ADJAINO Omote Victor PhD* and ONUORAH Mmesoma Blessing
Department of Marketing
Faculty of Management Sciences
University of Benin, Edo State
*For correspondence, email: visa4real2003@yahoo.com
Abstract
This study investigated the impact of digital marketing strategies on the performance of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the University of Benin. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted to collect data from 50 SMEs through a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed to capture demographic information and assess the adoption of digital marketing tools such as social media marketing, affiliate marketing, and online advertising. Descriptive statistics such as frequency distributions, percentages, and means, were employed to summarize the data, while regression analysis was used to test the relationships between digital marketing strategies and SME performance. The results indicate that 54% of respondents were male, with the majority falling within the 18-25 age group (64%). Most respondents held HND/BSc qualifications (64%) and had less than five years of work experience (72%). Regression analysis revealed a positive and significant impact of social media marketing, affiliate marketing and online advertising (p = 0.001) on SME performance. The study concludes that social media marketing, affiliate marketing, and online advertising play pivotal roles in SME success, reinforcing the need for SMEs to embrace digital marketing for sustainable growth. It is recommended that SMEs should be encouraged to leverage social media platforms more effectively, as this strategy significantly improves performance by enhancing customer outreach and engagement. Training programmes on social media management could be offered to business owners to help them maximise these opportunities.
Keywords: Affiliate Marketing, Digital Marketing, Online Advertising, SME Performance, Social Media Marketing
