Digital Marketing Strategies and Competitive Advantage of Top 100 Small and Medium Enterprises in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

The research objective was to research and analyze the digital marketing approaches that give the competitive advantage of top 100 Small and Medium Enterprises in Nairobi, Kenya. The study was based on the theory of diffusion of innovation, and theory of competitive advantage. Based on theoretical models, it was considered and noted that that digital marketing approaches help the SMEs to promote their competitive advantage globally. Data collection was acquired through primary and secondary data. The secondary data was gained from the websites and social media platforms of the top 100 SMEs in Nairobi County, Kenya. However, the primary data was collected using a questionnaire method from the top 100 Small and Medium Enterprises in Nairobi County, Kenya. The inquiry adopted descriptive cross-sectional study design and the descriptive model was used to evaluate the link uniting the digital marketing approaches and the competitive advantage of the firms. The analysis outcomes indicated that use of digital marketing platforms help to promote the competitive advantage of top 100 SMEs within Nairobi, Kenya. The study also established that the application of digital marketing platforms has beneficial effects on the competitive advantage of top 100 SMEs in Nairobi Kenya. Using social media platforms, websites and SEO platforms was noted to be imperative in promoting the sales volume of the SMEs through attraction of new customers and sharing of the SMEs products and services online. The analysis concluded that SMEs should use social media platforms as well websites and other digital platforms to increase their competitive advantage, profitability, sales volume and revenues. The inquiry considered that SMEs should adopt the use of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to increase their competitive advantage. The analysis also regards that SMEs adopt cost-friendly digital marketing platforms to improve their performance. The study revealed and concluded that the majority of the SMEs were using social media marketing platforms to increase their competitive advantage. The study also found out that applications of other digital marketing platforms such as blogs, websites and SEOs largely improved the competitive advantage of SMEs. This is because these platforms allowed the SMEs to reach a wider range of customers from different regions within a short time. The study results indicated that the use of digital marketing platforms led to an increased number of visitors on the social media pages of the SMEs and this helped to attract customers outside the country. In the end the study recommends the use of digital technology and proper website management to promote the competitive advantage and performance of SMEs, customer loyalty and engagement.