Social Media’s Role as a Marketing Platform for Small Food and Beverage Businesses

Abstract

This research paper aims to explore the role of social media as a marketing platform for small food and beverage businesses. Specifically, it aims to examine the benefits and challenges of utilizing social media for marketing purposes and its influence on customer behavior and purchasing decisions. The researchers used qualitative research methods to conduct semi-structured interviews with ten small business owners who successfully used social media for marketing. These entrepreneurs met two criteria: they used social media or an online platform for their business and had at least one year of business experience. The findings of this study reveal that social media provides an excellent opportunity for small food and beverage businesses to increase brand awareness, engage with customers, and boost sales. However, the success of using social media as a marketing platform depends on businesses' ability to develop a comprehensive social media strategy aligned with their overall marketing goals and stay up to date with evolving trends and best practices. Respondents also acknowledged the challenges of using social media, such as fake buyers, bad reviews, competitors, and poor internet connection.

Nonetheless, they recognized the convenience and accessibility of using social media for marketing purposes. Guidelines for social media marketing that will benefit small business sectors have been proposed as an outcome of the data gathered from the respondents. To conclude, this research paper emphasizes the growing importance of social media for small food and beverage businesses. It provides insights into how businesses can optimize their use of social media to achieve their marketing goals, such as developing a comprehensive social media strategy and keeping up with current trends and best practices. The findings of this study highlight the benefits of social media for small businesses, and this study provides guidelines for social media marketing that will benefit the small business sector.