The impact of social media on events marketing in Nairobi City County
Date
2021
Authors
Ngigi, Stella Waithera
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Strathmore University
Abstract
There has been recent growth of events as an industry around the world. Events have a large impact on the communities and, in some cases, the whole country. With the increase in the use of advanced technology, in the events industry there have been changes and improvements that have taken place and continue taking place, especially in communication. With growing popularity of internet, traditional techniques of marketing are slowly being replaced by this interactive form, the social media. Social media has provided new opportunities to consumers to engage in social interaction on the internet with various service providers. Social media has advantaged businesses, for example in matters of growth and also saving on costs. This paper emphasizes the importance and benefits of utilizing social media in events. This study was carried out in March 2021, where the general objective of the study was to determine the impact of social media on events marketing in Nairobi, Kenya. The research design used in this study was a descriptive survey. For the purpose of this study, 15 respondents were considered to be a representative of the total population. Primary data was collected for the study using an online self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire contained both open and closed ended questions for it to be effective for the study. Descriptive analysis such as the simple frequency distribution table was used. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS)which is a unified and comprehensive package was used to analyse the collected data thoroughly and conveniently for the Likert scale questions. The study found out that social media marketing has contributed greatly to the event planners who use it and that it is advantageous in many ways such as, reaching a wide range of customers. Compared to traditional marketing techniques, it has more benefits which include lower cost, exposure, measurement, customer engagement, among others. Some of the platforms used include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn. The study recommends that event planners embrace social media marketing, and for those who have not to ensure measures are put in place to adopt this marketing strategy. The study also calls for planners in the events industry to come together and form networks that can be used for marketing their businesses, through the various social media platforms. This will increase their visibility and outreach. Lastly, the study calls for the organizations to take advantage of social media and explore the features it has to offer to improve on their marketing activities. This will ensure the event planners are more active on their social media platforms and to ensure their content goes viral.
Description
A Research Proposal submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management