Abstract:
This project is aimed at assessing the role of social media in promoting brand awareness for
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), particularly in the New Juaben South Municipality,
Koforidua. The specific objectives were to analyze the effectiveness of the use of social media
by SMEs to promote brand awareness, to investigate the strategies and awareness practices
employed by SMEs in utilizing social media to promote brand awareness and to identify
challenges and barriers faced by SMEs in using social media to promote brand awareness. This
study adopted quantitative research design to gather numerical data and analyze relationships
between social media usage and brand awareness among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
in the New Juaben South Municipality. Sekaran and Bougie 2016 table was used to sample 354
SMEs from the population of 4,500 SMEs. This study utilized a questionnaire as a primary
research tool, designed to collect data on various aspects related to the investigation. Data
analysis was conducted using Microsoft Excel 2007 and the Statistical Package for the Social
Sciences (SPSS) version 22.
The study found out that, social media plays a vital role in promoting brand awareness among
SMEs in New Juaben South Municipality in the sense that, it influences customers to develop
positive behaviour towards the brand. The study also revealed that, SMEs utilized targeted
advertising and segmentation techniques on social media platforms as strategies. By identifying
and reaching specific audience demographics, SMEs tailor their brand promotions effectively.
The study revealed that SMEs in the New Juaben South Municipality encounter several
significant challenges and barriers when attempting to leverage social media for brand
promotion. The level of competition and saturation on social media platforms emerged as a
significant obstacle for SMEs. SMEs noted that, the crowded nature of these platforms, makes
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it difficult for their brands to stand out amidst the numerous other businesses and content
competing for attention. The study emphasizes that social media platforms offer SMEs in the
New Juaben South Municipality a cost-effective way to enhance brand awareness due to their
ability to reach a broad audience at a lower cost compared to traditional marketing channels.
It was recommended that, SMEs must allocate resources to develop social media strategies that
leverages on these platforms' to effectively reach and engage with potential customers. Also, it
was recommended that SMEs prioritize creating high-quality, engaging content tailored to their
target audience's preferences and interest
