victoria corser - microsoft version dissertation
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Victor ia Corser D issertat ion1301973 BS3999A
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VictoriaCorserStudentNumber:1301973
Supervisor:TimFriesner
SecondMarker:TimMeldrum
PresentedforBusinessManagement2015/2016
Howdosmallbusinessesimplementdigital
marketing?Aninvestigationintohowentrepreneursuse
digitalmarketingstrategies.
WordCount:10,919
Thisdissertationisentirelytheoriginalworkofstudentregistrationnumber1301973.Wherematerialisobtainedfrompublishedorunpublishedworks,thishasbeenfullyacknowledgedby
citation.
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AbstractSmall businesses are under increasing pressure to keep upwith the growth in consumer
demands.Withcustomersnowbeingabletoaccessproductsandservicesatanytimefrom
any where in the world, small businesses need to find ways to develop and maintain
relationshipswiththeirtargetmarket.WithEntrepreneurialBehaviourthoughttobebehind
thesuccessofasmallbusinesses,alinkislookedintoastowhetherthetwocanberelated
andhowthiscanaffectmarketinginasmallbusiness.Digitalmarketingisbecomingmore
prominent, and with this, small businesses need to understand whether digital or more
traditionalmethods arenow relevantwithin todaysmarket. This research looks into the
relationship between both Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Digital Marketing, assessing
entrepreneurial characteristics of small businesses owners and relating this to the digital
andtraditionalmarketingtechniquestheyundertake.
The findings of this research have been sought from both questionnaires testing
entrepreneur’s behaviour and interviews analysing the ways in which they market their
companies and how successful their methods are. This concluded that there is a link
between aspects of entrepreneurial behaviour however further research is needed to
generalisethistoallbusinesses.
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TableofContentsAbstract.........................................................................................................................................2
Acknowledgements......................................................................................................................4
ListofFigures................................................................................................................................5
Introduction..................................................................................................................................6Researchaims:.......................................................................................................................................7
LiteratureReview..........................................................................................................................8SmallBusinesses.....................................................................................................................................8
Whatisasmallbusiness?..................................................................................................................8Entrepreneurs........................................................................................................................................8
DefiningEntrepreneurship.................................................................................................................8TheNeedforEntrepreneurialBehaviour............................................................................................9Effectuation......................................................................................................................................10
DigitalMarketing..................................................................................................................................11DefiningDigitalMarketing...............................................................................................................11ContentMarketing...........................................................................................................................11BenefitsofDigitalMarketingtoSmallBusinesses...........................................................................12ConstrictionstoDigitalMarketing...................................................................................................13MarketingStrategiesandPlans.......................................................................................................14
DigitalmarketingandEntrepreneurship..............................................................................................16CreativityandInnovation.................................................................................................................16DigitalMarketingSuccess,InfluencedbyEntrepreneurialBehaviour..............................................17
Methodology..............................................................................................................................17ResearchParadigm...............................................................................................................................18PrimaryResearch&methods...............................................................................................................19Questionnaires&Semi-StructuredInterviews.....................................................................................19
Questionnaires.................................................................................................................................19Semi-StructuredInterviews..............................................................................................................20UsingOpenandClosedQuestions...................................................................................................21
SamplingofCandidates........................................................................................................................21Validity.................................................................................................................................................22Reliability..............................................................................................................................................22DatacollectionandAnalysis.................................................................................................................22Ethics....................................................................................................................................................23
FindingsandAnalysis..................................................................................................................23EntrepreneurialTesting........................................................................................................................24
NeedforAchievement&CreativityandInnovativeTendencies......................................................25LimitationsofFindings.....................................................................................................................25OverallEntrepreneurialismResults..................................................................................................25Accuracy...........................................................................................................................................26
Interviews.............................................................................................................................................27ReasonsBehindStartingacompany................................................................................................27MarketingBudgetsandPlanning.....................................................................................................28MeasurementofMarketingActivities.............................................................................................28TraditionalorDigitalMethodsofMarketing...................................................................................29MostSuccessfulMarketingOperation.............................................................................................30IsDigitalMarketingEssential?.........................................................................................................31
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LinkingEntrepreneurialBehaviourandDigitalMarketing...................................................................32Creativity/InnovationTendencyandDigitalMarketing..................................................................32NeedforAchievementandDigitalMarketing.................................................................................33FurtherConsiderations.....................................................................................................................34
ConclusionsandRecommendations..........................................................................................36MakingMarketinginSmallBusinessesMoreSuccessful.....................................................................36TraditionalMarketingComparedtoDigitalMarketing........................................................................37EntrepreneurialBehaviour...................................................................................................................38IsDigitalMarketingSuccessful?...........................................................................................................38LimitationsoftheResearch..................................................................................................................39
Participants......................................................................................................................................39Resources.........................................................................................................................................39RecommendationsfortheFuture....................................................................................................40
TheResearcher.....................................................................................................................................40OverallConclusion................................................................................................................................40
References..................................................................................................................................41
Appendices.................................................................................................................................50AppendixA-Bhave’sTwoTypesofEntrepreneurialProcesses(FirstStages).....................................50AppendixB-TheContentMarketingMatrix.......................................................................................51AppendixC-InternalandExternalInfluencesonDigitalMarketingStrategy.....................................52AppendixD-EntrepreneurialTestEntrepreneurialTendenciestest,adaptedfromCaird(2013)......53AppendixE-EthicsDeclaration............................................................................................................55AppendixF-MeetingSchedule–TimFriesner&VictoriaCorser........................................................56AppendixG-InterviewLayoutSample................................................................................................57
AcknowledgementsIwouldliketotakethisopportunitytothankmyfamilyandfriendswhosesupporthasbeen
indispensabletomyUniversityexperience.Secondly,Iwouldliketothanktheparticipantsof
thisstudy,whoseknowledgeandsupporthasbeenhugelybeneficialtome.Finally,Iwould
like to thankmytutor,TimFriesner forhishelpwhilstwritingmydissertation,hissupport
andknowledgehasbeengreatlyappreciated.
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ListofFigures
FigureNumber Name PageNumber
1 EnterprisingTestResults 252 SummaryofKeyFindingsintoEntrepreneurialBehaviour 273 PushorPullStartUpResults 284 TimeDevotedtoMarketingResults 295 DigitalorTraditionalMethodsofMarketingResults 316 MostSuccessfulMarketingOperationResults 327 IsDigitalMarketingEssential? 328 SummaryofKeyFindingsInterviews 339 ComparingCreativity/InnovationTendencywithDigital
Marketing 33
10 ComparingNeedforAchievementwithDigitalMarketing 3411 SummaryofKeyFindingsLinkingEntrepreneurial
BehaviourandDigitalMarketing 35
12 SummaryofTheoriesSupported 3613 OverallSummaryofFindings 37
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IntroductionWith markets dominated by large firms, small businesses need to find ways in which they can
penetratethemarket(Coleman[Online],10.01.13).Withtheintroductionofdigitalmarketing,it is
easier than ever for small businesses to compete in these markets, showing their competitive
advantagesofbeingflexibleandpersonaltotheconsumer(Gitman&McDaniel,2008).
There areover 5Million small businesses in theUK (Cole, 2016 [Online]). This broader choice for
consumerswithin themarket is changing thewaywhich consumers arebehavingaswell aswhat
theyexpect(Ernst&Young,2011).Withawiderrangeofproductsandservicesavailabletothemat
anytime,fromanywherearoundtheglobe,amorepersonalisedexperienceisexpectedandthisis
saidtobewheresmallbusinessesareleadingtheway.Withtheincreaseindigitaltechnologyand
digital marketing techniques, small businesses are able to compete with big brands as well as
provideapersonalservicetotheconsumer.
Withmanysmallcompaniesonlycarryingoutmarketingactivitieswhentheyfeeltheenvironment
requiresthemtooronlywhentheyhavetheresourcesto,itisnotclearlyunderstoodthevalueand
effectiveness of certain types of marketing techniques (Simpson, Padmore, Taylor and Frecknall-
Hughes,2006).Isdigitalmarketingnowabletotakeoverfromtraditionalmethodsorarethesestill
justasimportantatbuildingrelationshipsandcreatingrepeatbusiness?
Entrepreneurs are suggested to have particular characteristics and traits which distinguish them
fromothers,knownasEntrepreneurialbehaviours.Thesebehavioursincludeattributessuchas;risk-
taking,theneedforachievementaswellasautonomy(Nielsen,Klyver,Evald&Bager,2012).Ifthese
behavioursareidentifiedandcanbesupported,theycouldhelptoseethereasonsastowhysome
smallbusinessessucceedorfailaswellashelpingandacceleratingeconomicgrowthwithinsociety.
Withparticularinteresttowardsbothentrepreneurialbehaviouranddigitalmarketing,thisresearch
issetouttoinvestigatewhetherthereisalinkbetweenthetwoandtowhatextentdigitalmethods
ofmarketingarenowessentialorsuccessfultosmallbusinesses.Withworknowneedingtobecome
more inventive and creative, entrepreneurial behaviour and flexibility is said to be essential in
deliveringthebestoutcomesforcompanies(Cowan,2016,citedin:TheGuardian[Online]).
Withlimitedresearchintowhatmakesentrepreneurssuccessfulatthemarketingoftheircompany,
thisinvestigationaimstoinvestigatewhetherEntrepreneursdisplaycertainbehavioursandwhether
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these influence the decisions they make within their business, in terms of digital marketing.
Researchwill be carried out to investigatewhether there is a link between both Entrepreneurial
behaviouranddigitalmarketingtechniquesthatsmallbusinessesuse.Thiscanbeusedinorderfor
small businesses to see what methods of digital marketing can be most successful and what
behavioursaremostbeneficial.
Thisstudyholdsparticularinteresttothosecurrentlyrunningtheirownbusiness.Ifcertaindisplays
ofbehaviourscanencouragethedevelopmentofbetterdigitalmarketingtechniques,thenitmaybe
beneficial inordertounderstandhowtodeveloptheirbusinessfurther.Thismayalsobeuseful in
ordertodeveloptheeconomyandencouragemoresmallbusinessessuccess.
Withinthisstudy,researchwillbeconductedintotheentrepreneurialtraitsofbusinessownersand
thedigitalmarketingtechniquestheyuse,withanunderstandingonhowsuccessfulthisis.
Researchaims:
1.) Evaluatedigitalmarketingtechniquesusedbyentrepreneurs.
2.) Explorethebehavioursandtechniquesentrepreneurspossess.
3.) Categoriseentrepreneursbytheirpreferreddigitalmarketingapproaches.
4.) Explorethepurposeandcontextofthenewenterprises.
In order to reach the aims of the research, several research questions and objectives have been
createdtogiveacentralgoalandpurposetothestudyaswellastomakesureallareasarecovered
withintheresearch(ThomasandHodges,2010).Thesekeythemeswillbethebasistotheresearch
undertaken.
1.) Doentrepreneursdisplaycertaincharacteristicsandbehaviours?
2.) Whatdigitalmarketingtechniquesdoentrepreneursuse?
3.) Can a link be found between the entrepreneurial behaviour of a person and the digital
marketingtechniquestheyuse?
4.) Are digital marketing techniques successful and valuable for small businesses and
entrepreneurstouse?
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LiteratureReview
This chapter will highlight the key points related to the study into small businesses and their
marketingaswellasthewaysinwhichthepersonalitytraitsofanentrepreneurcanbedefined.
Thisliteraturereviewlooksatpastresearchintotheareasofstudysuchasdigitalmarketinginsmall
businessesandentrepreneurialbehaviour.Alinkwillthenbemadeastohowthesetwosubjectscan
beconnected.
SmallBusinessesTherearenowmorethan5.2MillionsmallfirmsintheUK,accountingforover48%ofemployment
for the country (Young, 2015).With a recordnumber of small firms in theUK (MintelGroup Ltd,
2015 [Online], these firms need to find ways in which they can increase their market share and
createmoreprofit.
Whatisasmallbusiness?A small business is defined as a company,which has nomore than 99 employees (MacGregor&
Vrazalic,2007).AccordingtoYoung(2015),theUnitedKingdomisthemostentrepreneurialcountry
inEuropeandfourthintheworld(Young,2015).Thisrapidincreaseinsmallbusinessesisduetothe
accessibilitytobeabletostartupasmallbusiness,withaccesstotheinternetmakingiteasierthan
ever (Reeves, 2014). With an increasingly complex world developing, linked by the instant
communication from technology, companies must continually find ways in which they can
distinguishthemselvesfromtheircompetitors(Burns,3rdEd.,2013).
EntrepreneursDefiningEntrepreneurshipDrucker(2014),explainsthatsmallbusinesseswillsimplynotsurvivetheperiodofcurrentchange
andinnovationunlesstheypossessoracquirethecompetenciesofentrepreneurialbehaviour.
An entrepreneur is someonewho quickly examines changes and responds to them, transforming
them into opportunities (Druker, 1994) (Al-Askari, 2011).Hart (2003), agreeswith this statement,
statingthatentrepreneurscontinuallyseekoutnewopportunities,identifyingwaysthattheycanbe
more innovative. Entrepreneurs also hold skills such as risk taking and pro-activeness (Dess &
Lumpkin,1996),constantlypursuingnewopportunitieswithinthemarket(Baker&Sinkula,2009).
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On the other hand, Cardon, Mosakowski & Murnieks (2014), suggest that entrepreneurship is
focussed around passion being the main driver of entrepreneurship, motivating the person to
succeed in their area. Burns (2013, 3rd Ed., P. 14), complements both opinions, describing
entrepreneurstohavequalitiesof‘creativity,vision…courage’and’self-belief’.
Although there aremanydefinitions as towhat anentrepreneur is and thebehavioursdisplayed,
there are stillmisconceptions as to how to actually define it (Kobia& Sikalieh, 2010). This raises
issues within the area of entrepreneurship and how one can define whether a certain person
displaysthecharacteristicsornotandwhetheritisaninfluencetobusinesssuccess.
TheNeedforEntrepreneurialBehaviour
Burns (2014) explains that in order to start up a new venture, entrepreneurs need to display
characteristicswhichpushthemtowardsentrepreneurship,haveagoodbusinessideaaswellasthe
skills needed to deliver the product or service idea. The author also defines several key
characteristics which Entrepreneurs display such as; the need for achievement, need for
independence,creativity,innovation,opportunism,acceptanceofmeasuredriskanduncertainty,as
well as an internal locus of control. All of these can either push or pull a particular person into
startingtheirownbusinessandinfluencethedegreetowhichitissuccessful.
Bhave (1994, cited in cited in Davidsson, 2008), shows the routes that entrepreneurs follow in
settinguptheirowncompany(seeAppendixA),eithermakingthedecisiontostartorrecognisinga
needforittohappen.ThisshowsadifferenceintypesofEntrepreneurs,somestartingbecausethey
feel the need to or others realising an opportunity. Either way, both types end up having a
commitment,wheretheyhaveidentifiedtheirbusinessconcepttocontinuewith.
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AppendixA-Bhave’sTwoTypesofEntrepreneurialProcesses(FirstStages)(1994,citedinDavidsson,
2008)
Thefirsttype,Bhavedescribesas“externallystimulated”,startingwiththedecisionordesiretoset
upanewbusinessinwhichtheentrepreneursearchesfor.Thesecondtype,“Internally-stimulated”,
beginswhenanentrepreneurexperiencesaproblemrelatedtotheirwork,hobbiesorwhenbeinga
consumer,theythenfindasolutionandbasetheirbusinessonsolvingthisproblemforothers.
Thiscanbe related toBurns’ (2014)PushorPull reasons for startingupacompany, showing that
Push factors (situational), such as unemployment or having no other option or Pull factors
(psychological)suchasneedof independenceandrecognitioncanbothbebarriersandtriggersto
entrepreneurship.
Many characteristics influence the Push reasons for starting up a business, which are developed
throughculturaldifferencesandthesocietiesinwhichpeoplebelong.Althoughthesecharacteristics
canencourageentrepreneurstosetuptheirowncompanyandhelpthemthroughproblems,they
arenotnecessaryforbeinganentrepreneur(Burns,2014).
Effectuation
Another logic behind a business start up is Effectuation. This is a process that drives
entrepreneurshipbyusingtheresourcesandstakeholdersavailabletotheentrepreneurasameans
ofcontrollingtheunpredictedfuture(Hjorth,2012).Ateachstageoftheirstartup,theentrepreneur
will limit their riskby lookingatwhat theycanafford to lose,usenegatives tocreatepositivesas
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well asbuildingona futurebyusing the resources around themaswell as interactionswith self-
selectingpartners(TheSocietyforEffectualAction,2012).
DigitalMarketing
TheendofthetwentiethCenturymarkedarevolutioninthewayweengageandcommunicate,with
the introductionofthe internet(Masterson&Pickton,2010). Thishashadasignificant impacton
thewayinwhichbusinessesareexpectedtomarkettheirproducts(Benady,2014).Notonlyhasthis
changedthewayproductsaremarketed,butithasalsochangedbusinessmodels,oftenintroducing
costsavingtechniquesforthecompany(DepartmentforBusinessInnovation&Skills,2015).
DefiningDigitalMarketing
Themarketingenvironmentisgrowingincreasinglycomplicated,beforecompanieswouldonlyhave
toconcentrateonadvertisementswhichwere local, suchasnewspapers, local radioor theyellow
pages (Boersen, 2014), where as now there is a huge variety ofmediums such as Search Engine
Optimisation to social media. Boersen (2014) suggests that, in order for small companies to be
successful,theynowneedtoembracethedigitalageiftheyintendongrowing,aswellascompeting
withtheloyaltyofconsumersfromlargerretailers(Donnelly,Simmons,Armstrong&Fearne,2012).
E-marketing (or digital marketing) refers to the use of electronic communications technology in
ordertoachievemarketingobjectives(Chaffey,2007,3rded.).ForSmall-MediumEnterprises,these
digitalmarketing techniquescanprovidemanybenefits. Theadoptionofe-commerce technology
can lead to a higher annual sales growth, a reduction in costs, an improvement in service and
quality,aswellasbetterconnectionswithcustomersandsuppliers(Martin&Matalay,2003).Thisis
confirmedwithAlford&Page’s (2015)suggestion that it isessential forsmallbusinesses toadopt
technologyformarketinginorderforthemtosurvive.
ContentMarketing
Contentmarketing is an approachused to provide valuable and relevant information to potential
customersinordertodrivebusinessandaction(ContentMarketingInstitute,2016).Thisapproach
enables businesses to attract and retain customers by providing them with more valuable
informationcontent,andwithmarketingdecreasinglyrelyingontraditionalmethods,thiscreatesa
moreeffectivewayofutilisingbothtraditionalanddigitalmethods.
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Content marketing is said to be extremely
importantwithintodaysmarket.Itfuelsthecore
marketing channels such as search engines,
social and email marketing as well as creating
conversations with the customer (Bosomworth,
2014 [Online]). This approach, shown in
Appendix B, aims to inspire, convince, educate
and entertain the businesses audience in order
to create conversations with them to build up
business and repeat custom. This increases
awareness to generate purchases as well as
createsarationaleforthecustomerstoforman
emotional attachment with the company. This
can be extremely important within small
businesses,creatingacommunitywhichtheycan
relyonforcustomaswellasputtingthemaside
fromlarger,lessattentivecompetitors.
BenefitsofDigitalMarketingtoSmallBusinesses
New tools areappearingall the timewithways inwhich companies canmarket theirproductsor
services.There isahuge rangeofmediumssuchas;payper clickadvertisements, socialmediaas
wellasadvertisementsonsocialmedia,googleadverts,searchengineoptimisation,emailmarketing
andwebsites(WSI,2015).Theadoptionofthesedigitalmarketingtechniques,givessmallbusinesses
theopportunity to compete inmarkets that theywouldnotoriginally havehadaccess to (Design
Week, 2011), all of which can lead to business growth and lower costs by using a more flexible
optionformarketingtoconsumers(Saldanha,2011).
These platforms can enable small companies to target their consumers at all levels of the sales
funnel (Fulgoni & Lipsan, 2015), for example; driving awareness and interest through the use of
Search Engine Optimisation or advertising on social media platforms, following this with the
customerclickingontothebusinesseswebsite(Charlesworth,2014).Notonlyarecompaniesableto
dothis,buttheseadvertisementsattractmorecustomerswhichhaveahighervaluetothecompany
forarelativelylowcostcomparedtooriginalmediaadvertisingoptions(Jones,Borgman&Ulusoy,
AppendixB–TheContentMarketingMatrix(Bosomworth,2014[Online]).
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2015).Thisofferscompaniestheabilitytogettocustomerswhichtheywouldhaveneverhadaccess
toinawaywhichispersonaltothem.ForSmallbusinesses,thisisahugeadvantageastheyareable
tocompetewithlargercompanieswhohavethesameapproach(Longenecker,Petty,Palich&Hoy,
2016).
ThisadoptionalsomeansthatSME’sareabletocompeteinglobalmarketswhichbeforewouldnot
have been readily available to them (Iansiti& Lakhani, 2014). The Internet is available across the
world, giving customers instant accessibility at any time to information from news, product
specifications or availability to customer service (Roberts & Zahay, 2012, pg. 25). For business
owners, itmeansthattheycanprovideproductsandservicestoanycustomer,atanytimeof the
day, without meeting them face to face or spending money on services like postage, with the
availabilitytodownloadfilesinstantly.Notonlythis,butthesecompaniesareabletotalktoahuge
variety of people at one time with technological advancements such as social media and email
marketing,whichthecustomercanaccessattheirownleisure.Thispresentsahugecostsavingto
companies (Gallagher,Gilmore&Henry,2007),nothaving topay formostof theirmarketingand
beingabletobettercommunicatewiththeirpotentialorexistingconsumers.
SMEsarenowusingtechnologiestothesameextentaslargeenterprises(OrganisationforEconomic
Co-operation and Development, 1997), expanding online and digitally through a presence of
companywebsitesandemailmarketing(Eddy,2013).
ConstrictionstoDigitalMarketing
Saldanha, (2011),highlights thatevenwith limitedbudgets, small companiesareable tocarryout
digital marketing tasks at very low costs and successfully as they work project-by-project. This
increased flexibility allows the opportunity to continually adapt their technique to improve. SMEs
arenotlockedintoonepatternorwayofthinkingandthereforetheycanconstantlyalterthewayin
whichtheymarkettheirproductsorservices(DeNoronhaVaz,Morgan&Nikkamp,2006).
Miles, Gilmore, Harrigan, Lewis & Sethna (2015), suggest that SMEs develop their own style of
marketing,thisisdis-similartolargecompany’sconventionalprocesses.Withthis,Milesetalagree
withSaldanha(2011),thatSMEsadapttheirmarketing,notonlytoimproveiteachtime,buttosuit
their own situation and network. They do this by using relevant industry andmarket contacts in
orderfortheirstrategiestobeasuccess.Customerrelationshipmanagement(CRM)iscarriedoutby
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SMEs intuitively and integrally and this forms an interaction with their customers which larger
organisationscannotcompetewith.
Smallbusinessesmaybecomeapprehensiveaboutundertakingformsofdigitalmarketing,duetoa
lackofknowledgeandan inability toassess thereturnontheir investment (Alford&Page,2015).
Business ownersmay lack the skills to carry out digitalmarketingmethods successfully,meaning
thattheycouldmissoutonhugepotentialmarketsorundertakethemethodsusedincorrectly.
Knight (2000), emphasises that smaller companiesmay lack the resources to competewith larger
firms, both in their home country and abroad. Following from this, McGowan & Durkin (2002)
suggestthat,inorderfortheirmarketingtobeasuccess,smallcompaniesneedtobecompetentin
theareasinwhichtheyareworkingwith.Thissuccessalsodependsontheabilityofthecompanyto
notonlyhavegoodrelationswithcustomersovertheinternet,buttobeabletodothispersonally
and socially too, this is what will make small companies stand out from the much larger
corporations.
Anotherwayinwhichdigitalmarketingmightnotbesuccessfulforsmallbusinessesistheirbarriers
to use, with financial and human resource constraints (Gallahgher, Gilmore & Henry, 2007). For
example, business ownersmayhave a lackof technical competencies (McGowan&Durkin, 2002;
Chapman, Szczygiel& Thompson, 2000), aswell as SMEs having both limited time andmoney to
carry out the digital marketing aspects, with each person having to carry out many job roles
(Donnelly, Simmons,Armstrong&Fearne, 2012). Thismeans that the jobmaybepassedaround,
with staff workloads being already stretched (Winkholfer and Houghton, 2004, cited in Gilmore,
Gallagher&Henry,2007,p.237), resulting innoclearplanningonthedirection inwhichtheyare
going,whichaccordingtoDonnelly,Simmons,Armstrong&Fearne,(2012),isvitalforthesuccessof
digitalmarketing.
MarketingStrategiesandPlans
In order to achievemarketing objectives, an e-marketing plan can be created to understand the
specific intentions that the activities want to achieve (Chaffey, 2007, 3rd ed.). Chaffey (2015,
[Online])suggeststheRACEmarketingstrategytoreachthegrowingdemandsofdigitalmarketing.
TheRACEsystemfocussesoncreatingastrategyfordigitalmarketingwhichreachesthebusiness’
targetmarket,makesthecustomeract,thenconvertsthisintoapurchasedecisionandlastlycreates
acustomeradvocatewhichcontinuallychoosesthecompanyforrepeatbusiness.Thismodelactsas
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afunnel,filteringthemostpotentialcustomersateachstageaswellascreatingcustomerswhoare
mostlikelytobecomeadvocatesforthecompany.
Arecurringthemefrompreviousliteratureisthelackofstrategythatsmallbusinesseshave,Pophal
(2015) foundthat39%ofsmallbusinessesdonothaveadocumentedstrategyontheirmarketing
strategy.With a lack of goals (Alford& Page, 2015) andmarketing being an ad-hoc and informal
process (McGowan&Durkin, 2002), SMEsmay not be utilising the resources that they have, not
takingintoaccounttheobjectives,strategies,actionsandcontrolthatareneededforthemarketing
strategies to be successful. Chaffey (2015, [Online]), agrees with this theory suggesting that only
aroundhalfofallbusinesseshaveastrategicmethodtousingdigitalmediaandtechnology.
Following from this, Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick (2016, 6th Ed.) suggests a model (see Appendix C)
whichbusinessesshouldusetocreateanddevelopadigitalmarketingstrategy.Thisincludestheuse
and development of many different channels such as, web, mobile and social media platforms,
searchenginemarketingandemailmarketing.Withinthismodel,Chaffey&Ellis-Chadwick(2016,6th
Ed.) suggests taking into account all external influences, suchaswhat the company’s competitors
aredoingaswellastheobjectivesofthecompany.Thisgivesastructuredstrategytothecompany,
whichcanbeconstantlyimprovedaswellaskeepingupwithmarkettrends.
MultichannelMarketingStrategy
EmergingOpportunitiesand
Threats
BusinessObjectivesand
Strategy
CompetitorStrategies
MarketStructureandDemand
DigitalMarketingStrategy
Key
ExternalInfluences
InternalInfluences
AppendixC–InternalandExternalInfluencesonDigitalMarketingStrategy(Chaffey&Ellis-Chadwick,2016,6thEd.)
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DigitalmarketingandEntrepreneurship
When linking both Entrepreneurship and Digital Marketing, it is clear that both have huge
importance to the success of small businesses. Both entrepreneurship andmarketing incorporate
thesamethemes; innovation&creativity,havingtheimportanceofbeingopportunistic,flexible&
proactive,aswellasprocessbasedandmarketdriven(Gilmore,McAuley,Gallagher&Carson,2013,
citedinMiles,Gilmore,Harrigan,Lewis&Sethna,2015.
CreativityandInnovationAccordingtoAl-Askari(2011),thesuccessofmarketingwithinanycompany,dependsoninnovation
and creativity, something which entrepreneurs can naturally possess. Both marketing and
entrepreneurship are required for successful market creation initiatives (Boso, Cadogan & Story,
2013),showingthatboththemarketingcapabilityofacompanyorindividualcanrelyonthelevelof
entrepreneurialorientationthatthecompanyorpersonmayhave.
With innovation being a key source to a competitive advantage (Knight, 2000), this can be an
importantskill forentrepreneurstohave,toenablethemtocompetewith larger firms.Laforst &
Tann (2006), suggest that innovativeness is easier to generate for small companies and
entrepreneurs due to their smaller, flatter structures, easier knowledge sharing and collaboration
within their companies. Although, for this to be successful, the companies need to be flexible,
respondrapidlytoenvironmentalneedsandworkcloselywiththeircustomers.
Both entrepreneurship and marketing are linked to innovation and change, identifying relevant
opportunitieswithin themarketplace (McGowan&Durkin,2015),and takingadvantageof them.
These competencies both exploit opportunities (Gilmore et al, 2015), and can be the key to a
successful small business. According to Cuervo, Ribeiro and Roig (2007), the success of an
entrepreneurisn’tjustduetothesourcingofopportunities,butthewayinwhichtheyareexploited
to be successful. In terms of marketing, if entrepreneurs are able to actively seek out new
opportunities and create their marketing techniques around these, they are more likely to be
successfulwithintheircampaignsandmoreuptodatewithmarkettrends.
Onekeydifferencebetweenbothmarketingandentrepreneurshipisthattheentrepreneurputsthe
needsoftheentrepreneur,firmandstakeholdersfirstwhereasmarketingiscreatingbettervaluefor
both customers and stakeholders, increasing their awareness of certain types of areaswithin the
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company.According to (Knight,2000), SMEswithentrepreneurialorientationwilldobetter in the
longterm,withanincreasedsuccesswithintheirbusinesspractices.Thisentrepreneurialorientation
canbedevelopedintothecompany’smarketingpractices.
DigitalMarketingSuccess,InfluencedbyEntrepreneurialBehaviour
Abebe(2014)suggeststhatthemoreentrepreneurialbehavioursapersondisplays,themorelikely
they are able to exploit e-commerce technology. If this is the case, entrepreneurial competencies
canthereforebelikedtothesuccessofasmallbusiness,withdigitalmarketingtechniquesleading
topositiveorganisationalresults(Donnelly,Simmons,Armstrong&Fearne,2012).
Theuseoftechnologyhasmadecreatinggoodrelationshipswithcustomerseveneasier.Kotleretal
(2010, cited in: Burns, 2014) establishes that this value-driven marketing creates customer
participationandinvolvementbyusingallchannelsofcommunicationwhichcanbecarriedoutby
internet-based socialmedia. These online places allow companies to focus on their customers as
advocates of their products and services, through social networking sites. This means that the
companycancontinuallyengagewiththeirtargetmarketthroughasmanymediumsaspossibleata
relativelysmallcost(Piercy,2001,citedinBurns,2014).
Withmanystart-upcompaniesnothavingthe luxuryofa largeadvertisingbudget, thesemethods
allowsmallstart-upstheabilitytohavefocusedmarketingonalargescale,toarelativelylowcost
(Burns,2014).Withrelationshipmarketingincreasingcustomerloyaltyaswellascostinglessmoney
and an increase in referrals (Chaffey, Ellis-Chadwick, Mayer and Johnston, 2009, 4th ed.), these
methodscanbehugelybeneficialtosmallbusinesses.
Ontheotherhand,whilstsocialmediaallowscompaniestomarketwithoutanycosts,itissuggested
thatmaynotgetthecompanyfar.Inorderforittobetrulysuccessful,paidadvertisingoptionson
socialmediasitesneedtobeconsideredtoSMEs,with80-90%ofinteractionsonsocialmediasites
comingfromad-supportedcampaigns(Funk,2013).
MethodologyThebasisbehindtheresearchthatwillbeundertaken,istodevelopanunderstandingintowhether
small business owners possess entrepreneurial characteristics and whether this influences their
digitalmarketingtechniques,andconsequentlytheirbusinesssuccess.Primaryresearchisessential
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toundertakeinordertounderstandtheimpactthatcertainareasofentrepreneurialbehaviourhave
ondigitalmarketingtechniques.
Theresearchproposedwillusebothquantitativeandqualitativedatatoreachasoundconclusion.
The firstmethod is tousequestionnaires toestablish theextent towhich theparticipantdisplays
entrepreneurial behaviour. The second method is to use semi-structured interviews in order to
decipherthemaintypesofdigitalmarketingtheparticipantuseswithintheircompany.Thesetwo
resultswillthenbecomparedinordertoreacharesult.
Withinthisresearch,theresearcherwishestoanswerthequestionssetoutaswellastheaims.The
researcherwouldexpect to find thatwithin the results, thehigher aparticipant’s entrepreneurial
behaviour, the increased variations of digital marketing they conduct. As well as this, it will be
soughttofindoutthewaysinwhichsmallbusinessesusethesemarketingtacticsaswellaswhether
they are successful or not. Whether these techniques are valuable to the participant will give a
greaterunderstandingforfuturesmallbusinesseswhenfacingtheirmarketing.
ResearchParadigm
A research paradigm should be understood in order to guide the research on how it should be
conducted(Pasian,2015).Duetothemixedmethodofdatacollectionthatwillbeused,collecting
bothqualitativeandquantitativedata,thetheoryofknowledgecanbedescribedaspragmatic.This
isduetoitsviewsintorelatingthequantitativeandqualitativedatatotheindividualparticipantand
howthisaffectsthem(Christensen&Johnson,2010).
Thismixedmethodsapproachallowstheresearchcanbeseenashavingapositivistview.Thistakes
an objective view of reality and the researcher aims tomeasure and explain it (Belk, 2006). This
approach seeks to gain knowledge which can be generalised acrossmany people and situations.
Althoughthismethodismainlyusedwithingatheringquantitativedata,theuseofqualitativedata
(being the interviews within this study), can be used to support and explain the quantitative
measures.Inthecaseofthisresearch,lookingforthemarketingmethodsthatentrepreneurscarry
outandcreatingalinkbetweenthem.
Following from this, a deductive approach is most applicable within this research method. This
approach is theorydriven,buildingon informationwhichhaspreviouslybeengiven (Neergaard&
Ulhoi,2007).Deductivismallowstheresearchertogeneratehypothesesthatcanbetestedaswellas
allowingpreviousexplanationstobeassessed(Bryman&Bell,2015,4thEd.).Withtheirbeingalarge
amountof informationalreadyonEntrepreneurialpersonalitiesaswellasmarketingmethods,the
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researchisonlyaimingtocreateacorrelationbetweenthetwo,usingprevious,knowninformation
andtheories.Withouttheresearchercreatingtheoriesthemselves,aninductiveapproachcannotbe
usedtoexplaintheresearchdesign(Kitchen,1999).
Themain advantageof using amixed-method approach is that triangulation is able to take place
(Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2nd Ed, 2000). This enables the researcher to gather different
perspectivesofthedataandtomakesurethatafullanalysisoftheparticipantsisundertaken.Ifthis
was not done, the researcher might not be sure as to whether a person’s entrepreneurial
orientationdoesdictatethedigitalmarketingtechniquestheyundertake.However,thismethodof
researchcanbeverytimeconsuming,bothtoundertakeandanalyse(Best,2012).
PrimaryResearch&methodsPrimaryresearchmethodsarethebasisofthisstudyduetotheneedofcollectionofdatainorderto
addresstheresearchproblem(Bajpai,2011).Inthiscase,secondarydatamaynotbeusefuldueto
itsirrelevancetothestudy,notansweringthespecificresearchquestionproposed.Thecollectionof
secondarydatamayuseinformationwhichhasnotbeencontrolledbytheresearcherandmightbe
difficulttovalidate.Themainadvantageofusingprimarydata isthewaytheresearcher isableto
target the exact needs of the project, making sure that all the data that is needed to make a
conclusionissought(Canhoto,Rose&Spinks,2015).
Amajordisadvantagewhenconductingprimaryresearch is therelianceonparticipants.Thestudy
dependsonthewillingnessandcooperationofrespondentstoanswerquestionsashonestasthey
can,thismaynothappeniftheparticipantfeelsthatthestudyisawasteoftheirtimeorhaveafear
ofembarrassmentfromthestudy(Ghauri&Gronhaug,2005,3rdEd.).
Questionnaires&Semi-StructuredInterviewsQuestionnaires
Questionnairesareusedfirstly,toestablishtowhatextenttheparticipantdisplaysentrepreneurial
behaviour. As shown in past literature, Entrepreneurs are found to display certain characteristics
and therefore thisneeds tobe tested foreachparticipant to seewhether there isa linkbetween
entrepreneurialbehaviouranddigitalmarketingtechniques.Thequestionnairethatwillbeused,has
already previously been created by Caird (2003) (Appendix D), it consists of fifty-four different
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statements in which the participant is required to agree or disagree. These questions analyse
qualitiessuchas;theneedforachievement,creativity,risk-takinganddriveanddetermination,allof
whichwerefoundtobeprominentcharacteristicsofentrepreneurialbehaviourwithintheliterature
review.AccordingtoCaird(1991),businessowner-managersscorehigheronenterprisingtendencies
thanpeoplewithinthepublicsectorandentrepreneurialtendenciescanbetestedusingpersonality
basedquestions.Thisquestionnairewillbeanalysedandproducequantitativedata.Theadvantage
inthisisthattheparticipantcandoitathomeontheirownbeforetheinterviewanditdoesn’ttake
longtocomplete.
Although this questionnaire will produce a result showing whether the participant displays
entrepreneurial behaviours or not, it is very subjective. It does not state what situation the
participantwouldbeinanddoesn’tconsiderthetypeofbusinessthattheyown.Thiswillbetaken
into consideration when analysing the results as to whether it produces a data of good enough
quality.
Themainbenefit of producingquantitativedata is thedefinitive result,which canbe found from
undertakingtheresearch(Diggs-Brown,2012).Inthiscircumstanceitwillmeanthattheparticipants
can be categorised as to their entrepreneurial orientation.Within this particular study, all of the
questionsareclosed,thereforeaspecificconclusioncanbedrawnfromeachparticipantsandtheir
resultscanbeanalysed.
Semi-StructuredInterviews
Using a questionnaire alone would not have been a thorough enough method to identify the
conclusion to the question proposed. In order to understand the reasons behind the business
owners’marketingtechniques,semi-structuredinterviewsareneeded.
Thismethodofresearchisbeingusedinorderfortheresearchertoexercisetheirowninitiativeand
ask questions whichmay not have been originally planned (Celsi, Hair,Money, Page & Samouel,
2016). Thismay help to give a greater insight into the topic, gatheringmore opinions as well as
enhancing the findings. Semi-structured interviews have a structure to give a direction of the
interviewbutalsoallowtheparticipantandresearchertoexploreareaswhichhavenotpreviously
beenplanned.
Ghauri&Gronhaug(2005,3rdEd.)suggestthatinterviewsareconsideredtobethebestformofdata
collection.Incomparisontostructuredinterviews,withinsemi-structuredinterviews,theparticipant
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ismoreabletodiscussreactionsandopinionsaswellastherebeingabetterstructurethanusing
non-structuredinterviews.Onekeydisadvantageofsemi-structuredinterviewscouldbethewayin
whichbias iscreatedbetweentheparticipantandresearcher ((Ghauri&Gronhaug,2005,3rdEd.).
Thisneedstobeminimisedbydeterminingthequestionsbeforetheinterviewbegins.
UsingOpenandClosedQuestions
During the interviewprocess,bothopenandclosedquestionswill beasked, this is to include the
benefitsofthembothaswellascounteractingsomenegatives.Openquestionsallowtheparticipant
toansweranythingtheylike,openingtheresearchertonewideasandtogetarealfeelingforthe
reasons behind the answer. Although this is good for the research, it also makes it difficult to
produceconclusionsfrom,beinghardtorelateeachparticipant’sanswers.Withclosedquestions,it
means that the answers are easy to process,making it easy to draw conclusions (Bryman&Bell,
2015,4thEd.).Byusingboth typesofquestions itmeans that soundanswerscanbe identified,as
wellasthereasoningbehindthem,givingabroaderexplanationtotheresearchquestion.
Toaddresstheresearchobjectives,participantswillbeaskedaboutthemethodsofmarketingthey
usewithintheircompany,thereasonswhytheystartedtheirbusinessandwhethertheirmethods
are effective. This will enable the researcher to draw links from the data analysis to decipher
whetherentrepreneurialorientationandapproachestodigitalmarketingcanbeassociated.
SamplingofCandidatesWithinthisstudy,conveniencesamplingwillbeusedinordertoselectparticipantsfortheresearch.
Thismethodofsamplingselectspartakerssimplyfortheeaseofaccess,choosingparticipantsthat
are readily and easily available (Wilson, 2014). This however does present a disadvantage due to
therebeing apotential for high levels of bias (Saunders, Lewis&Thornhill, 2007, 4th Ed.) and all
participantsbeingfromsimilargeographicareasaswellashavingthesameinterestsofviews.With
thismethod,judgementsamplingwillalsobeused.Theresearcherwillchooseparticipantswhoare
onlyrelevantwithintheresearch(runtheirownbusiness),toreachaconclusionandhaverelevant
research.Theresearcherwillchoosesampleswhichfitthebriefoftheresearchaswellasaselection
whichfitsmanydifferentareassuchas;businesssize,businesstypeandgenderinordertominimise
anybiaswhichmayoccur.Duetotheintensityofresearchintoeachparticipant,asamplesizeof10
participants will be used, giving the researcher the ability to go into detail with each of the
participants.
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ValidityExternal validity is described as the extent that research findings can be generalised to relevant
populations or outcomes (Edmonds & Kennedy, 2013).With the researcher using a convenience
sample, it may be difficult to generalise the results, as the population of the sample may not
accurately represent other geographical locations or groups of people (Sekaran&Bougie, 5th Ed.,
2009).
Internal validity is the extent to which the result relates to the independent variable within the
research (Edmonds & Kennedy, 2013). Within this case, this is how the use of digital marketing
techniquesarerelatedtotheentrepreneurialorientationoftheparticipant.Inordertokeepinternal
validityhigh,thequestionsneedtodirectlyrelatetotheresearchquestions.
ReliabilityReliabilityisconcernedwiththeaccuracyandconsistencyoftheresearchaswellasitsabilitytobe
free from errors (Murthy & Bhojanna, 2008). Within this research, reliability will be shown by
keepingthequestionsthesameforeachoftheparticipants.Withinthefirstpart,thequestionnaire
assessing the participant’s entrepreneurial tendencies, the reliability can be kept with each
participantansweringthesamesetofquestions,withonlyclosedquestionsbeingused.Withinthe
second part, the interview, reliability may fluctuate due to the semi-structured basis for the
interview. Thismaymean that the research is not consistentwith theparticipant and researcher,
discussingtopicswhicharenotincludedwithinthesetquestionsfortheinterview.Althoughthiscan
negativelyaffecttheresearch,thisformofinterviewingisstillmoreeffectivethanonewithoutany
structure at all. In order to keep consistency, set questions, an objective and time frame for the
interviewwillbeprovidedtomakesurethateachinterviewisundertakeninasimilarway.
DatacollectionandAnalysis
Aspreviouslydiscussed, the first stageof the researchwill be foreachparticipant toundertakea
questionnaire.Thequantitativedataproducedwillbeanalysedinordertodistinguishtheirlevelsof
entrepreneurialtraits.
Thesecondpartoftheresearchistoconductsemi-structuredinterviewsoneachoftheparticipants.
Thisresearchis intendedtobeexploratoryaswellasfindoutkeypiecesof information,therefore
the collection of data can be described as both qualitative and quantitative within this process.
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Duringtheinterview,theresearcherwilltakenotesundereachofthedesignatedheadingsaswellas
recordingtheinterviewforfurtherreference.
Thequantitativedatacollectedfromtheinterviewcanbedirectlycomparedtothequantitativedata
collectedfromtheinitialquestionnaireinordertoreachconclusions.Contentanalysiswillbeusedin
which the researcherwill identify key themeswhichwill be categorisedusing themeswhichhave
beenpreviouslyidentified(Snijkers,Haraldsen,Jones&Willmack,2013).Astheinterviewsaresemi-
structured, the researcher will have a number of topics which every respondent will have
commentedon,makingiteasiertofindtrendingthemes(Harding,2013).
EthicsFor this research, ethics need to be considered. This is needed in order to anticipate the moral
choices or dilemmas that might occur when carrying out the research project (Greener, 2008).
Withinthiscase, theguidelinesofTheUniversityofWinchesterEthicsper formawillbeused(see
AppendixE).
Before each participant undertakes the research set out, theywill be providedwith a participant
consentformwhichwilloutline;thefullrightsoftheparticipantandthenatureofthestudywhich
willbeundertaken (Saunders, Lewis&Thornhill,2ndEd.,2000).Beforeundertaking the study, the
researcherwill ask the participant for full consent (See Appendix G). Onlywhen the consent has
beengivenfreelyandtheparticipantfullyunderstandstheresearch,theirparticipantrightsandthe
useofthedata,willtheresearchbeallowedtotakeplace.
During the data collection process, respect towards others’ rights to privacy, a maintenance of
objectivityandquality,aswellasanonymitywillallbemaintained.
FindingsandAnalysisThischapterwillunderlinethefindingsfromtheresearchandprovideananalysisofthedata.The
areasofimportanceofboththequalitativeandquantitativedatafromthequestionnairesaswellas
interviewswillbereviewedandhighlightedastowhethertheyshowanysignificantimportanceto
theresearchquestionsandpreviousliterature.
Tenparticipantstookpartinthisstudy.Theindividualquestionnaireswereemailedandcompleted
bytheparticipantsthemselves.Followingfromthis,eachparticipanthadaninterviewwiththesame
interviewereitherinthecomfortoftheirownhomeoroverthephone.
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All of the information gathered was of use to analyse. The entrepreneurial testing results were
evaluated to decipher which skills each entrepreneur entailed. The interviews were analysed by
firstly picking out quantitative data to create tables and graphs and secondly the qualitative data
wasusedtogivereasonofparticularbehaviours.
Theinitialfindingshavebeensplitintotwoareas;firstly,theentrepreneurialtests,followedbythe
resultsfromtheinterviewswitheachparticipant.
EntrepreneurialTesting
Figure1–EnterprisingTestResults
Thisgraph(Figure1)showstheresultsfromeachparticipantaftertakingpartintheentrepreneurial
test.Theresultshavebeensplitintofiveareas;theneedforachievement,theneedforautonomy/
independence,creativity/ innovative tendency,calculatedrisk takinganddriveanddetermination.
With therebeinganaveragescore fromthis testofpastparticipants fromthegeneralpublic, this
has been shownon the graph to seewhere theentrepreneurs in this particular study scored the
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
NeedForAchievement NeedforAutonomy/Independence
Creativity/InnovativeTendancy
CalculatedRiskTaking DriveandDetermination
Score
TheEnterprisingIndividualResults
Participant1 Participant2 Participant3 Participant4 Participant5 Participant6
Participant7 Participant8 Participant9 Participant10 Average
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highest. With the sample taken, the results are varied. One area which is clear to see, is the
participant’sscoresforneedforautonomy/independence.Eachparticipantscoredeitheronorover
theaveragescoreforthisarea.Withtheparticipantsbeing60%Femaleand40%Male,thisshows
thatEntrepreneurs,ingeneral,scorehighlywiththeneedforautonomyandindependence.
NeedforAchievement&CreativityandInnovativeTendenciesIn terms of the need for achievement, as well as creativity and innovative tendency, 60% of the
participantsscoredaverageorover,showingthatthevastmajorityoftheentrepreneursthattook
partinthestudydisplayedthistypeofentrepreneurialbehaviour.Thiscouldmeanthat,intermsof
Entrepreneurial behaviours, that most Entrepreneurs display a need for achievement as well as
creativityandinnovationtendencies.ThisagreeswithBurns(2014),thatmostEntrepreneursdisplay
certaincharacteristicsandwaysofthinking.Withoutthesebehavioursbeingshown,Entrepreneurs
may find ithard tokeep theirbusiness relevant in termsofcompetitionaswellasnothaving the
driverormotivation tomove theirbusiness forward.Thisdesire for independenceand innovation
within business gives a greater chance of achieving recognition, wealth and benefits to the
community(Mann,McClung&Kemerer,2015).
LimitationsofFindingsAlthough the findings shown can conclude that Entrepreneurs do display these behaviours, the
studywasonlytakenonasmallnumberofparticipants,where90%ofthemwerefromtheservice
industry. Without doing further testing on participants from a range of businesses, it cannot be
concludedthatthisisageneralruleforEntrepreneurs.Thebehavioursthatareshowncoulddepend
onvariantssuchas;theindustryintheparticipant’sbusinessoperates,thesizeofthecompany,how
olditis,aswellaswhereintheworldthecompanyislocated.
All of the other areas showmixed results,with only half of the participants showing to have the
averagescoresoraboveontheareastestedofentrepreneurialism.
OverallEntrepreneurialismResults
Although the results do not follow a particular pattern, it is clear to see that each participant
(disregardingparticipant5),scoresaboveaverageonatleastoneormoreareas,withonlythreeof
theparticipantsscoringbelowaverageonmorethanhalfofthesections.
Four participants scored above average on over half the sections, but only one participant didn’t
score below any of the averages throughout. This could show that it is not conclusive as to the
Victor ia Corser D issertat ion1301973 BS3999A
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behaviours that Entrepreneurs show.Within the literature discussed,many theorists believe that
Entrepreneurs display the behaviours of; the need for achievement, need for independence,
creativity, innovation, opportunism, acceptance of measured risk and uncertainty (Burns, 2014).
Fromthisresearch,thesecanbeagreedwith,althoughnoneoftheparticipantsscoredaboveallthe
average scores, showing that theymaynot score highlywithin these areas. This couldmean that
although Entrepreneurs do show these tendencies, they are not vital in the successes of their
companies.Other factors such as their knowledgewithin their business areaor theway inwhich
theymanagetheirresourcescouldleadtobusinesssuccess.Alternatively,noneoftheparticipants
questioned did not score at all on any of the sections. Furthermore, it can agree with Dess &
Lumpkin(1996),providingevidenceofthebehavioursentrepreneursdisplay.
Tosomeextent,theviewofKobia&Sikalieh,suggestingthattherearemisconceptionsonhowto
defineentrepreneurialbehaviour,canbecontradicted,duetotheevidencethatallparticipantswho
undertookthisstudy,showedsomelevelsofeachbehaviour.
Accuracy
Althoughthistestprovidedresultsinwhichareasofsimilarityordifferencecouldbeshown,itmay
not be particularly accurate. For example, the test results may vary dependant on external
influencessuchasthemoodthattheparticipantis in,theareainwhichtheirbusinessoperatesor
how much they were concentrating during the test. Without all participants being in the same,
controlledenvironmentwhenundertakingthetest,manyexternalinfluencescouldhaveswayedthe
responses.Followingfromthis,thequestionnairewasavailabletoviewasawhole,thismeantthat
the respondentsmight not have answeredeachquestion independentof others, aswell as some
participantslosinginterestasgoingthroughthequestionnaire(Bryman,2016,5thEd.).
KeyFindings
• MostEntrepreneursdisplayaboveaverageinneedforachievementandcreativityand
innovationscores.
• Entrepreneursscorehighlywiththeneedforautonomyandindependence.
• Entrepreneurialbehaviourscanbelinkedtobusinesssuccess.
• Entrepreneursscorehighlywithineachareaofpersonalitytraitssuggested.
• Resultscanbevariedduetothenatureofthebusiness.
Figure2–SummaryofKeyFindingsintoEntrepreneurialBehaviour
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InterviewsThe interviews presented both qualitative and quantitative data. Firstly, participants were asked
aboutthesectorinwhichtheircompanyoperatedandwhotheyweretargeting.90%ofparticipants
werewithintheserviceindustry,withonlyoneparticipantoperatinginconstruction.
Mostofthecompanieshad1-5employees,withonly3companieshavingmorethanthis.Following
fromthis,allofthecompanieswhichparticipatedhadbeenrunningoverfouryearssowerefairly
stableintheirposition.
ReasonsBehindStartingacompany
One substantial finding was that all participants questioned were either pushed or pulled into
runningtheirowncompany. 50%of theentrepreneursdescribedtheirstartupreasonsasbotha
pushandapull (Figure3).Thisdatashowsthatnumerousfactorscan influenceanentrepreneur’s
decisiontostartuptheirownbusinessanditmaynotjustbeonesinglefactorthatgivesthemthe
reason to own a company. Bhave (1994, cited in cited in Davidsson, 2008), suggested that
Entrepreneursareeitherinternallyorexternallystimulatedandthisaffectstheirroutetostartup(as
shown in Appendix A). This research contradicts this theory, showing that many factors can
contribute to the start-up of a business and that Entrepreneurs may be both externally and
internallystimulated,withbothofthesetogetherinfluencetheirdecisionmaking.
Figure3–PushorPullStartUpResults
20%
30%
50%
Wouldyoudescribethestartupofyourcompanyapushorpull?
Push Pull Both Neither
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MarketingBudgetsandPlanning
When asking the participants whether they had a budget in which they use for marketing each
month, 90% answered no. Although these participants knewhowmuch themarketing cost them
andhadavagueideaofhowmuchwastheirlimit,therewasnosetplanastowhattospendmoney
on how much. Furthermore, this compliments theories by Gallagher, Gilmore and Henry (2007),
stating that small businesseshave financial andhuman resource constraints, giving themno clear
planningordirectiontowardstheirmarketing.ThisalsosupportsPropal’s(2015)positionthat39%
of small companieshavenodocumentedstrategy for theirmarketing,which is shown inFigure4.
Mostparticipantsaskedspent lessthan10hoursonthemarketingoftheircompanyaweek,with
manyoftheparticipantsnotreallyknowingtheamountoftimetheyputasideforit,withitbeinga
taskwhichwascompletedwhentheyneededtodoitorwhentheyhadsparetime.
Figure4–TimeDevotedtoMarketingResults
MeasurementofMarketingActivities
Whenaskingtheparticipantshowtheymeasuretheresponsetotheirmarketing,theresultswere
varied. Half of the participants questioned used Google Analytics tomeasure the traffic going to
theirwebsiteaswellaswhatcustomersusedtheirwebsitefor.Forthebusinessownersthiscanbe
usefulinformation,butasafewparticipantspointedout,thisinformationisonlyusefulifyouhave
the skills, firstly to be able to understand the data and secondly how to change the habits of
customers.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Lessthan3hours 4-9hours 10-15hours Over15hours N/A
Howmuchtimedoyoudevotemarketingeveryweek?
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40% of participants questioned looked at click through rates of advertisements, newsletters and
emails to see the habits of their customers. This helped them to see whether the methods of
marketingtheywerecarryingoutwerebeneficialtothecompany.
40%of participants usedmore traditionalmethods ofmeasuring the response to theirmarketing
initiatives. This was done by, following up newsletters or postal marketing, asking customers for
their feedback.This shows that traditionalmethodsofmarketingand followingup response rates
stillholdimportanceinthemarketingofsmallbusinesses,with40%ofparticipantsusingtraditional
methods of measuring marketing responses. Two participants used no methods of measuring
responses tomarketing at all. As Alford & Page (2015) suggested, some Entrepreneurs have the
inability toassess the returnon their investmentand therefore couldbemissingoutonpotential
marketsaswellascarryingouttheirmarketingincorrectly.
AlthoughitmayseemanegativethatsomeEntrepreneursmaynotmeasuretheresponseoftheir
marketingdigitally,itcouldbearguedwhetherthisisworthit.Forsmallcompanies,withasmaller
numberofcustomers,itmay,bemorebeneficialtodirectlyaskthecustomerwhattheythoughtand
whetherthiswassuccessfulornot,providingagreaterdepthofknowledge.
TraditionalorDigitalMethodsofMarketing
Whenaskingparticipantswhether their customers respondedbetter to traditionalormoredigital
methodsofmarketing(Figure5),only40%ofparticipantsstatedtheircustomersrespondedbetter
todigitalmethods.Ontheotherhand,fiveparticipant’scustomersrespondedbettertotraditional
methods,withoneparticipantstatingthattheircustomersrespondedequallytoboth.Thisresponse
tobothdigitalandtraditionalmethodswasduetoacurrenttransitionbetweenbothmethods.This
couldmeanthatwithinafewyears,theresultsmaybecompletelydifferent,withsmallbusinesses’
customersrespondingmoretodigitalmethods.
Theseresultsfollowonfrompreviouspoints,statingthattraditionalmethodsofmarketingstillhold
agreatimportanceinthemarket.Althoughthisseemsthecase,itcouldbethebusinesstypewhich
is the dependant factor for the success of different methods. These results disagree with some
views,suggestingthattraditionalmarketingmethodsaredeclining(Dunant,2014).
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Figure5–DigitalorTraditionalMethodsofMarketingResults
MostSuccessfulMarketingOperation
TheEntrepreneurswereaskedoverall,whattheirmostsuccessfulmarketingoperationwas(Figure
6).Theresultsvariedfromtheuseoftheirwebsite,googlesearch,email,newsletters,networkingto
recommendations.Onethingthatiscleartoseefromthis,isthepersonalaspectofcommunication
which small businesses rely on. For example, a lot of themethods that the Entrepreneurs found
most successful involved personal interactions such as thewriting of blogs on theirwebsites and
newsletterstonetworkingandrecommendations.Thisshowstheimportanceofcontentmarketing,
as discussed previously, showing an increased significance onto building relationships with
customers, aswell as creating contentwhich interests and excites the audience.With businesses
spending6.9%oftheirannualmarketingbudgetsoncontentmarketing,creatingengagingcontent
withpotentialcustomersisbecomingoneofthemostcost-effectivemarketingtechniquesforsmall
businesses(Ryan,2014,3rdEd.,pg.300).TheseresultsshowninthisstudyagreewithMcGowan&
Durkin (2002), suggesting that although small business owners need to be competent in their
marketingtechniques,itisextremelyimportanttobuildgoodrelationshipswithcustomersnotjust
overtheinternetbutinpersonandthatthisisshowninsmallbusinessestobethemostsuccessful
operation.
40%
50%
10%
Doyourtargetmarketrespondbettertodigitalortraditionalmethodsofmarketing?
Digital Traditional Amixtureofboth
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Figure6–MostSuccessfulMarketingOperationResults
IsDigitalMarketingEssential?
Although many participants suggested that their target market responded more to traditional
methodsofmarketing,70%ofparticipantsagreedthatdigitalmarketingwasessentialwhenrunning
theirownbusiness(Figure7).Arepresentedviewexplainedthatthiswasduetothecontinualneed
tobuildrelationshipswithcustomers,aswellastokeepupwithcompetitors.Manysuggestedthat
withouttheuseofdigitalmarketing,customersmaynotbeabletofindthecompany(throughtheir
websiteandGoogle), thesebusinesswould therefore loseoutona lotofcustom.Althoughthis is
thecase,withoutthecompaniescreatingvaluablepersonalrelationshipswiththeircustomers,the
transition from finding the company to using the company may not occur, therefore traditional
methodsofmarketingarejustasessentialasdigitalones.
Figure7–IsDigitalMarketingEssentialResults
10%
20%
10%
20%
20%
20%
Mostsuccessfulmarketingoperation?
GoogleSearch Email
PrintedNewsletter Networking(facetofaceanddigital)
Reccomendations Website
70%
30%
IsDigitalMarketingEssentialWhenRunningYourOwnBusiness?
Yes No
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KeyFindings
• HalfoftheEntrepreneurswereinfluencedbyamixtureofpushandpullfactors.
• 90%ofEntrepreneursdonothaveasetbudgetformarketing.
• Themajorityofbusinessownersstillfindtraditionalmethodsofmarketingthemosteffective.
• Themosteffectivemarketingoperationofacompanydependsonthebusinessitself.
• 70%ofEntrepreneursthinkdigitalmarketingisessentialwhenrunningasmallbusiness.
Figure8–SummaryofKeyfindingsfromInterviews
LinkingEntrepreneurialBehaviourandDigitalMarketingCreativity/InnovationTendencyandDigitalMarketingWhen looking at both the participants scores for entrepreneurial behaviours and themethods of
marketingtheyuse,severalaspectscorrelate,suchascreativityandinnovationtendencyaswellas
theneedforachievementlinkingtodigitalmarketingmethodsused.
Figure9–ComparingCreativity/InnovationTendencywithDigitalMarketing
Forexample,Figure9showstheparticipant’sscoresforcreativityandinnovativetendencyagainst
themethodsofdigitalmarketing.Thesetwoseemtofollowasimilarpattern,withthecreativityand
innovation score increasingwhen the digitalmarketing techniques rise. This shows that for small
businesses,themoreinnovativeandcreativetheentrepreneuris,themorepronetheyaretocarry
out different methods of digital marketing. This could show their willingness to adapt to the
environment and continually seek out new opportunities and ways of improving their company.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Creativity/InnovativeTendancyComparedwithDigitalMarketingMethodsUsed
Creativity/InnovativeTendancy Digitalmarketingmethodsused
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Gimore et al (2015), suggested that innovation and change are the key to a successful business,
makingsurethatcompaniesexploittheopportunitiesaroundthem.Cuervo,RiberoandRoig(2007)
agreedwiththis,addingthatifsmallcompaniesareabletoactivelyseekoutnewopportunitiesand
marketing technologies they are more likely to be successful. This shows that overall, for the
entrepreneursquestioned,byhavingahigherinnovativetendency,themethodsofdigitalmarketing
theyusedincreasedandthereforecouldrelatetoamoresuccessfulcompany.
NeedforAchievementandDigitalMarketingSecondly, when linking both the need for achievement and the digital marketing methods a
companyuses,arelationshipcanalsobeseen.AsshowninFigure10,ageneralpatternisfollowed.
Asaparticipant’sneedforachievementscoreincreases,generally,thenumberofdigitalmarketing
methods theyuse follows. For example, participants 5 and6bothhave the lowest scores for the
needforachievementandsimilarly,bothhavethelowestscoresfordigitalmarketingmethodsused.
Ontheotherhand,participant3hasthehighestneedforachievementscoreandfollowsbyhaving
oneof thehighest rates of digitalmarketingmethods used. This shows a correlationbetween an
entrepreneur’s personality and the way in which they run their company. With a high need for
achievement, it could encourage the business owner to continually seek out new methods of
marketingandways inwhich they can reach their target customers. This canagreewith research
that a high need for achievement can increase business success (Needle, 2010), in this case,
succeedinginthemethodsofdigitalmarketinganentrepreneuruses.
Figure10–ComparingNeedforAchievementwithDigitalMarketing
024681012
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Participant
Needforachievementanddigitalmarketingmethodsused
Needforachievementscore Digitalmarketingmethodsused
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FurtherConsiderations
Althoughlinkscanbefoundbetweenentrepreneurialbehavioursanddigitalmarketing,therearea
lotofconsiderationstotakeintoaccount.Forexample,thewayinwhichabusinessownermarket
theircompanycandependonthetargetmarket.Theparticipantwiththe lowestdigitalmarketing
methodsscore,ownsacompanywheremarketingisnotanimportantfactorandbusinessisfound
throughrecommendations.Anotherreasoncouldbetheexplanationofstartingacompany,suchas
the business owner having the skills and resources, not the desire to grow a big business and
competeinmanydifferentmarkets.
Another factor to consider is the success of these methods. A company may be creative and
innovative,havingahighrateofdigitalmarketingmethods,butthisdoesnotnecessarilyequateto
success. Itmight, bemore time andmoney efficient, focussing on one or two differentmethods
insteadoftryingtodoeverythingatonce(Pozin,2012[Online,29.06.12]).
Withmost companies falling into the trapof carryingout the samemarketing techniquesas their
competitors,thesesmallcompaniesshouldinsteadcreateinnovativeanduniquetechniqueswhich
set themselves aside from their competitors (Bloomsury Publishing Plc, 2013, 7th Ed.). With a
smaller, more focussed target market, small companies have the opportunity for this to be
successful.
If companiesareawareof the factors that influence thebuyingdecisionsof theircustomers, they
are a lotmore likely to be successful in creatingmarketing strategies which attract them (Pride,
Hughes&Kapoor,2014,12thEd.).
KeyFindings
• Creativity/Innovationtendencycanbelinkedtodigitalmarketing.
• Theneedforachievementcanbelinkedtodigitalmarketing.
• Entrepreneurialbehaviouranddigitalmarketingcanbeconnected.
Figure11–SummaryofKeyFindingsLinkingEntrepreneurialBehaviourandDigitalMarketing
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Authors Concept/Model Supported NotSupported Comments
Burns
Pushandpull ✓ Thisisagreedwith,althoughresearchfounditismainlyamixtureofboth
pushandpull.
Drucker
Smallbusinesseswillnotsurvive
withoutentrepreneurialbehaviour
✓ Manyparticipantsquestioneddidnotpossess
allentrepreneurialbehavioursyethadbeenrunningforover5years.
Burns
EntrepreneurialCharacteristics
✓ Theresearchshowedallparticipantsshowedsmallamountsofeachbehaviour.
BoersenNeedtoembracedigital
age✓ Allparticipantsagreedthat
digitalmarketingwasessentialintheircompany
Chaffey
Importanceofcontentmarketing
✓ Smallbusinessesquestionedfoundmostsuccessfulmarketing
aspectswereofcontentmarketing.
SaldnhaMarketingadaptedtosuitownsituationandnetwork
✓ Mostsuccessfulmarketingoperationsdiffered
betweeneachcompany.
Alford&Page
Smallbusinesseslackknowledgeand
abilitytoassessreturnoninvestment
✓ Manydidnothaveaplannorknowwhatmethodswereworkingforthem.
McGowan&Durkin
Successreliesongoodrelationships
notjustovertheinternet
✓ Mostsuccessfulmarketingoperationscamefrom
interactionspersonallywiththecustomer.
PophalLackofstrategy ✓ Majorityofparticipantshad
nosetstrategy.
Gilmoreetal
InnovationandChangeleadtoexploitingopportunities
✓ Thosewithhighinnovationscoresexploitedmost
digitalmarketingtechniques.
Figure12–SummaryofTheoriesSupported
As shown by Figure 12, most concepts and theories that the author researched have been
supported,however,therearesomeareasinwhichfurtherresearchandexplanationsareneeded.
Victor ia Corser D issertat ion1301973 BS3999A
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KeyFindings
• AllEntrepreneursquestionedscoredaverageoraboveonneedforautonomy/
independence.
• Thevastmajorityofentrepreneursscoredhighlyonneedforachievement.
• Mostparticipantsdidnotscoreaboveoronaverageoneveryentrepreneurialbehaviour.
• Entrepreneursaremostlybothpushedandpulledintorunningtheirowncompany.
• 90%ofparticipantsdidnothaveasetbudgetformarketing.
• Only20%ofparticipantsspentmorethan9hoursonmarketingeachweek.
• 50%ofrespondentsfoundthatcustomersrespondedbettertotraditionalmarketing
methods.
• Contentmarketingisveryimportantforsmallbusinesses.
• Buildingrelationshipsisveryimportantforsmallbusinesses.
• 70%ofparticipantsagreedthatdigitalmarketingisessentialwhenrunningtheirown
company.
• Butmostagreedthatdigitalmarketingwasnotsubstantialenoughonitsown.
• Aspectsofentrepreneurialbehavioursuchascreativity,innovationandtheneedfor
achievementcanallbelinkedtotheamountofdigitalmarketingtechniquesusedina
smallcompany.
• Entrepreneurialbehaviouranddigitalmarketingcanbelinked.
Figure13–OverallSummaryofFindings
ConclusionsandRecommendationsMakingMarketinginSmallBusinessesMoreSuccessfulThis research shows a strong link between entrepreneurial behaviours and digital marketing
techniques.Ithashighlightedmanykeyareas,suchasthewaysinwhichsmallbusinessescarryout
marketing.With limitedtimeandmoney,smallbusinessestendtocarryoutmarketingwhenthey
havethetimeanddonothavesetmarketingplansorbudgetswhichtheyuse.Thismeansthatthey
do not know howmuch they are spending onmarketing norwhether it is effective or not.With
manysmallbusinessesalsonotfollowingupwhethertheirmarketingtechniquesareworking,they
createadisadvantagewheremoneyandtimemaybewasted.
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Forthistobemoresuccessful,itisrecommendedthatsmallbusinesseskeeptrackofthemarketing
methodstheyareusingandhowmuchtimethisistaking.Bydoingthis,thecompaniesareableto
see where most of their money and time is going. It may also highlight the areas in which are
successfulandtheoneswhicharenotcontributingtothesuccessofthemarketingofthecompany.
SmallbusinessescouldcreatetheirownstrategybyusingmodelssuchasChaffey&Ellis-Chadwick’s
(2016) mentionedpreviously. Thismodelwould createa thoughtprocess in the companiesas to
what theywant to achieve and how they can prevent threats from having an effect. Thismodel
couldthenbeadaptedinorderforthecompaniestoseewhatareasareworking.Forexample,by
adding a feedback loop to thismodel, the strategywouldbe constantly updated and relevant, as
well as the company seeing the most and least successful aspects.With most of the companies
alreadyknowingwhattheircompetitorsaredoingintermsofmarketing,thismodelcanbeusedina
waytoimplementtheseintoabeneficialstrategy.
TraditionalMarketingComparedtoDigitalMarketingOverall,theresearchhasshownthattheuseofdigitalmarketingtechniquesprovidehugebenefits
forsmallbusinesses,withthesecompaniesbeingabletokeepupwithlargercompetitorsinaway
that traditionalmethodswouldnotallow themto.Although this is thecase, small companies still
find the use of traditional methods of marketing more valuable, being able to interact with
customersonapersonal level,creatingacompetitiveadvantage.This is really importantas itsets
asidethesesmallbusinessfromlargercompetitorsandcreatesarelationshipwithcustomerswhich
maynotbepossibledigitally.
On the other hand, the use of digital marketing and social media in particular, allows small
businesses to interact with their customers on a large scale, keeping them informed and
encouraging repeatbusiness.With99%ofpurchasesonline fromcustomersdue to the trust that
theyholdwiththecompany(Dunant,2014),itisimportantthatsmallbusinessesbuildupatrustable
impression through all areas of social media. Most companies which took part in this study
suggested that even though socialmedia creates good conversationswith customers, it does not
necessarilytranslateintotangiblebusinesswhichthecompanycanbenefitfrom.Inorderforsmall
businesses tobesuccessful,eachcustomerneeds to receive thehighest levelof customer service
(Johnsen,2016,4thEd.).Therefore,businessesneedtobeabletointeractwithcustomerseffectively
via socialmedia aswell as transferring this into business.With investments from companies into
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38
digitalmarketing increasingeveryyear, themarket is certainlychanging towardsdigitalmarketing
(Charlton,2015[Online]).
EntrepreneurialBehaviour
In terms of Entrepreneurial behaviour, the findings were inconclusive. As all business owners
interviewedhadownedtheircompanyforoverfiveyears, itwasexpectedthattheywoulddisplay
strongentrepreneurialcharacteristics,butthiswasnotthecase.Withonlyoneparticipantscoring
averageandoveronalloftheirscores,itcanshowthatentrepreneursmayonlydisplaysomeofthe
behavioursandallofthesetogethermaynotbenecessaryinowningyourownbusiness.
Whilethisstudysuggeststhatthesebehavioursarenotneeded,allentrepreneursaskeddiddisplay
anamountofeachofthebehaviours.Althoughtheydidnotnecessarilyscoreaverageoroverinall
thesections,itshowsthatentrepreneursmustdisplaythesecharacteristicsinsomeform,evenifit
isnotamajorpartoftheirpersonality.
Withthisinmind,thesecharacteristicscanshowpositiveeffects,suchastheincreaseinmethodsof
digital marketing activities found. By possessing these personality traits, it can encourage small
businessestodevelopinnewareasandkeepupwithmarkettrends,makingthemmoresuccessful.
Within a small business, it is easier to becomemore innovative due to a smaller flatter structure
Laforst&Tann(2006).Ifthisisapossibilitytoencourageinnovativeness,businessesshoulddosoto
developtheircompanyandreachnewsuccesses.
When comparing both digital marketing techniques and Entrepreneurial behaviour, several links
havebeenfoundsuchasanincreaseinneedforachievementaswellasinnovationasabehaviour
positivelyeffectingthedigitalmarketingtechniquescarriedout.Withanincreasinglydigitalmarket,
thisinformationcanbeusedinordertoencouragebusinessestocarryoutnewformsofmarketing
inasuccessfulway. If smallbusinessesare inneedexpansionandsuccess, it isadvisedthat these
behavioursarepracticedandimplementedsothatthesecompaniescankeepupwithmarkettrends
andthedemandsofthebusinessenvironment,keepingupwithlargercompetitors.
IsDigitalMarketingSuccessful?Inregardstowhetherdigitalmarketingtechniquesaresuccessfulandvaluableforsmallbusinesses
touse,theresponsecanbeansweredinanumberofways.Mostofthebusinesswhotookpartin
thisresearchcarriedoutawidevarietyofdigitalmarketingtechniques,yetmostdidnotknowthe
truevalueofdoingsoandhadalternative,moretraditionalmethodsinordertoenticecustomers.
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Thesedigitalmarketing techniquescanbeofvalue tosmallcompanies.Theycreateconversations
withcustomersaswellaskeepingupwithtrendssetbybiggercompanies.Althoughthecompanies
questionedstatedthatdigitalmarketingwasessentialtotheirbusiness,mostsuggestedthatitwas
just amethodwhich aidedmarketing andwas not substantial enough on its own to create new
business. Inorderforthistobemoresuccessful,companiesneedtoputtimeandeffort intotheir
digital methods of marketing to ensure they work, otherwise they can be a waste of resources,
whichcouldbeutilisedbetteronmoretraditionalmethodsofmarketing.
Although this research shows a relationship between both Entrepreneurial behaviour and digital
marketing methods, to some extent, further research is needed in this area. With only a small
sampleof candidatesusedaswell as these candidatesprimarilybeing fromone industry, amuch
largerandbroaderresearchmethodmayinducedifferentresults.Iftheseresultscanbeshownona
much larger scale, it could influence business development within today’s society and provide
positiveoutcomestotheeconomy.
LimitationsoftheResearch
Thoughmanytopicshavebeenhighlighted,therearemanylimitationsoftheresearchwhichneed
tobeconsidered.Byaddressingthese,moresubstantialconclusionswillbeabletobemadeaswell
aslargercorrelationsbetweentopicsandincreasedreliability.
Participants
Theparticipantsusedwithinthisstudywereusedduetoeaseofaccesstotheresearcher.Although
allparticipantsownedasmallbusinessandwereresponsibleforthemarketingofit,90%werefrom
theserviceindustry.Fortheresultsofthisresearchtobegeneralised,awiderrangeorparticipants
shouldbeusedacrossawidevarietyofsectors.
Not only this, but the settings inwhich the participants undertook their testing could have been
controlledmore.Thiswoulddecreaseexternal influencesoneachparticipant, increasingreliability
andrepeatabilityoftheresults.
ResourcesAsasmallstudy,therewerelargetimeandmoneyconstraints.Iffurtherresearchistobecompleted
withinthisarea,boththesecanbeimprovedon.Suchasusinganelectronicquestionnairesystem
whichwouldanalysetheresultsmorecarefullyandprivatelytotheparticipantaswellasmakingit
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easiertoanalysetheresults.Withmoretimeandresources,thisstudycouldhavebeenundertaken
onamuchlargerscale,thereforereducinganomalies.
RecommendationsfortheFuture
Inorderforfutureresearchtobecarriedout,itwouldberecommendedthatalargersamplesizeis
used, taking participants frommany different sectors and business types. This would enable the
resultstobegeneralisedtoallentrepreneursandsmallbusinesses.
More in depth questions should also be asked to the entrepreneurs such as how successful each
methodofdigitalmarketing isforthem.Thiswouldcreateabetterargumentthatentrepreneurial
behaviourleadstomoresuccessfulmarketingtechniquesandcustomerrelationships.Notonlythis,
but understanding the success of companieswould have helped to validate this research further,
understandingwhetheranincreaseduseofdigitalmarketingincreasedthesuccessofthecompany.
TheResearcher
Astheresearcher’sfirstacademicresearchproject,alotoflessonswerelearnt.Theresearcherwas
abletofindresearchfromavarietyofareasinwhichanalysiscouldbemade.Professionalcontent
wasabletobecreatedaswellasresearchwhichcouldbeundertakenonthegeneralpublic.Ifthe
researcher was to carry out the project again, changes would be made. Such as the research
question,thiswouldbemadealotclearersothatapathtotakewouldbemoredefined.Notonly
this,butfurtherdetailwouldbesoughtfromeachparticipanttoreachmoreindepthconclusions.
OverallConclusion
In conclusion, there is no “one fits all” method in which small companies can abide to in the
marketingof their company.With someEntrepreneurspossessing thedesireandskills todevelop
theirmarketingtechniquesfurther,morebusinesscanbecreatedwithagreateraudienceengaged.
Inorderforasmallbusiness’marketingtobesuccessful,severalkeymethodsneedtobeusedand
theseshouldbereviewedconstantlytomakesuretheyarenot leakingtimeandmoneyaswellas
not creating any business. With limited time and money, many small businesses do not create
marketingplansorbudgets,whichcanbeofgreatdisadvantage.
Inorderfortheirmarketingtobeofsuccess,smallbusinessesneedtoworkout,throughconstant
feedbackandplanning,whatmethodsofmarketingworkbestforthem.
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AppendicesAppendixA-Bhave’sTwoTypesofEntrepreneurialProcesses(FirstStages)
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PublishingLimited.
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AppendixB-TheContentMarketingMatrix
Bosomworth,D.(2014)TheContentMarketingMatrix,SmartInsights,[Online],12.01.14,AvailableFrom:
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AppendixC-InternalandExternalInfluencesonDigitalMarketingStrategy
Chaffey,D.,&Ellis-Chadwick,F.(2016)DigitalMarketing:Strategy,ImplementationandPractice,(6thEd.),
Harlow:PearsonEducationLimited.
MultichannelMarketingStrategy
EmergingOpportunitiesand
Threats
BusinessObjectivesand
Strategy
CompetitorStrategies
MarketStructureandDemand
DigitalMarketingStrategy
Key
ExternalInfluences
InternalInfluences
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AppendixD-EntrepreneurialTestEntrepreneurialTendenciestest,adaptedfromCaird(2013).
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Caird,S.(2013)GeneralmeasureofEnterprisingTendencyTest,[Online],Availablefrom:www.get2test.net,
[Accessed:11.12.15].
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AppendixE-EthicsDeclarationDECLARATIONIunderstandmyresponsibilitiesasprincipalresearcherasoutlinedintheUniversityofWinchesterResearchandKnowledgeExchangeEthicsPolicy.Ideclarethattheanswersaboveaccuratelydescribetheresearchaspresentlydesignedandthatanewchecklistwillbesubmittedshouldtheresearchdesignchangeinawaywhichwouldalteranyoftheaboveresponses.
Researcher’ssignature:VickyCorser Date:11.12.15Supervisor’ssignature(forresearchstudentsonly):TimFriesner Date:11.12.15Fortaughtstudents(undergraduates,masters))only:Thestudenthastheskillstocarryouttheproposedresearch.Iundertaketomonitorthestudent’sadherencetotherelevantresearchguidelinesandcodesofpractice.Supervisor’ssignature:TimFriesner Date:11.12.15
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AppendixF-MeetingSchedule–TimFriesner&VictoriaCorser
Date Duration14/10/15 30Minutes03/11/15 20Minutes06/11/15 20Minutes20/11/15 20Minutes19/01/16 20Minutes26/02/16 20Minutes08/03/16 20Minutes15/03/16 30MinutesTotalTime 3Hours
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AppendixG-InterviewLayoutSampleInterviewer:VickyCorserInterviewee:NameofCompany:Notestoparticipant
• Youhavetherighttowithdrawatanypoint.• Theinformationyouwillprovidewillbeusedinordertocompleteonlythisstudyinto
entrepreneurialbehaviouranddigitalmarketing.• Anonymityandconfidentialitywillbekeptthroughout.
1. Withinwhatfielddoesyourcompanyoperate?
o Agriculture
o Construction o Production o Service o Other
2. Howmanyemployeesdoyoucurrentlyhave?
o 1-5 o 6-10 o 11-20 Over20
3. Howlonghaveyouownedacompanyfor?
o Lessthan1year
o 1-2Years o 3-4Years o 4-5Years o Over5years
4. AreyouB2B,B2C,C2CorC2B?
o B2Bo B2Co C2Co C2B
5. Wouldyoudescribethestartupofyourbusinessapushorapull?(Examplesprovided)
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o PUSHUnemployment,personalcharacter,havingagoodidea,possessingtheskillsandresources
o PULLNeedforindependence,recognition,personaldevelopment,wealth
6. Tellmehowyoufindthemarketingyourcompany?Whatmethodsdoyoumainlyuse?
7. DoyouhaveasetbudgetinwhichyouuseforMarketingeachmonth?
8. Whatmethodsofdigitalmarketingdoyouuse?
o SocialMediao Websiteo GoogleAdso SocialMediaAdvertisementso Podcasts
o GoogleAnalyticso Emailo Blogs/Vlogso Other___________________
9. Tellmeabouthowyoufindthis?(notesundereachheading)
Successful Difficult Challenging
10. DescribetomethemethodsofSocialMediayouuse?
11. Whichonesdoyoufindthemosteffective?
12. Towhatextentdoyoubelievedigitalmarketingisessentialwhenrunningyourownbusiness?
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13. Whatwouldyousaythebalancebetweentraditionalanddigitalmethodsofmarketingare?
14. Howmuchtimedoyoudevoteeveryweektothemarketingofyourcompany?
o Lessthanthreehours
o 4–9hours o 10–15hours o Over15hours
15. Doyouthinkyourtargetmarketrespondmoretodigitalmarketingmethodsormoretraditionalones?
16. Tellmeaboutyourcompetitorsapproachtodigitalmarketing?
17. Inwhatwaysdoyoumeasuretheresponsetoyourmarketingactivities?
18. Overall,explaintomeyourmostsuccessfulmarketingoperation?