Using social media small-group communication to promote the marketing skills of art entrepreneurs

This study examined the impact of social media-supported small-group communication on the marketing skills of art entrepreneurs. The design that was used in this study was quasi-experimental. A total of 271 art entrepreneurs were sampled for the study and grouped into three social media (n = 90), face-to-face (n = 90) and control group (n = 91). A structured questionnaire was used for the collection of data for the study, while data were analysed using multiple analyses of variance. The study showed that small group communication was effective in improving the marketing skills of art entrepreneurs in the areas of social media marketing, content management, data analysis, mobile advertising, design, video marketing, project management, creativity, interpersonal skills, leadership, time management, problem-solving, critical thinking and communication skills. The study also found that small-group communication on social media can be as effective as face-to-face small-group communication. Improving marketing skills also improves business performance in areas such as sales, return on investment, and net profit. Finally, art entrepreneurs in the social media-supported group had higher scores in satisfaction, convenience and quality of communication than their counterparts in face-to-face communication. This study has shown that social media-supported small-group communication is cost-effective in promoting the acquisition of marketing skills among art entrepreneurs.