The usage and the effeteness of social marketing on SMEs’ performance in Tanzania a case of Dar es Salaam

Social media marketing usage and adoption has emerged as a new communication and marketing tool within large organizations and Small and Medium enterprises globally as well as in African countries, including Tanzania. The broad utilization of social media in changing the way firms react to customer’s needs and wants and increase open doors for firms to market their products and services in a custom made way. Nevertheless, there is still inadequate research to answer a portion of the key issues concerning the degree to which social media tools are being employed in firms and their usefulness in marketing from a business point of view. The motivation behind this study was to examine factors that influence the use of social media marketing among SMEs in Tanzania, examining various marketing practices that SMEs carry out social media and the apparent effects of these marketing practices on brand awareness and sales performance. The theory that guided the study was Social Penetration Theory (SPT). Data were collected through questionnaires that were administered to 109 Small and Medium Enterprises in Dar es Salaam who were selected as the sample to present other SMEs in Tanzania. Descriptive analysis to accomplish the specific objectives of the study. The findings reveal that SMEs in Tanzania were influenced to use social media by customers, cost effectiveness, usefulness of social media and case of use. It was also found out that SMEs use social media in various marketing practices such as establishing fan page, post discount, promote their products, and build good relationship with customers and responding to customers’ enquiries. Additionally, it was further found out that social media marketing helps SMEs. It may be concluded that SMEs in Tanzania are adopting social media as marketing tool and using it in various business practices on large extent due to the fact that social media affords SMes with variety of marketing opportunities offered by social media marketing.