Análisis de las estrategias de marketing digital para MIPYMES del sector gastronómico en Guayaquil.

Abstract

Digital marketing in MSMEs is carried out in an ad hoc manner, with limitations in terms of content strategies, metrics, and budget. Despite this, it represents a great opportunity for these businesses to position themselves in the market. The overall objective was to analyze digital marketing strategies for MSMEs in the food service sector in Guayaquil. A non-experimental, cross-sectional, exploratory, and descriptive methodology was used, employing a mixed-methods approach with both primary and secondary sources of information, and the deductive-inductive method was applied. The population consists of 640 MSMEs classified under subcode I.5610.01 “Accommodation and Food Service Activities” of the National Classification of Economic Activities (CIIU Revision 4); the study sample comprised 240 MSMEs. The survey results showed that most MSMEs do not have a digital marketing strategy; they use social media without a clear understanding of its purposes and functionalities. The most widely used platforms are Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, although the use of WhatsApp Business has increased. Investment in these digital media is low, and there are no metrics available to evaluate the results obtained. The study concludes that few MSMEs in the food service sector use digital marketing strategies in their businesses; most use social media in an ad hoc manner, unaware of how to leverage it to achieve greater reach and engagement.