An evaluation of the effectiveness of social media marketing in enhancing sales performance in the mobile telecommunication industry. A case of Econet wireless Zimbabwe (2010-2014)

Abstract

Social media marketing a new phenomenon in marketing that came about as a result of the growing popularity of social media. The research focused on the effectiveness of social media marketing in the telecommunication industry. According to literature, social media marketing enhances the sales performance of an organisation, among other things through getting quick feedback from clients, getting to understand the customer better, easy communication with clients, building a strong relationship with clients and getting access to a large audience . However, this conclusion was mainly based on studies carried out in developed countries. Literature was reviewed by looking at the social media applications, their benefits and limitations. A conceptual framework was also formulated and all the variables were also discussed. The qualitative research approach was used in this study. A single case study approach was applied with the case of Econet being studied. Econet was chosen because it is a dominant player in the telecommunication industry and is one of the few local companies that have adopted social media marketing. Data was collected through semi structured interviews, with purposive sampling used to select the respondents. The data was also analysed qualitatively using data display tables and detailed write-ups. The study found that social media marketing, is to a larger extend, positively influencing sales performance at Econet through getting quick feedback from clients; easy and faster communication with clients as well as getting access to a large audience. However, it was also evident that Econet can improve from the way social media marketing is being handled in order to get full benefits of social media marketing. In view of these findings, recommendations were made on policy level were hardware sharing with other players in the industry should be implemented to reduce that costs of internet access. At management level, social media must be transformed into a selling tool were online transactions can be concluded and also for creating content in order to enjoy the full benefits associated with the use of social media marketing.