Abstract

Digitalization is continuously forming our daily lives and routines. It offers us not only new and fascinating opportunities as consumers but also creates possibilities that were previously perceived as unavailable to companies. Digital marketing as a new medium in various business contexts has received much attention among researchers and practitioners. However, little research has been conducted on digital marketing in new micro-enterprises. Furthermore, the influence of human perceptions concerning the adoption and the utilization of digital marketing tools is under-researched. This study aims to fill this gap by examining how digital marketing tools are perceived in new Finnish micro-enterprises.

In this case study, perceptions of digital marketing are presented, based on interviews with three representatives of new Finnish micro-enterprises. The results show that perceived benefits in cost efficiency, targeting, performance measurement and building relationships and company brand encourage new business enterprises to adopt and to utilize digital marketing. In contrast, the time-consuming nature of digital marketing activities and the creation of interesting and valuable content are perceived as challenging. These issues may lead to decreased digital marketing activity and the adoption of an abridged digital marketing tool set. Thus, to carry out digital marketing effectively, a marketing plan should be conducted, and the set of utilized digital marketing tools should be defined as manageable in terms of both time and knowledge resources.