Analysis of the role of digital marketing for SMEs in Malta

Abstract

With the emergence and continuous development of digital technologies and marketing channels, marketing activities are slowly shifting from traditional to digital activities. Although the Internet has been around for decades, digital marketing has little relevant scholarly literature, especially when it comes to its utilisation by small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in part because it is so new. The main objective of this research project is to analyse the role of digital marketing for SMEs in Malta. The research objective was approached by splitting it into five research questions that were addressed through the qualitative research methods of a secondary knowledge review and seven semi-structured interviews, complemented through quantitative analysis of a survey that was distributed to SMEs in Malta. A critical review of existing literature in this research project highlights that digital marketing offers SMEs a lot of benefits due to its cost-efficiency and global reach, but it also comes with a number of challenges, mainly due to lacking knowledge and financial constraints. Based on the knowledge gained from the secondary knowledge review, a conceptual framework was formed to conduct primary research involving an exploratory and explanatory approach to analyse the practical application of digital marketing by SMEs in Malta. The research project concludes with an in-depth discussion of the benefits and challenges for SMEs in Malta, the digital marketing channels and tools utilised by them, as well as the effectiveness of their digital marketing strategies.