A Application of Digital Marketing in SME businesses in Binh Dinh province
Keywords:
Digital Marketing; SME; Binh Dinh; SEM Model; Business Performance.Abstract
This study focuses on assessing the current status and effectiveness of Digital Marketing (DM) adoption among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Binh Dinh Province. A survey of 300 businesses revealed that 72.3% have implemented DM, with Facebook (89.2%) and Zalo (64.7%) being the most commonly used platforms. However, only 45.1% of these businesses have a systematic approach to measuring DM effectiveness. SEM analysis identified four main influencing factors: DM strategy (the strongest factor with β=0.38), resources (β=0.29), leadership awareness (β=0.21), and supporting technology (β=0.18), which together explained 71.2% of the variance in DM effectiveness. Major barriers include lack of budget (72.5%), shortage of skilled personnel (68.3%), and challenges in measuring effectiveness (54.7%). The study proposes practical solutions such as developing focused DM strategies, enhancing staff capabilities through training, implementing measurement tools, and recommending that local authorities launch financial support and free DM training programs. The findings offer not only academic insights but also real-world value, contributing to the digital transformation of the SME community in Binh Dinh.
References
Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2022). Marketing management (16th ed.). Pearson Education.
Chaffey, D., & Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2022). Digital marketing (8th ed.). Pearson.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Nguyen, T. H., & Nguyen, L. T. (2021). Digital marketing adoption in SMEs: Evidence from Vietnam. Journal of Small Business Management, 59(3), 451-472. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12489
Tran, Q. P., & Le, M. T. (2022). Social media marketing effectiveness for SMEs in emerging markets. International Journal of Entrepreneurship, 26(2), 1-15.
