Social Media Marketing Strategies Used by Small Retail Businesses

Significance of the Study 
The significance of the study includes information on the contribution to business 
practice and implications for social change, which are the reduction of gaps in SMM 
strategies and information on how the study may positively affect social conditions. The 
focus of this study was to explore the SMM strategies small business retailers used for 
customer engagement. The ability of small business retailers to develop strategies to 
compete with large competitors may generate best practices in the retail industry. Small 
business retailers could use this study to develop and implement successful SMM 
strategies and practices. Furthermore, the development of such strategies could become a 
guide for new retailers entering the market to improve the sustainability and survival of 
small retail businesses. Business survival could result in increased profits and additional 
job opportunities, thus promoting positive social change for the community. 
Contribution to Business Practice 
My focus in this study was to explore the SMM strategies small business retailers 
use to engage customers. Small business leaders could use the findings of this study to 
improve retail SMM strategies. Small business leaders must employ practical and 
effective strategies to remain competitive (Boling et al., 2014). One of the goals of 
conducting this study was to discover possible ways to enhance business practice.

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Companies that engage in social media activities, generally begin by communicating with 
customers for marketing purposes (Kane, 2015). Maintaining an online presence was 
beneficial to small businesses promotion and reaching large numbers of people in 
different geographical locations for a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing 
(Herman, 2015). An effective SMM strategy can lead to brand recognition, increased 
profits, and customer retention (Lee, Hosanagar, & Nair, 2014). Therefore, small 
business leaders in the retail industry could benefit from the findings, conclusions, and 
recommendations of this study to create effective SMM strategies. Furthermore, the 
information contained within this study may help to reduce gaps in research by providing 
insights into how on small business retailers use successful SMM strategies to engage 
customers.