An exploratory study of entrepreneurial marketing in SMEs

Abstract

Purpose – Marketing has been seen as one of the greatest problems faced by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), but simultaneously one of the most important activities for their growth and survival. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to determine the importance and role of entrepreneurial marketing in SMEs. Design/methodology/approach – To reach this goal, a qualitative approach was adopted, with two case studies (SMEs) selected. As data-collecting instruments, interviews and documentary analysis were used, and the data-treatment technique was content analysis. Findings – The empirical evidence obtained shows that the importance of entrepreneurial marketing is recognized, but that it differs considerably according to firm size. In the SMEs studied, marketing is informal and reactive to market opportunities and the founder-entrepreneur has an influence on the decision-making process. Practical implications – The study contributes to the existing research about the role the founder-entrepreneur can have in the firm's ability to develop entrepreneurial marketing activities. From a practical viewpoint, the study has found that entrepreneurial marketing is based on networking to build and support marketing activity and it is associated with the use and development of the marketing management competencies of their entrepreneurs. Originality/value – The study is innovative because the authors are able to outline empirically new issues for future investigation in this area of scarce research. Second, an integrative and holistic model is proposed for entrepreneurial marketing in SMEs and this represents the primary contribution of the study.

Impact of Brand Equity Drivers on Purchase Intention: A Moderating Effect of Entrepreneurial Marketing

“…Number of empirical literature and case studies has been published in the last few years including (Kowalik & Duliniec, 2015;Yang & Gabrielsson, 2017;Becherer & Helms, 2016;Franco, de Fátima Santos, Ramalho, & Nunes, 2014). Similarly, these empirical literatures provide adequate foundations to moderating effect of entrepreneurial marketing in business and brand management (Yang & Gabrielsson, 2017;Becherer & Helms, 2016).…”

“…On the other side, it has been evidently proven that brand equity drivers cannot single-handedly gauge and manage consumers' purchase intention in today's scenario. Therefore, there is extreme need to involve some expert and dedicated efforts for consumerism, profit proliferation and strive for larger market share (Becherer & Helms, 2016;Franco et al, 2014). Hence, the study has used entrepreneurial marketing as moderator to the association between brand equity drivers and purchase intentions of consumers.…”

Unleashing Corporate Social Responsibility Communication for Small Businesses in the Digital Era

“…For this reason, interactive communication is changing the social dynamics (Harrigan & Miles, 2014;Fieseler & Fleck, 2013). Web-based co-operation and data exchanges have empowered the communication between businesses and their stakeholders (Franco, de Fátima Santos, Ramalho & Nunes, 2014;Fieseler, Fleck & Meckel, 2010). It enables them to engage with online users and to take advantage of positive publicity arising from real-time word-of-mouth marketing (Camilleri, 2017).…”

The Experience of SME Managers in Relation to Integrated Marketing Communication

“…Reijonen (2010) desenvolveu um estudo para compreender como o conceito de marketing e comunicação é visto e colocado em prática nas PMEs, os resultados mostraram que ele varia dependendo da dimensão da empresa e dos clientes e que a maioria das PMEs utilizam o marketing objetivando as vendas. Franco et al (2014) desenvolveram um estudo exploratório do marketing empresarial nas PMEs, seus resultados demonstram que a prática é informal e relativo as oportunidades de mercado e o empreendedor tem grande influência no processo de tomada de decisão.…”