This study sketches the importance of social media, integrated marketing communication, social customer relationship management and its transformation in the small and medium enterprises (SME). These factors can increase interaction and communication of SMEs with its customers. This study incorporates empirical method to elaborate how SMEs can increase visibility and reachability by gaining value through the usage of social media. Findings of the study highlight the challenges faced by SMEs with respect to visibility, examines the usage of different digital platforms by Indian SMEs which can resolve these difficulties and its impact on the business for improved visibility of SMEs when competition is hitting hard on all businesses.
Abd ManafN. H., MohdD., & AbdullahK. (2012). Development and validation of patient satisfaction instrument. Leadership in Health Services, 25(1), 27–38. https://doi.org/10.1108/17511871211198052
2.
AdamM., IbrahimM., IkramuddinI., & SyahputraH. (2020). The role of digital marketing platforms on supply chain management for customer satisfaction and loyalty in small and medium, enterprises (SMEs) at Indonesia. International Journal of Supply Chain Management, 9(3), 1210–1220.
3.
AlalwanA. A., RanaN. P., DwivediY. K., & AlgharabatR. (2017). Social media in marketing: A review and analysis of the existing literature. Telematics and Informatics, 34(7), 1177–1190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.05.008
4.
AmoakoG. K., Dartey-BaahK., DzogbenukuR. K., & JuniorS. K. (2012). The effect of sponsorship on marketing communication performance: A case study of Airtel Ghana. African Journal of Marketing Management, 4(2), 65–79. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJMMX11.006
5.
ApigianC. H., Ragu-NathanB. S., Ragu-NathanT., & KunnathurA.2005, Internet technology: The strategic imperative. Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, 6(2), 123–145.
6.
AthaideA. (2020, April13). 5 Key things to ensure speedy business revival for SME’s and MSME’s post COVID-19. Express Computer. https://www.expresscomputer.in/news/5-key-things-to-ensure-speedy-business-revival-for-smes-and-msmes-post-covid-19/52925/
7.
BaoT., ChangT. S., KimA. J. & MoonS. H. (2019) The characteristics and business impact of children‘s electronic word of mouth in marketing communications. International Journal of Advertising, 38(5), 731–759.
8.
BaruchY., & HoltomB. C. (2008). Survey response rate levels and trends in organizational research. Human Relations, 61(8), 1139–1160.
9.
BhimaniH., MentionA. L., & BarlatierP. J. (2019). Social media and innovation: A systematic literature review and future research directions. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 144, 251–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.10.007
BishopS. (2018). Anxiety, panic and self-optimization: Inequalities and the YouTube algorithm. Convergence, 24(1), 69–84.
12.
BorpuzariP. (2020, May28). IT is now an essential part of business continuity: IBM’s Ajay Mittal. Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/sme-sector/it-is-now-an-essential-part-of-business-continuity-ibms-ajay-mittal/articleshow/76061979.cms
13.
BroekemierG., ChauN. N., & SeshadriS. (2015). Social media practices among small business-to-business enterprises. Small Business Institute Journal, 11(1), 37–48.
14.
ChaiS., DasS., & RaoH. R. (2011). Factors affecting bloggers’ knowledge sharing: An investigation across gender. Journal of Management Information Systems, 28(3), 309–342.
15.
CharoensukmongkolP., & SasatanunP. (2017). Social media use for CRM and business performance satisfaction: The moderating roles of social skills and social media sales intensity. Asia Pacific Management Review, 22(1), 25–34.
16.
ChastonI., & ManglesT. (2002). Small business marketing management. Palgrave.
17.
ChatterjeeR., ShiwakuK., Das GuptaR., NakanoG., & ShawR. (2015). Bangkok to Sendai and beyond: Implications for disaster risk reduction in Asia. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 6(2), 177–188.
18.
ChongA. Y.-L., & ChanF. T. (2012). Structural equation modeling for multi-stage analysis on radio frequency identification (RFID) diffusion in the health care industry. Expert Systems with Applications, 39, (10), 8645–8654.
19.
CostaE., SoaresA. L., & de SousaJ. P. (2020). Industrial business associations improving the internationalisation of SMEs with digital platforms: A design science research approach. International Journal of Information Management, 53, 102070.
20.
CotterK. (2019). Playing the visibility game: How digital influencers and algorithms negotiate influence on Instagram. New Media & Society, 21(4), 895–913.
21.
CoxS. (2012). Social media marketing in a small business: A case study [Department of Computer Graphics Technology Degree Theses, Paper 16, Purdue University]. Purdue e-Pubs. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=cgttheses
22.
CuiA. S., & WuF. (2016). Utilizing customer knowledge in innovation: Antecedents and impact of customer involvement on new product performance. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 44(4), 516–538. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-015-0433-x
23.
DerhamR., CraggP. & MorrishS. (2011). Creating value: An SME and social media [Paper No. 53]. Proceedings of PACIS 2011. http://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2011/53
24.
ElghannamA., MesiasF., & EscribanoM. (2017). Can social networks contribute to the development of short supply chains in the Spanish agri-food sector?New Medit: Mediterranean Journal of Economics, Agriculture and Environment, 16(1), 36.
25.
ElliotR., & BoshoffC. (2005). The influence of organisational factors in small tourism businesses on the success of internet marketing. Management Dynamics, 14(3), 44–58.
26.
FakunP. (2017, August30). Visibility for SMES: The ideal strategies. DefiMedia. https://defimedia.info/visibility-smes-ideal-strategies
27.
FataiA. (2011). Small and medium scale enterprises in Nigeria: The problems and prospects. The Collegiate Journal of Economics, 3(2), 22–35.
28.
FryerV. (2020). Marketing through coronavirus: How to pivot your ecommerce marketing plan in times of crisis. BigCommerce. https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/covid-19-marketing/
29.
GibbF., & BuchananS. (2006). A framework for business continuity management. International journal of information management, 26(2), 128–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2005.11.008
30.
GnizyI., & ShohamA. (2014). Uncovering the influence of the international marketing function in international firms. International Marketing Review, 31(1), 51–78. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-12-2012-0204
31.
HannahT. (2020, June17). Marketing communication for small businesses. Ironistic. https://www.ironistic.com/marketing-communications-for-small-businesses/
32.
HarriganP., & MilesM. (2014). From e-CRM to s-CRM. Critical factors underpinning the social CRM activities of SMEs. Small Enterprise Research, 21(1), 99–116. http://doi.org/10.5172/ser.2014.21.1.99.
33.
Hootsuite (2020). 19 social media metrics that really matter: And how to track them. https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-metrics/
34.
HossainM., KabirS., & RezviR. I. (2017). Influence of the integrated marketing communication on brand orientation and market orientation: A literature review. Australian Journal of Business Science Design & Literature, 10(1). http://www.raoaustralia.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/17101006.pdf
35.
JagerJ., PutnickD. L., & BornsteinM. H. (2017). More than just convenient: The scientific merits of homogeneous convenience samples. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 82(2), 13–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/mono.12296
36.
JainR. (2015). Impact of social media marketing on SME business. SAMVAD, 8. https://doi.org/10.53739/samvad/2015/v8/98296
37.
JemutaiC. R., & WambuaP. P. (2016). Integrated marketing communication and performance of Kenya Post and Savings Bank. Social Sciences, 5(3), 37–49. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20160503.11
38.
JermanD., & ZavršnikB. (2012). The model of marketing communications effectiveness: Empirical evidence from Slovenian business-to-business practice. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 13(4), 705–723. https://doi.org/10.3846/16111699.2011.620163
39.
KääriäinenJ., PussinenP., SaariL., KuusistoO., SaarelaM., & HänninenK. (2020). Applying the positioning phase of the digital transformation model in practice for SMEs: Toward systematic development of digitalization. International Journal of Information Systems and Project Management, 8(4), 24–43.
40.
KaplanA. M., & HaenleinM. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003
41.
KarimiS., & NaghibiH. S. (2015). Social media marketing (SMM) strategies for small to medium enterprises (SMEs). International Journal of Information, Business and Management, 7(4), 86.
42.
KaurM. (2015). Bank selection process and market segmentation: Evidence from Indian exporting SMEs. Vision, 19(2), 79–88.
43.
KellerK. L. (2016). Unlocking the power of integrated marketing communications: How integrated is your IMC program?Journal of Advertising, 45(3), 286–301. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2016.1204967
44.
KhanR. U., SalamzadehY., KawamoritaH., & RethiG. (2021). Entrepreneurial orientation and small and medium-sized enterprises’ performance; Does ‘access to finance’ moderate the relation in emerging economies?Vision, 25(1), 88–102.
45.
KuhnK., GallowayT., & Collins-WilliamsM. (2016). Near, far, and online: Small business owners’ advice-seeking from peers. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 23(1), 189–206. https://doi.org/10.1108/jsbed-03-2015-0037
46.
KumarA. (2019). Sustainable development in SMEs through social media channels. International Journal of Management, Technology and Engineering, 9(6).
47.
LeeY., & KozarK. (2012). Developing a theory of website usability: An exploratory study to identify constructs and nomological networks. Decision Support Systems, 52(2), 450–463.
48.
LiY., ZhaoY., TanJ., & LiuY. (2008). Moderating effects of entrepreneurial orientation on market orientation-performance linkage: Evidence from Chinese small firms. Journal of Small Business Management, 46(1), 113–133. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-627X.2007.00235.x
49.
ListerM. (2018, July25). 40 essential social media marketing statistics for 2018. WordStream. https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/01/05/social-media-marketing-statistics
50.
LowC., ChenY., & WuM. (2011). Understanding the determinants of cloud computing adoption. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 111(7), 1006–1023.
51.
LupoC., & StromanJ. R. (2020). Social media marketing adoption strategies: An exploratory multiple case study of landscape industry small businesses. Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, 14(1), 211–220. https://doi.org/10.5590/JSBHS.2020.14.1.15
52.
LuxtonS., ReidM., & MavondoF. (2015). Integrated marketing communication capability and brand performance. Journal of Advertising, 44(1), 37–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2014.934938
53.
MichaelidouN., SiamagkaN. T., & ChristodoulidesG. (2011). Usage, barriers and measurement of social media marketing: An exploratory investigation of small and medium B2B brands. Industrial marketing management, 40(7), 1153–1159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2011.09.009
54.
Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises. (n.d.). What’s MSME. https://msme.gov.in/know-about-msme
55.
MisirlisN., & VlachopoulouM. (2018). Social media metrics and analytics in marketing–S3M: A mapping literature review. International Journal of Information Management, 38(1), 270–276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2017.10.005
56.
MoenØ., MadsenT. K., & AspelundA. (2008). The importance of the internet in international business-to-business markets. International Marketing Review, 25(5), 487–503.
57.
NawiN. C., MamunA. A., NasirN. A. M., & MuniadyR. (2019). Factors affecting the adoption of social media as a business platform: A study among student entrepreneurs in Malaysia. Vision, 23(1), 1–11.
58.
PapastathopoulouP., & AvlonitisG. J. (2009). Classifying enterprises on the basis of WWW use: A behavioral approach. Internet Research, 19(3), 332–347.
59.
Pickard-WhiteheadG. (2018, May6). 20 amazing Instagram statistics small business owners must see. Small Business Trends. https://smallbiztrends.com/2018/05/instagram-statistics-small-business.html
60.
QuintonS., & WilsonD. (2016). Tensions and ties in social media networks: Towards a model of understanding business relationship development and business performance enhancement through the use of LinkedIn. Industrial Marketing Management, 54, 15–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2015.12.001
61.
RakshitS., MondalS., IslamN., JasimuddinS., & ZhangZ. (2021). Social media and the new product development during COVID-19: An integrated model for SMEs. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 170, 120869.
62.
RamdaniB., KawalekP., & LorenzoO. (2009). Predicting SMEs’ adoption of enterprise systems. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 22(1/2), 10–24.
63.
RathoreA. K., IlavarasanP. V., & DwivediY. K. (2016). Social media content and product co-creation: An emerging paradigm. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 29(1), 7–18. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-06-2015-0047
64.
Rialp-CriadoA., & Rialp-CriadoJ. (2018). Examining the impact of managerial involvement with social media on exporting firm performance. International Business Review, 27(2), 355–366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2017.09.003
65.
RodriguezM., PetersonR. M., & KrishnanV. (2012). Social media’s influence on business-to-business sales performance. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 32(3), 365–378. http://doi:10.2753/PSS0885-3134320306
66.
RogersE. M. (1983). Diffusion of innovations. Free Press.
67.
RogersE. M. (1995). Diffusion of innovations (4th ed.). Free Press.
68.
RugovaB. & PrenajB. (2016). Social media as marketing tool for SMEs: Opportunities and challenges. Academic Journal of Business, 2(3), 85–97.
69.
SalehzadehR., PoolJ. K., TabaeeianR. A., AmaniM., & MortazaviM. (2017). The impact of internal marketing and market orientation on performance: An empirical study in restaurant industry. Measuring Business Excellence, 21(4), 273–290. https://doi.org/10.1108/MBE-02-2016-0009
70.
ScupolaA. (2001). Adoption of Internet-based electronic commerce in Southern Italian SMEs [Paper presentation]. 1st Nordic Workshop on Electronic Commerce, Halmstad, Sweden.
71.
SinghA. (2020, July27). Pivot or perish: Indian companies rethink business models to thrive during post COVID-19 world. SMEFeatures. https://smefutures.com/author/anushruti-singh/
72.
SinghH. (2020, June7). Elevate your digital strategy during the COVID-19 crisis. Economic Times. https://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/marketing/elevate-your-digital-strategy-during-the-covid-19-crisis/76240832
73.
SirmonD. G., HittM. A., & IrelandR. D. (2007). Managing firm resources in dynamic environments to create value: Looking inside the black box. Academy of management review, 32(1), 273–292. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2007.23466005
74.
SrinivasanR., BajajR., & BhanotS. (2016). Impact of social media marketing strategies used by micro small and medium, enterprises (MSMEs) on Customer acquisition and retention. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 18(1), 91–101.
75.
TajvidiR., & KaramiA. (2017). The effect of social media on firm performance. Computers in Human Behavior, 105174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.09.026.
76.
TeoT. S., & PianY. (2003). A contingency perspective on internet adoption and competitive advantage. European Journal of Information Systems, 12(2), 78–92.
77.
TeoT.S., TanM., & WongK. B. (1997–1998). A contingency model of internet adoption in Singapore. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 2(2), 95–118.
78.
TrainorK. J., AndzulisJ. M., RappA., & AgnihotriR. (2014). Social media technology usage and customer relationship performance: A capabilities-based examination of social CRM. Journal of Business Research, 67(6), 1201–1208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.05.002
79.
VanBoskirkS., OverbyC. S., & TakvorianS. (2011). US interactive marketing forecast, 2011 to 2016. Forrester Research.
80.
WangY.-M., WangY.-S., & YangY.-F. (2010). Understanding the determinants of RFID adoption in the manufacturing industry. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 77(5), 803–815.
81.
WangZ., & KimH. G. (2017). Can social media marketing improve customer relationship capabilities and firm performance? Dynamic capability perspective. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 39, 15–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2017.02.004
82.
WeidemanM., & SchwenkeF. (2005). The influence that JavaScript? has on the visibility of a Website to search engines-a pilot study. Information Research, 11(4), 11.
83.
WilhelmC. (2021). Gendered (in) visibility in digital media contexts. Studies in Communication Sciences, 21(1), 99–113.
