Entrepreneurial Marketing and Social Networking in Small and Medium Service Enterprises: A Case Study into Business Dealings in Cameroon

ABSTRACT

This paper investigates how owners/managers of service small and medium enterprises (SME) leverage on social networks to develop and implement successful marketing strategies. Adopting an entrepreneurial marketing perspective, in-depth interviews with owners/managers of SME in the city of Douala, Cameroon, are conducted and analyzed. We found that owners/managers of service SME use their social relationships to create and deliver customer value via market intelligence, access, and acquisition of new customers, and retention of current customers. Some specific mechanisms utilized include finding door openers to new customers, offering gifts to consolidate business and social bonds, and treating key customers like family members. Finally, the reliance on managerial relationships often can have adverse effects on some marketing activities.

KEYWORDS:

• Cameroon
• entrepreneurial marketing
• marketing strategy
• service SME
• social networking

Acknowledgements

The first author acknowledges financial support from Athabasca University under an ARF grant. The authors thank Ms. Kathy Ponto for copy-editing assistance and Dr. Bangaly Kaba, Mr. Albert Roland Amougou, and the assigned review team of this journal for their very helpful comments on early drafts. Also, this research was possible thanks to the much appreciated collaboration of the participants and those who served as our door openers. All remaining errors are ours.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.