EFFECT OF ORGANIZATIONAL INNOVATIVENESS IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING STRATEGY ADOPTION AND SMES PERFORMANCE IN KATSINA METROPOLIS.

Abstract

Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises is a major driver and indices for the level of industrialization of a nation. Despite all the efforts advanced in improving SMEs sector in Nigeria, SMEs have not been able to harness the abundant and huge market potentials in the country. However, formulating workable marketing strategies that ensures sustainable business growth is expected to mitigate such challenges. This study examined the effect of organizational innovativeness in the relationship between social media marketing strategy adoption and SME performance in Katsina Metropolis. Using a sample of 293 SME respondents, the study used survey questionnaire to obtain the data. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analysed the data. The findings reveal that Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Benefit, and Organizational Readiness significantly and positively affect SME performance, while Organizational Innovativeness did not moderate these relationships, suggesting that while innovation is valuable, it may not always enhance the impact of social media marketing on performance. The study recommended that SMEs should ensure full utilization of user-friendly marketing tools, resource readiness, and strategic innovation alignment in the face of their routine operations. Similarly, future research should explore additional moderating factors, such as market conditions and competition intensity, to better understand SMEs’ marketing strategy effectiveness for performance enhancement.