How Effective is Social Media as the Main Marketing Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises? : Case: WeLoveSpain

Abstract

The thesis will study the effectiveness of social media marketing as the main marketing tool for an SME. Social media has shown significant growth in popularity lately, both in the public and personal use as well as in the business world. Companies are acknowledging the potential of social media and realizing slowly that it seems that it will not be a passing trend. For an SME this could potentially mean good news. The general idea is that social media marketing could potentially be fairly inexpensive and with the growing number of social media users it seems like a sure bet. The research will try to find out that is that true. With a variety of different methods and a vast number of sources the thesis will try to find answers about the true effectiveness of social media marketing. The current landscape of social media will be explored in order to demonstrate accurately the popularity, significance and size. The reader will gain a good overview of what benefits social media marketing as the main marketing tool can give to an SME. The benefits are thoroughly explored and comparisons with marketing theory, articles and interview results will be done. The general support for the thesis will come from interview done with key members of the case company, which questions were carefully thought out in a manner that would potentially support the research findings the most. This will grant a more truthful image of the current landscape and benefits of social media marketing. The more challenging aspects of social media marketing will be tackled by using a large amount of marketing theory books combined with articles written by professionals. Introducing the further information gained through the interviews. The reader will get to know the basics behind social media marketing and how it is potentially profitable. In addition to this the reader will be introduced to the ways this profitability can be calculated and analysed. Furthermore the future of social media is very important, because many companies are thinking of investing in social media marketing it is vital to present a clear picture of the future. The effectiveness of social media marketing for an SME is an important question that needs research and clear results. The case company will offer a realistic view of their marketing that can be compared with the acquired research findings. Combining the two will help formulate a picture of the effectiveness of social media marketing as the main marketing tool for an SME.