Perceptions of Social Media by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Turkey

Perceptions of Social Media by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Turkey

With increased globalization, competition has spread from local areas to the worldwide arena, a situation that is more challenging than ever for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In the face of intense global competition, SMEs are often advised to reach more customers and satisfy their needs by investing more in technology-focused marketing activities. In this context, it is of vital importance for SMEs to use social media channels that currently reach billions of users and offer more opportunities for growth, expression, and customer interaction than traditional mass media can. In order to obtain information about the perceptions of social media by SMEs, this study conducted face-to-face interviews in August and September 2016 with owners, managers, and officials of 175 SMEs with more than 10 employees operating in the service, trade, and manufacturing sectors in Kastamonu and its districts in Turkey. The SMEs were selected using the simple random sampling method, and all agreed to participate in the survey. The results show that 112 of the 175 SMEs actively use social media in their marketing activities. Using the results of their survey, the authors grouped SME perceptions of social media under the factors of communication/sharing advantage and sales/cost advantage.