Abstract:
MSMEs are the backbone of any nation. After the end of the civil war in
2009, people from the Northern Province of Sri Lanka started MSMEs, and
that should be run on the virtual market and the physical market for
business survival. This study explores the factors determining social media
marketing adoption by MSMEs in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. In
this study, data were collected from 10 owners or managers of MSMEs in
the research area using multiple case study-based qualitative methods of indepth
interviews. The research samples were selected using the purposive
sampling technique. There were 12 factors explored such as perceived ease
of use, internal and external influencers, technological factors, external
institutional pressures, business sustenance, usage of smartphones,
observability of market happenings, links among social media platforms,
unique features, two-sided benefits, two-way cost reduction and new
normal context as findings of the study.