Title: Instagram marketing: understanding the adoption factors for small and medium enterprises

Authors: Zuraini Harun; Farzana Parveen Tajudeen

Addresses: Department of Operations and Management Information Systems, Faculty of Business and Accountancy, University of Malaya, Jalan Universiti, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ' Department of Operations and Management Information Systems, Faculty of Business and Accountancy, University of Malaya, Jalan Universiti, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Abstract: The emergence of social media has changed traditional marketing approaches which need to be reviewed to accommodate today's world. This includes small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which tend to have limited marketing and advertising budgets. In line with this, Instagram is a perfect alternative marketing channel because it is effective and low costing. Taking into account the immense potential of Instagram for businesses, this study examines the factors that influence the SMEs intention to adopt Instagram as a marketing channel. A survey of 154 SME companies in Malaysia was conducted. The theoretical framework used was based on the technology, organisation and environment (TOE) framework. The outcome of this study helps marketing managers and organisations' top management to better understand the potential of Instagram as a marketing channel, and the factors that need to be considered for its adoption.

Keywords: Instagram; social media; small and medium enterprises; SMEs; marketing; business; advertising; low cost; Malaysia; technology, organisation and environment; TOE; benefits.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMA.2021.118266

International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 2021 Vol.15 No.5/6, pp.527 - 549

Received: 29 Nov 2019
Accepted: 25 Dec 2020

Published online: 18 Oct 2021 *

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