SOCIAL MEDIA AND DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL ENTERPRISES IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

Abstract

The pronounced globalization changes and the high degree of digitization are everyday in the modern work that cause changes in the operation of enterprises, regardless of the size and type of activity it performs. In this regard, the Internet as an informative medium is a part of everyday life, and the adoption of a certain decision for the future business activity is related to the consideration of various social media Social media is a powerful communication medium, but also a tool for sharing information about the business. Through social media, businesses have the opportunity to follow the latest trends, opportunities and analysis and actively participate in the business environment where customers are present and interconnected. Social networking is part of the day-to-day operation of enterprises. Small businesses are increasingly using social media as a marketing tool to improve customer relationships. From the content point of view, the paper will explain the characteristics of social media, the differences between traditional and social media as marketing tools and the factors that contribute to the increased use of social media in everyday work. The subject of this paper's research is focused on perceiving the importance and influence of social media on the development of small enterprises in the Republic of Macedonia. For this purpose, practical research has been conducted. The conducted analysis of the environment and the results of the conducted research confirm the established hypotheses that social media represent a real need for all enterprises and entrepreneurs need education to gain knowledge about the opportunities offered by social media. On the basis of the obtained results from the conducted research will be given suggestions and directions in order to efficiently exploit the possibilities of social media and improve the performance of enterprises in order to adjust the contemporary processes.