determine the final sources by assessing their quality and relevance to the topic.

The purpose of conducting the above steps is to end up with quality sources relevant to the topic to avoid falling out of context. Such a selection process also ensures the most relevant and up-to-date information is obtained instead of conducting the project haphazardly.

3.5 Data collection methods

The method of data collection used is a systematic critical literature review to obtain patterns regarding the importance of social media marketing among SMEs in the identified sources. This involves reading the articles several times for in-depth understanding and critically analysing them to obtain patterns used in data analysis. The designs were noted in coloured texts, and similar patterns in different papers were presented in the exact colour text.

3.6 Data analysis methods

Data analysis in this study was carried out using thematic content analysis. Thematic analysis is a popular method used in analysing qualitative data, and it is usually applied in numerous ways to address different research questions (Gavin, 2008). The patterns obtained from data collection were further analysed using thematic analysis to get broad themes that prevailed in the respective sources. Several broad themes are received, and prevailing themes from the general themes are obtained. The overall specific themes will form the basis of the variables to be expressed in the final study. The pieces include the base of the research conclusion and recommendation.

To further synthesise the evidence acquired from the literature review of the selected articles, quantitative methods would be used for analysis and data presentation to make the work easy to dissipate and interpret. Tables and graphical representation would be utilised to express the dominant themes and ensure the interpretation of the evidence is less complicated.

3.6 Ethical considerations

Secondary research does not involve a lot of ethical issues, as is the case in primary research that involves human subjects. This study did not have many ethical considerations that the researcher was required to observe. The primary moral concern that the researcher observed in this study was respect to property rights (Kara & Pickering, 2017). Secondary research in this study involved using information, data, and findings that other researchers adopted. It was essential to avoid these findings as to the researcher's conclusions. The researcher ensured that he acknowledged different authors and researchers when using their findings to achieve this. This was done by using in-text citations in the body of the text and recognising the works of other researchers within a reference list at the end of the study (Kara & Pickering, 2017). To avoid duplicate content and plagiarism, the selected articles were paraphrased adequately. Additionally, ethical considerations would have involved reaching out to authors whose papers are protected by copyright licenses to seek permission to use their documents for the review. Still, none of the articles employed had such claims.

Chapter Four: Discussion

From reviewed literature, it is evident that social media marketing is changing the marketing experiences for SMEs, especially where it is helping to address the challenges faced by SMEs when using traditional marketing methods. Social media marketing is the game-changer in the development of SMEs as it has proved to be affordable, easily accessible, and widely acceptable. Additionally, the model is prone to fewer challenges than other marketing strategies. Multiple studies provide adequate evidence which suggests that SMEs benefit considerably from employing social media marketing. SMEs in Hong Kong would use such evidence as guidance to practice social media marketing for optimum market benefits. As stated by (Ahmed & Hussain, 2018), social media marketing is changing the marketing experience for many small business ventures, and it is acting to prevent such businesses from becoming obsolete and uncompetitive due to drastic changes in the market environment courtesy of the tremendously growing technology and the impact of the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

In Hong Kong, SMEs enjoy a competitive advantage thanks to adequate support from the government, which has influenced their substantial growth and development (Chan & Guillet, 2011). These ventures would further boost their growth and expansion by employing social media marketing. Deposit al. (2019) posits that unforeseen benefits would overpower SMEs' challenges when implementing social media marketing.

Reviewed literature found that while traditional marketing is still efficient in promoting business, it is associated with significant drawbacks, especially in small and medium enterprises that lack enough capital and resources for carrying out traditional marketing initiatives. One of the most prominent and most important limitations is little or no interaction (Salehi et al., 2012). The mediums used in traditional marketing have little or no room for interactions with customers. For example, television or radio adverts offer no room for customers to ask for clarifications or other questions about the products or services. On the other hand, social media marketing brands can communicate with customers on Twitter or Facebook on a full-day basis.

On the other hand, traditional marketing is a one-way street where businesses provide information about their products or services to the target audience (Todor, 2016). This form of advertising aims to attract attention from the target population and possibly convert them into customers (Grundey, 2008), giving lieu for SMEs in Hong Kong to embrace social media marketing over the traditional marketing strategies, which most are getting used to.

Traditional marketing over social media marketing lacks control over timing. Traditional marketing relies on promotion methods, which are difficult to update (Salehi et al., 2012). For instance, if the advert is in a magazine, it is impossible to edit it, and the entrepreneur will have to place a new advertisement to replace the previous one, as found by Grundey (2008). Small and medium enterprises may not have the funds to place new adverts from time to time. The solution seems to lie in social media marketing, where SMEs in Hong Kong only need to edit or add content to the previous adverts in the event of a need for change. Lack of control over timing links to another limitation of traditional marketing: high costs. The difficulty to edit adverts leading to the need to create new ones translates to recurring expenses. Recurring fees in traditional marketing have proved to be an investment with an unknown return. It could have good or no returns. However, with social media marketing, SMEs in Hong Kong can market or edit marketing content at zero costs. This helps SMEs in the retail industry save on the costs they could have incurred in marketing using traditional marketing methods. Reviewed literature finds that adverts on television or popular newspapers are costly. They can only be effective when they are seen by target audiences when they are published (Scullin et al., 2004). The chances that potential customers view the advert are limited compared to adverts on social media, where customers can view them at their pleasure. With traditional marketing, when an advert passes audiences, the business can only create and publish a new advert to attempt and reach a broader target audience (Taiminen & Karjaluoto, 2015). The advert could also be run for several days on the television, but this can attract exceedingly high costs. Not many SMEs can incur such charges. On the other hand, when using online adverts, businesses can reach out to the correct type of customers, but it is also possible to show them offers that are tailored towards them (Srinivasan et al., 2016).

According to the study, traditional marketing has effectively attracted people based on exceptional sales or discounted prices. However, when offering customised, unique pricing options, SMEs could face challenges when using traditional marketing (Taiminen & Karjaluoto, 2015). When analysing the opportunities that entrepreneurs are offered in conventional marketing, e.g., in television adverts or print adverts, they may not find the spaces they need to display all their pricing options, as illustrated by Scullin et al. (2004). It can be challenging to measure the impacts of marketing campaigns when using traditional marketing methods. During the execution, it is essential to realise the level of the traditional marketing strategy to ensure that SMEs do not invest in the wrong direction (Trusov et al., 2009). Regrettably, the results that an entrepreneur gets from traditional marketing are not efficiently and quickly measured, as Xu et al. (2016). Nevertheless, when launching online marketing campaigns, SMEs can effortlessly identify where they go wrong and whether the campaign is successful or not. This makes social media marketing significantly better compared to traditional marketing.

From the findings of the reviewed literature, there are numerous benefits that SMEs in the retail industry in Hong Kong can accrue from using social media marketing in their marketing initiatives. Reviewed literature finds that based on the growth and advancement in technology, there are some facts that SMEs need to understand to understand the benefits that they can accrue from employing social media marketing in their operations. SMEs need to understand that more than 80% of buyers/shoppers conduct online research before deciding the service or product to invest in (Scullin et al., 2004), for instance, in the United States where Todor (2016) found that 60% of adults use Facebook regularly. Various benefits have been put forward regarding social media marketing. As aforementioned, traditional marketing hinders direct engagement and interaction with customers.

On the contrary, social media marketing offers higher levels of interaction and engagement (Xu et al.,2016). In addition, conforming to the findings from reviewed literature, social media marketing ensures that the target audience is connected instantly with the brand through different social media marketing channels (Taiminen & Karjaluoto, 2015). Businesses can quickly build long-lasting and better relationships with customers through direct interactions with customers (Salehi et al., 2012), e.g., responding to customers' comments on Facebook. Companies perform better when they run in conjunction with the requirements of their customers (Cant & Wiid, 2016). Social media marketing enables companies to do this as they engage with customers to solve their problems without wasting time (Trusov et al., 2009).

The study suggests that, unlike traditional marketing, social media marketing helps businesses measure results (Todor, 2016). Social media allows SMEs to play clear-sighted marketing games instead of blind ones. Through social media marketing, it is possible to access adequate information regarding customers and prospects to assist the business in understanding where it is going wrong (Dzisi & Ofosu, 2014). For instance, SMEs in Hong Kong can determine the number of people leaving or visiting a business's social media site or the percentage of visitors converting to customers (Dzisi & Ofosu, 2014).

Further evidence from the study suggests that social media marketing would help SMEs in the retail industry create highly customised campaigns, thus widening their reach to different countries or cities (Taiminen & Karjaluoto, 2015). One of the most significant benefits of social media marketing in such a situation is that this marketing method is more effective and less expensive. It is not surprising that social media marketing fetches a better return on investment because it is cheaper than traditional marketing methods in different ways. Since most small and medium enterprises lack enough resources to engage in cost-effective traditional marketing, Scullin et al. (2004) show minimal risk and great rewards linked to the social media market.



Chapter Five: Conclusion, Recommendations, and suggestions for further research 6.1 Conclusion

The study shows that social media marketing presents a new, viable marketing strategy that surpasses the benefits of traditional marketing. For instance, social media marketing brands can communicate with customers, for example, on Twitter or Facebook, on a full-day basis. Social media marketing can have unrivalled significance on SMEs. The Hong Kong SMEs have been provided with best practice benchmarks in terms of the evidence from this study to embrace social media marketing. The strategy has proved more beneficial in cost effectivity, timeliness, accessibility, and applicability. SMEs in Hong Kong would significantly benefit from such opportunities and gain considerable growth and development. In this market environment shift, Hong Kong SMEs should embrace social media to remain competitive and relevant, as this strategy significantly changes its market experience. Since the system is crucial at attracting more sales and SME's productivity and performance, highly effective and accessible social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+ should be employed for marketing.

6.2 Recommendations

Since social media marketing is significantly essential to small businesses, SMEs in Hong Kong are highly encouraged to embrace this marketing modality in the digital world. The utilisation of social media marketing will promote their growth and productivity. Additionally, in this era of technological advancement and shift to digital marketing, social media marketing can aid SMEs in Hong Kong shift entirely to digital marketing by providing brand development, among other benefits.

It is also highly recommended that SMEs conduct more market data research to determine the best social media platform that suits their function and ensure they interact adequately with clients for optimal results.

6.3 Suggestions for further research

Since this study was based on secondary research, future studies need to be conducted through primary research, where primary data is collected from SMEs in the retail industry. This will help get an accurate picture of the importance of social media marketing among SMEs in the retail sector because entrepreneurs will obtain first-hand data. Furthermore, more studies should be conducted on the follow-up to the significance of social media marketing on SMEs after a pandemic period.








Chapter Six: Reflections on developing personal competence

There are many things and teachings that I have learned from undertaking this study, especially about marketing. I have learned that all forms of marketing methods are essential in their aspects. For instance, traditional marketing is necessary because it helps connect first-time buyers to businesses. However, conventional marketing methods are costly, and only large organisations can use them. Small and medium enterprises that face capital limitations may not afford to use traditional marketing methods such as television advertising. However, all is not lost for SMEs because social media marketing has proved to be a viable solution for them. Social media marketing involves no or low costs, and SMEs do not require third parties to market their products and brands. I have, however, learned that there are various social media marketing platforms that SMEs can use, and these platforms can have different impacts on businesses. For instance, I have known that social media channels such as Facebook have more followers than channels such as Instagram. Therefore, it is essential to make guided decisions when deciding the channels to focus on more. In my future career as a marketing representative, I will always promote social media marketing to promote brands or products and cut marketing costs while leveraging the most promising marketing methods.Reference List

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