DIGITAL MARKETING SKILLS FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS: A CASE STUDY OF ASNAF ENTREPRENEURS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/AIJBES.827044Keywords:
Digital Marketing Skills, Sustainable Livelihood, Asnaf EntrepreneursAbstract
This study explores the digital marketing skills required to support sustainable livelihoods among Asnaf entrepreneurs in Selangor, Malaysia. As digital platforms increasingly influence small business operations, Asnaf entrepreneurs are encouraged to adopt digital marketing practices to enhance income stability, market reach, and business resilience. However, there remains limited empirical understanding of the specific digital marketing skills needed by this group based on their lived business experiences and challenges. Employing a qualitative case study approach, this study collected data through semi-structured interviews with selected Asnaf entrepreneurs who actively use digital platforms such as social media, messaging applications, and online marketplaces in managing their businesses. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis to identify key skill areas, challenges, and sustainability outcomes. The findings indicate that Asnaf entrepreneurs require essential digital marketing skills, including content creation, ethical online communication, customer engagement, platform management, and basic performance monitoring, to support business continuity and long-term income generation. However, the effective application of these skills is constrained by limited digital literacy, lack of strategic planning capabilities, time constraints, and restricted access to resources. The study concludes that strengthening digital marketing skills is critical for enhancing the sustainable livelihoods of Asnaf entrepreneurs and promoting their long-term economic participation. The findings offer practical insights for entrepreneurship support agencies, policymakers, and training providers in designing targeted digital marketing interventions that align with the needs of Asnaf entrepreneurs and contribute to sustainable development objectives.
Downloads
References
Abd Rahman, A., Ahmad, S., & Wahid, H. (2020). Sustainability of zakat-based entrepreneurship programmes in Malaysia. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research, 11(3), 559–575.
Ainin, S., Parveen, F., Moghavvemi, S., Jaafar, N. I., & Mohd Shuib, N. L. (2020). Factors influencing the use of social media by SMEs and its performance outcomes. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 115(3), 570–588.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
Chatterjee, S., Rana, N. P., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2021). Digital entrepreneurship research: A systematic review. Journal of Business Research, 125, 343–360.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Dwivedi, Y. K., Ismagilova, E., Hughes, D. L., Carlson, J., Filieri, R., Jacobson, J., Jain, V., Karjaluoto, H., Kefi, H., Krishen, A. S., Kumar, V., Rahman, M. M., Raman, R., Rauschnabel, P. A., Rowley, J., Salo, J., Tran, G. A., & Wang, Y. (2021). Setting the future of digital and social media marketing research. International Journal of Information Management, 59, 102168.
Hassan, R., Razak, D. A., & Shaari, N. A. (2021). Zakat-based entrepreneurship and sustainability of Asnaf businesses in Malaysia. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research, 12(3), 363–378.
Ismail, N., Masud, M. M., & Ramli, A. (2022). Digital inclusion among low-income entrepreneurs in Malaysia. Sustainability, 14(9), 5295.
Kraus, S., Palmer, C., Kailer, N., Kallinger, F. L., & Spitzer, J. (2019). Digital entrepreneurship: A research agenda on new business models for the twenty-first century. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 25(2), 353–375.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. SAGE Publications.
Morgan, T., Anokhin, S., Ofstein, L., & Friske, W. (2020). SME response to major exogenous shocks: The bright and dark sides of business model pivoting. International Small Business Journal, 38(5), 369–379.
Omar, N. A., Nazri, M. A., & Wel, C. A. C. (2021). Social media usage and micro-business performance. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 33(1), 1–21.
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Scoones, I. (2015). Sustainable livelihoods and rural development. Practical Action Publishing.
Sutter, C., Bruton, G. D., & Chen, J. (2019). Entrepreneurship as a solution to extreme poverty: A review and future research directions. Journal of Business Venturing, 34(1), 197–214.
Taiminen, H. M., & Karjaluoto, H. (2015). The usage of digital marketing channels in SMEs. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 22(4), 633–651.
Tiago, M. T. P. M. B., & Veríssimo, J. M. C. (2014). Digital marketing and social media: Why bother? Business Horizons, 57(6), 703–708.
UNDP. (2021). Human development report 2021/2022: Uncertain times, unsettled lives. United Nations Development Programme.
World Bank. (2019). World development report 2019: The changing nature of work. World Bank Publications.
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
