By Shahizan Hassan et al. (2012)
Despite its popularity and widely recognized as an effective persuasive technology in business, studies on the trends, impact and visibility of social media especially in the context of developing countries, have yet to be widely recorded. As such, Professor Dr. Shahizan Hassan and his team conducted a study in 2011 and 2012 to ascertain the trends and perceived impact of SM for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia.
The data gathering was based on the content analysis of literature, a survey on perceptions of users on the use of social media for business, and a workshop with social media practitioners to gain insights on the trends and impact of social media in business. The target population in this study is the social media users in Malaysia, company owners, managers, executives, and employees. Simple random sampling was employed to get the sample for both the survey and workshop.
The outcome shows that the overall percentage of social media usage among SMEs is still low at about 20%. In addition, the interview participants believe that social media has significant impact on their businesses and social media can indeed be considered as a persuasive tool to attract customers. This finding is supported by the outcome of the survey which shows that majority of social media users perceive that social media content can persuade people to purchase product or services offered. Furthermore, it was found that social media content can also influence purchasing decision.
Related publications:
- Shahizan Hassan, Norshuhada Shiratuddin, & Sobihantun Nur Ab Salam (2015). Social media as persuasive technology for business in Malaysia. International Journal of E-Business Research, 11(2), 18-39.
- Shahizan Hassan, Norshuhada Shiratuddin, Mohd Fo’ad Sakdan, Nor Laily Hashim, Sobihatun Nur Abdul Salam, Mohd Samsu Sajat (2013). Social media as persuasive technology for business: Trends and perceived impact in Malaysia. MCMC Research Seminar.
