Introduction to Literature Review

The strategy of using social media for small-scale businesses as one of the marketing tools is the main focus of the current study. This is actually on the following model known as the AIDA model which means attention, interest, desire, and Action.  For the strategy of online marketing, the AIDA model has been applied on a wide basis while its applicability on social media is not known. The discussion was very much focused on gathering the data which involved around 22 small-scale business entrepreneurs (Bruwer & Thach, 2013). According to this finding, it is evident that this model can be applied in strategizing social media usage for marketing. According to Chong, the strategy that has been proposed is serving as a guideline for small-scale business entrepreneurs on how social media can be used for strategic marketing (Chong, 2014).

Because of its popularity and usage, social media has been recognized as a new platform that can be used as a competitive marketing tool by most business firms. However, As per Chung & Tung, using social media as a marketing strategy would remain effective to what extent is unknown (Chung & Tung, 2013). The studies showing the impact of social media on small businesses as a marketing strategy are very few. Attention, interest, desire, and action are known to be applied to the activities of marketing either online or through traditional methods which are known to practitioners and scholars. As per Eggers et al., the context of the strategic applications of social media is not clearly understood, which eventually requires more research to be carried out (Eggers et al., 2013). The present paper made a study by investigating the strategic use of social media for small businesses as a marketing tool based on the AIDA model.

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1.1 Background and Motivation of Study

Using social media as one of the marketing tools is not at all a new phenomenon. As per Eid & El-Gohary, most large-scale business organizations are known to be using social media for marketing their products and services.  Yet using social media for marketing small businesses is not up to the mark which holds a very small percentage close to 20 percent of the entire small-scale business sector (Eid & El-Gohary, 2013). However, most of the economy is made from small-scale enterprises as per the study. It has additional advantages like it contributing to the community by providing them with jobs besides contributing to the GDP.

For promoting business small and medium enterprises are facing a lot of challenges. The active growth of small and medium enterprises is restricted because the available resources are very limited despite huge efforts. Additionally, small business has to compete with larger-scale organizations. According to Hourali et al, the marketing field is one of the major problems that small businesses are facing (Hourali et al., 2013). This is because of the reason that the small business is unable to employ a marketing manager who implements the activities regarding the marketing structure for the businesses.

A potential solution has been found such as the usage of social media for the challenges that are faced by the small-scale business in terms of marketing. As per Mistilis, Buhalis & Gretzel, social media are known to perform marketing activities effectively for the small scale businesses, though their financial resources are very limited, lacking in expertise, and compete with large-scale businesses (Mistilis, Buhalis & Gretzel, 2014). As per the studies that have been conducted by a group of researchers, it is said that one out of five small businesses does not have a great plan to use social media. The efforts used for marketing would be worthwhile only if the strategies are properly planned as per the goals. So small-scale businesses that are using social media have to employ the right strategy.

In formulating the strategies of marketing in the businesses the AIDA model is being extensively adopted. As per Nakara, Benmoussa & Jaouen, this model of marketing communication mainly focuses on the purchases and the transactions that are performed by individuals (Nakara, Benmoussa & Jaouen, 2012). For recognizing the product or the service’s existence this emphasis is given. In the world of digital marketing, the communication of marketing mainly stresses three major points which include the product or the service existence being created, the relationships being built, and the mutual value being created with the customers. According to this view, the model of AIDA is appropriate to the digital marketing context.

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1.2 Research gap

From the earlier discussions, it provides a suggestion that social media as a marketing tool has been extensively used by most large-scale businesses. However, for small and medium enterprises, the usage of social media for marketing their business is still in the early stages. The studies are very limited on this social media marketing strategy for the small scale business additionally (Osiyevskyy et al., 2013). This practical gap can be reduced by developing a strategy for using social media as a marketing tool for small-scale businesses. According to the theoretical aspects, the public is aware of the AIDA model that has been extensively used in the activities of marketing which includes advertising, promotions, business using websites, and sponsorship.

Based on the above discussion, the research question that the study aims to answer is which strategy would be appropriate for small-scale businesses to use social media for their marketing purposes. Subsequently, the following study’s main objective is to propose a strategy and develop it in using social media for small-scale businesses as a marketing tool based on the AIDA model (Sarapaivanich & Patterson, 2015). The important point to be noted is that it mainly focuses on the scope of small-scale businesses.

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Literature Review

Social Media in Marketing

In cyberspace, the communication medium for marketing is known to evolve from various stages such as the print media, then the electronic media, and then to the latest one the social media. The present generation, of customers is showing interest not only in online shopping but also in finding out information with the help of social media beforehand while making any purchase decisions (Sen & Cowley, 2013).  By this, we know that the customers trust their contacts on social media, and then the ads are displayed by the organizations.

Significant changes have been brought by social media in the various strategies and tools that are used by business enterprises for communicating with users. According to a few researchers, it is said that the tools of social media assert a combination of features that are by the traditional methods of integrated marketing communication tools and the words used by mouth marketing (Stewart & Gapp, 2014). With this method, some content is not under the control of the marketing manager. It is known that the interaction that takes place in social media is found to be an attractive forum as the information can be offered in different formats like it can be shared in the form of experience, videos, jokes, and comments from contacts. Mediums for distributing information and experiences can give the perfect shape to the perceptions of the customer regarding the product or the services that are offered by the business organizations (Sok, O’Cass & Sok, 2013). There would be a quick delivery of information which in turn has a greater impact on the performance of the product and thus branding.

The tools of social media of various types and sizes can be used by the business organization as a marketing tool. The major advantage of social media is that it allows business enterprises to get connected with customers at the correct time, in a direct manner at a cost-effective range, and with higher efficiency when compared with various other tools of traditional communication. Thus allowing social media to be controlled by not only large-scale organizations but also small and medium enterprises. Additionally, various other sites of social media such as Facebook and Twitter provide an opportunity for users to get in touch with their favorite brands and to give their comments, or pose any queries that are related to their products or the services offered by them (Sok, O’Cass & Sok, 2013).  With the help of these social media sites, there is a greater advantage for business organizations that they are in a stage of identifying the requirements of people and the type of comments they get regarding their brands so that they can communicate with the consumers directly. Customers can provide help to business organizations for producing their new business and for promoting various brands by following, blogging, reviewing blogging, and many more. The chance of generating marketing online with word of mouth is possible by the customers if they are very fascinated by any particular brand. This kind of marketing method is important for small and medium businesses. If a proper relationship is maintained by the customers, then small and medium enterprises will get an opportunity to use social media as a perfect marketing tool for their strategies. Still, many small-scale businesses are trying hard to reach the target audience effectively while many are still not aware of the social media potential marketing strategies (Tomlinson & Fai, 2013).

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Previous Studies Related to Social Media Marketing

According to the report, there was a survey which was conducted on over 3000 managers of marketing to promote the business and to grow it actively by using social media as a marketing tool. This study has included all the questions that are related to the social media types that are used and the time that has been given for marketing through social media, the benefits that are gained by using social media as a marketing tool, the commonly used site for marketing and the social media sites which the managers of marketing wanted to learn for its usage.  From the study, it is evident that 97 percent of the plaintiffs are using social media as a marketing tool for their businesses and around 86 percent are in agreement that social media is an important tool for any business. Additionally, it also revealed that 88 percent of managers in marketing are keen to know the most effective strategy for getting in contact with consumers with the help of social media (Sok, O’Cass & Sok, 2013). From the studies, it has been obtained that only 5 percent of the managers of marketing are interested and involved in using Facebook and LinkedIn. But to most marketing managers it is left as a big question of whether Facebook usage for marketing is an effective strategy or not. Out of these only 37 percent of the managers have agreed that using Facebook as a marketing tool would be effective. As per the results, it has been revealed that the managers of marketing are very much interested in knowing the key problems along with the correct strategies for using social media marketing (Tomlinson & Fai, 2013).

The AIDA Model and Business Marketing

A model has been proposed by a researcher known as the AIDA model which is a communication theory that refers to attention, interest, desire, and action. This theory has been developed based on the study that has been conducted in the life insurance industry which describes the four different cognitive phases that are experienced by the individual after receiving the new ideas or the product that has been purchased.  A four-step formula has been included in the AIDA model for getting attention, and interest, creating desire, and then stepping into action while making the purchase (Sok, O’Cass & Sok, 2013). The impact of advertising the product can be assessed with the help of this model by having control over every piece of information that begins from the level of the individual having a look over the advertisement till the end of purchasing the product.

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Research Methodology

A qualitative approach has been used for making this study because of the kind of nature involved in it, which says that a comprehensive study has been conducted on the strategic use of social media by small-scale businesses for their purpose of marketing as a tool. As to the two researchers, this methodology is known to be qualitative research which aims to explore the content broadly that cannot be obtained with the help of quantitative research (Mistilis, Buhalis & Gretzel, 2014). By this, the study has been made in-depth on using social media for the small scale businesses as the marketing tool so the use of this methodology is found to be an appropriate one for providing the text descriptions on the situations that are complex and involve the people along with their experiences. For obtaining the data that are required the researchers have used the group that is mainly focused on this study.

Research framework

To ensure the methodology that has been chosen for the research will attain the outcome that is desired the mapping of the various data has been accomplished including the research questions, their objectives, the methods used and the results have been formulated as follows:

Research Questions:

Which strategy would be appropriate for using social media as a marketing tool for small-scale businesses?

The Objectives of the study:

A strategy has to be developed for using social media for small-scale businesses as the marketing tool based on the AIDA model.

Method:

The method is followed by adopting the focus group.

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Result:

Use of social media strategy of small-scale businesses as a marketing tool.

After mapping the content, a research framework has been developed that consists of the following three phases. These three phases are known to be linked with the theory that has been used, the outcome that is desired, and the objective of the research. In the first phase, the literature has been analyzed in the region of marketing that is mediated by the computer with the main focus being on social media (Eid & El-Gohary, 2013). In the second phase, a relation has been provided for the methods that have been used for gathering the information regarding the strategies of the social media sites based on the AIDA model.

Focus group discussions

From the focus group, the data have been collected which was conducted as the phase two operations that have been described earlier. The participants that are selected as a part of the focus group discussions are the 22 small-scale business owners and the entrepreneurs who are using social media as a tool for marketing their business (Chung & Tung, 2013). This method of focus group was used for different purposes and also in different contexts by the researchers and academics. The method that has been used for collecting the data is being selected with the help of a focus group which was made as it is savings in cost and time when compared to the costs involved in the individual interviews.

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Strategy development for using social media by scale businesses as a marketing tool

The analysis that has been made from the literature and based on the discussions from the focus group, a strategy has been developed for using social media by the small scale businesses as the marketing tool. The strategy that has been developed should be used based on the AIDA model which guides small-scale business entrepreneurs on the usage of social media sites for their business promotion (Bruwer & Thach, 2013). Attention: how to gain customers’ attention on the products and the services that are offered by them, interest:  how interest can be created to the customers on their products or services, desire: how to provide ensuring information regarding their products, action: how customers can decide on purchasing the products.

Research instruments

The method that has been used for collecting the data with the help of focused groups is to get information on the views and experiences of the customers (Eid & El-Gohary, 2013). For focus group discussion guideline has been enabled which has to be conducted on a timely basis systematically and the obtained data will be answering the research questions and the objectives that are outlined will be achieved.

Conclusion

From this study, the practical and theoretical contributions are expected, which are as follows:

In terms of practical contributions, the strategy of social media marketing that has been proposed can be applied to small-scale businesses to effectively increase social media marketing. The strategies that have to be noticed by small and medium businesses while using social media marketing for business purpose has been addressed. Guidance has been provided for small-scale entrepreneurs in using social media for their business promotion.

In terms of theoretical contributions, how an AIDA model can be used for the strategic development of marketing tools using social media for small-scale businesses? The marketing purposes can be strategized based on this model.

Though this study has a lot of limitations, the strategy that has been proposed has to be implemented so that its applicability can be tested.

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References

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