Using social media to navigate changing rural markets: the case of small community retail and service businesses

Q1 Business, Management and Accounting

Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Pub Date : 2021-02-25 DOI:10.1080/08276331.2021.1871711

Jihyeong Son, Linda S. Niehm

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引用次数: 10

Abstract

Abstract To help small firms navigate changing rural markets, this study investigated how small businesses use social media to expand their customer and stakeholder networks to sustain their businesses. Focus group interviews with owners of small retail and service businesses were conducted in three selected rural Iowa communities. Our findings indicate that social media is an innovative marketing tool to promote interactive, collaborative, and personalized interactions with customers and stakeholders. These interactions enabled small businesses to attract new customers and foster commitment to the business. In addition, reciprocal relationships with stakeholders leveraged social media content creation and fostered social capital formation. However, social media integration poses challenges for many small businesses, due to operational, economic, infrastructural, legal and regulatory, and psychological factors. Our findings highlight education, legal and regulatory guidelines and policies, tools to measure the effectiveness of social media on marketing, and business assistance and support for small businesses to utilize social media to build customer and other business support networks. Implications support the potential for social media to enhance online interactions for these small firms, leading to the development of social capital, a valuable source of competitive advantage and business sustainability in rural markets.

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利用社会媒体引导不断变化的农村市场:小型社区零售和服务企业的案例

为了帮助小企业应对不断变化的农村市场，本研究调查了小企业如何利用社交媒体扩大其客户和利益相关者网络，以维持其业务。在爱荷华州三个选定的农村社区，对小型零售和服务企业的所有者进行了焦点小组访谈。我们的研究结果表明，社交媒体是一种创新的营销工具，可以促进与客户和利益相关者的互动、协作和个性化互动。这些互动使小企业能够吸引新客户，并促进对业务的承诺。此外，与利益相关者的互惠关系促进了社交媒体内容的创造，促进了社会资本的形成。然而，由于运营、经济、基础设施、法律和监管以及心理因素，社交媒体整合给许多小企业带来了挑战。我们的研究结果强调了教育、法律和监管指导方针和政策、衡量社交媒体营销有效性的工具，以及小企业利用社交媒体建立客户和其他商业支持网络的商业援助和支持。社会媒体有可能增强这些小企业的在线互动，从而促进社会资本的发展，这是农村市场竞争优势和业务可持续性的宝贵来源。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Business, Management and Accounting-Business and International Management

CiteScore

11.90

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Studies published in the JSBE can be from and based on Canada or other countries of the world. They can cover topics related to matters such as: A. Start-up and resource gathering for an SME -Starting, buying and selling an SME -Financing, funding, banking, venture capital, audit and accounting in SMEs -Entrepreneur characteristics, leadership and work-life balance -Identification of business opportunities, business incubators and mentorship -Support services to entrepreneurship and SMEs B. Functional management and growth of an SME -Sales and marketing in SMEs -Human resource management in SMEs -Operation management in SMEs -Innovation, knowledge management, learning and fast growth in SMEs -New technologies, Internet, and communication in SMEs -Regulation and taxes for SMEs -Growth of SMEs C. Strategic management and change in an SME -Strategic Management in SMEs -International entrepreneurship and SME internationalization -Networks, alliances and relationships with government and large enterprises -Managing change in an uncertain and changing environment -Factors of success and failure in SME and entrepreneurial firms D. New trends in entrepreneurship and SME management -Social entrepreneurship -Gender and female entrepreneurship -Indigenous entrepreneurship -Ethnic/diaspora/immigrant entrepreneurship -Youth and student entrepreneurship -Entrepreneurship in emerging/transition markets -Franchises, sport, health, consulting and other emerging types of SMEs -Corporate entrepreneurship E. Special topics in entrepreneurship and SME management -Family-based business -Social responsibility, environmental protection, governance, and ethics in SMEs -SMEs and regional, urban, rural, and national development -Entrepreneurship education -Epistemology, general theory development, and methods of research in entrepreneurship and SMEs -Entrepreneurship and sustainable development