Digital Marketing as a Catalyst for the Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Effurun, Delta State, Nigeria (Published)
This study examines the role of digital marketing as a catalyst for the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Effurun, Delta State, Nigeria. Anchored on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Resource-Based View (RBV), and Resource Mobilization Theory (RMT), the research investigates the influence of four major digital marketing dimensions—email marketing, mobile marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO)—on SME growth indicators such as profitability, customer base, job creation, and sales revenue. The study employed a descriptive survey design, collecting data from 178 SME operators using structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics, including multiple regression analysis via SPSS. Findings reveal that all four dimensions of digital marketing exert a statistically significant positive effect on SME growth, with social media marketing and SEO identified as the most influential predictors. These results underscore the strategic importance of digital marketing as a growth enabler for SMEs in emerging markets, particularly in the context of limited financial and infrastructural resources. The study concludes that digital marketing adoption enhances competitiveness, customer engagement, and business sustainability among SMEs in Effurun. The research recommends enhanced digital literacy training, multi-channel marketing adoption, and the use of cost-effective digital tools to strengthen SMEs’ marketing capabilities and performance. The findings contribute to the broader discourse on digital transformation and entrepreneurship in developing economies, offering valuable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and scholars interested in promoting inclusive and technology-driven SME development.
Keywords: Business Growth, Digital Marketing, Small and Medium-Enterprises (SMEs), Social Media Marketing, search engine optimization (SEO)
The Effect of Social Media Marketing on the Attitudes and Behaviors of Digital Immigrant and Digital Hybrid Consumers During the Pandemic (Published)
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a profound digital shift in consumer behavior and business practices. This study investigates the impact of social media marketing (SMM) on the attitudes and behaviors of digital immigrants and digital hybrid consumers during the pandemic. [1]Framed by the Multicomponent Attitude Model and Diffusion of Innovation Theory, the research draws on survey data from Turkey and Nigeria’s consumer behaviours in response to the pandemic. The findings demonstrate that SMM significantly influences emotional engagement, purchase intention, and behavioral outcomes. Digital hybrids, characterized by a blend of digital fluency and cautious adoption, emerged as particularly responsive to online marketing stimuli. The study contributes to academic discourse by offering a comparative lens on pandemic-era consumer engagement while demonstrating how generational cohorts, digital competencies, and crisis contexts moderate the relationship between SMM and consumer attitudes.
Keywords: COVID-19, Consumer Behavior, Social Media Marketing, digital hybrid consumers, digital immigrants
The Effect of Social Media Marketing on the Attitudes and Behaviors of Digital Immigrant and Digital Hybrid Consumers During the Pandemic (Published)
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a profound digital shift in consumer behavior and business practices. This study investigates the impact of social media marketing (SMM) on the attitudes and behaviors of digital immigrants and digital hybrid consumers during the pandemic. [1]Framed by the Multicomponent Attitude Model and Diffusion of Innovation Theory, the research draws on survey data from Turkey and Nigeria’s consumer behaviours in response to the pandemic. The findings demonstrate that SMM significantly influences emotional engagement, purchase intention, and behavioral outcomes. Digital hybrids, characterized by a blend of digital fluency and cautious adoption, emerged as particularly responsive to online marketing stimuli. The study contributes to academic discourse by offering a comparative lens on pandemic-era consumer engagement while demonstrating how generational cohorts, digital competencies, and crisis contexts moderate the relationship between SMM and consumer attitudes.
Keywords: COVID-19, Consumer Behavior, Social Media Marketing, digital hybrid consumers, digital immigrants
Understanding Consumers Engagement and Adoption of Social Media Marketing in Fashion Industry in Saudi Arabia: Insights though the Lens of the Theory of Planned Behavior (Published)
This study explores the adoption of social media marketing activities by Fashioned industry, examining context through The Theory of Planned Behavior. As social media continues to dominate as a pivotal marketing arena, understanding consumers’ engagement across various platforms becomes imperative for marketers and researchers alike. This research aimed to ascertain if the Theory of Planned Behavior could effectively elucidate as well as predict consumers’ engagement with social media marketing activities beyond a single platform. Conducting a non-probability convenience sampling method, study involved 656 participants above 18 years old residing in Saudi Arabia. An online survey gathered data, subsequently analyzed through regression analyses. Results revealed that attitude emerged as the most influential factor in predicting behavioral intent to involve with social media marketing activities, tracked closely by subjective norms. Intriguingly, perceived behavioral control did not significantly predict this behavioral intent. Furthermore, the intention to engage demonstrated a strong association with actual engagement. The implications suggest a strategic focus for social media marketers: influencing attitudes and subjective norms to heighten engagement across diverse social media platforms. Additionally, the study indicates a shift towards Theory of Reasoned Action as a more appropriate predictive model for engagement, excluding perceived behavioral control. These insights offer valuable guidance for businesses seeking to optimize their social media, marketing strategies across various platforms within the Fashioned industry.
Keywords: Attitudes, Social Media Marketing, behavioral intentions, consumer’s engagement, multiple social media platforms, the theory of planned behavior
Assessment of the Internet as Tool for Tourism Marketing in Nigeria (Published)
The study was an assessment of the internet as a tool for tourism marketing in Cross River State. The study sought to determine the significant relationship between website and tourism product awareness; and also evaluate the extent social media marketing affect the level of patronage of tourism products in Cross River State. The area of study was Cross River State, while the study frame were tourism stakeholders, tourism managers/staff and both local and international tourists found in the twelve (12) tourism destinations selected for this study. The sample size of the study was 120 and primary data were obtained using a structured questionnaire. The instrument was content-validated, while the Cronbach Alpha coefficient was used to confirm the reliability. Data analysis was done electronically by the use of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 21. Among the findings were that the website marketing did not have any significant relationship on the level of awareness of tourism products in Cross River State. Also, social media marketing did not significantly affect the level of patronage of tourism products in Cross River State. It is then recommended that the website and other internet tools should be efficiently handled preferably by experts to generate and maintain interest and level of patronage of Cross River State’s tourism products.
Keywords: Internet Marketing, Patronage, Social Media Marketing, Tourism Marketing., Tourism Product Awareness, Website Marketing