SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND SMEs GROWTH IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

This study aimed at examining social media usage and SMEs growth in Nigeria. The design adoption for this study is the survey research design. The sample consisted of 350 respondent randomly selected form all SMEs within Benin City, Edo State. Questionnaires were used for the collection of data. The research instrument was validated by the researcher’s supervisor. The test re-test method was adopted in testing the reliability of the instrument after which the researcher instruments were administered by the researcher herself. The data obtained were analyzed using the simple percentage for the data generated form the research question while SPSS was used for the hypotheses. Findings revealed that there is a significant relationship between social media use and business growth in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Benin City, Nigeria. It was also revealed that significant or positive influence between entrepreneurial opportunity and business growth in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Benin City, Nigeria. Based on the findings, it was recommended that for performance to be optimized on social media, small business should have presence on all platform but evaluate which one deliver the best customer engagement. Furthermore, ease of payment and delivery should be considered and made easy for customer to guarantee trust on payment transaction and safety of delivery. It is highly recommended that the business application for social media should be well manage for its intended purpose with well-coordinated social media activities which can increase the performance level of the business.