Social media in SMEs: the impact of experience of gender difference on Muslim entrepreneurs in the food industry in the UK
Creators: name: Sohail, Mudassar
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: social media
social media marketing
gender
entrepreneurship
muslim entrepreneurs

description: Social media has become a prominent force in society and business globally in less than twenty years. Historically, it is a marketing medium and entrepreneurs are impressed by the innovative advancement of communications developments, specifically food-related SMEs by the social media platforms. Social media has now become the necessity of every single business and like the internet. The research explored the Muslim male and female entrepreneurs' experiences and considered the impacts of gender on social media marketing for their food businesses in the UK. The opportunity-based theory of entrepreneurship was conceptualised, and the framework for this research developed. The focus was placed on how Muslim entrepreneurs employ social media to form the marketing opportunity, decide the marketing opportunity, and exploit it. This study selected a mixed-method approach and followed an exploratory sequential research design to conduct the research. The research, therefore, collected both qualitative as well as quantitative data. A mixed-method approach was applied to collect the data consistent with the research objectives. Phase one, in-depth semi-structured interviews were undertaken with Muslim entrepreneurs and data analysed to explore their experiences towards social media marketing in the small and medium-sized food business in the UK. Interview findings then informed to construct the survey questionnaire. Phase two, an online questionnaire will be sent to Muslim entrepreneurs to elicit their response to several social media utilisation questions across the UK. In phase one, 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with Muslim entrepreneurs, and in phase two, 120 responses collected from Muslim entrepreneurs in an online survey. To analyse the collected data, this study used NVivo software to analyse qualitative data using thematic analysis technique while SPSS Version No. 26 was used to analyse the quantitative data. Findings reveal several different experiences of Muslim entrepreneurs' employment of social media marketing as an opportunity. This research provided significant insights for the academic researcher, entrepreneurs, food businesses, SMSs, and marketers. Muslim entrepreneurs learn social media as a marketing tool and techniques that enable them to communicate and engage with customers. This study explored the benefits and responses (e.g., elements of social media marketing, entrepreneurial opportunity, and gender experiences). It reveals that gender influences Muslim entrepreneurs to select social media platforms differently. Social media marketing helped food SMEs learn communication ways, form marketing strategies, interact with customers and increase brand awareness. Thus, this research contributes to the knowledge of consumer behaviour in the use of social media. From a practical viewpoint, this research suggested entrepreneurial marketing strategies effectively to design social media marketing and used, strengthening communication and relationship with customers.