DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF DIGITAL MARKETING AS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL IN ACHIEVING BUSINESS EXPANSION IN COVID-19 ERA

1.1 Introduction

Chaffey et al. (2000) simply define digital marketing as "the application of the internet and related digital technologies to achieve marketing objectives". This definition is a simple definition which, unlike the following ones, does not touch the important aspect of customer relationship. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infection which is as a result of a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection. For example, the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) were known in 2002 and 2012 in that order was as a result of viruses analogous to SARS-CoV-2. Nevertheless, SARS-CoV-2 has a higher range more the earlier information related to viruses and as a result the obscurity in the cure and management of COVID-19 (Zhong, B.L, Li,H.M, Zhang, Q.Qet al., 2020).

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

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1.2 Background of Study

The COVID-19 pandemic since its outbreak in 2019 in China has affected the world economy (Ogunode, N.J, Ndubisi, A.G, and Terfa, A.C, 2021). According to the World Health Organization (WHO 2020), corona viruses are a family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). These viruses were originally transmitted from animals to people. SARS, for instance, was transmitted from civet cats to humans while MERS moved to humans from a type of camel. Several known corona viruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans. The name corona virus comes from the Latin word corona, meaning crown or halo. Under an electron microscope, the looks like it is surrounded by a solar corona. The novel corona virus, identified by Chinese authorities on January 7 and since named SARS-CoV-2, is a new strain that had not been previously identified in humans (Wikipedia, 2020). The recent outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic increased the gaps in the education sector globally (Onyema, E.M, Eucheria, N.C., Obafemi, F.A,et al, 2020). The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that swept across the globe about a year now, has not only had a significant impact on public health, society, and the economy as a whole, it has also wreaked havoc on the academic calendar (OgunodeN.J, Ndubisi, A.G, and Terfa, A.C, 2021). The coronavirus pandemic has no boundaries, and the effect is large and fast. Just within few months of the outbreak of the disease, it has drastically changed the lifestyles of the entire world with billions of people being forced to ‘stay at home’, ‘observe self-isolations’, and work and learn from home (Onyema E.M, Eucheria, N.C., Obafemi, F.Aet al, 2020). It has limited the freedom of students to move, practicalize and learn physically.

The Internet has its origins in cold war and technological rivalry between USSR and US. In fact "while the World Wide Web was created in 1991, its origin dates back to 1957 when the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik I satellite" (Dickey and Lewis, 2011: 2). US reacted with establishment a department of Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) which launched in 1960s ARPANET, an experimental project of computer networks from which what we now know as internet developed. Since then internet contributed to science incredibly and "by the late 1980s the internet was being used by many government and business institutions" (Ferguson, 2008: 69).

Practical use of various online tools by business leaders leads to new opportunities (Gaikwad & Kate, 2016). The Internet is a trusted source that consumers turn to before purchasing products and services (Smith, 2017). Business leaders use the Internet as a marketing tool for financial success and to aid in fostering communication with the visibility and channels of online sales and social media advertising becoming robust ways to reach various markets for business expansion (Banica, Brinzea, & Radulescu, 2015). In 2013, there were 28.8 million small businesses, representing 99.7% of all organizations (U.S. Small Business Administration, 2016). According to Jones, Borgman, and Ulusoy (2015), consumers are using Internet technologies in increasing numbers, which presents opportunities for businesses to reach and connect with more people through websites and social media sites. Smith (2017) discovered 69% of consumers use social media to share information about products and services. However, succeeding with online marketing requires resources to create quality content and build followers.

The benefits of digital marketing include: economic pricing, the targeting of diverse demographics at once, providing products and services conveniently, and allowing customers to easily research products and services to expedite the purchasing decision (Durmaz & Efendioglu, 2016). Online marketing provides opportunities for businesses to gain economic value via collaboration with stakeholders, customers, and employees (Purkayastha & Sharma, 2016). Small retail business leaders must incorporate online marketing strategies into their business plan to decrease the possibility of failure, grow their business, and become more profitable.

The most comprehensive definition has been articulated by Chaffey (2007), he defines online marketing as Applying Digital technologies which form online channels (Web, e-mail, databases, plus mobile/wireless & digital TV) to contribute to marketing activities aimed at achieving profitable acquisition and retention of customers (within a multi-channel buying process and customer lifecycle) through improving our customer knowledge (of their profiles, behavior, value and loyalty drivers), then delivering integrated targeted communications and online services that match their individual needs". As this relationship concept definitions show online marketing revolve around interaction and building relationship with customers, a point which discriminates it from traditional, offline marketing.

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1.3 Statement of the Problem

One of the major problems Business Marketing face in their campaigns is still the use of primitive promotions channels such as press, brochure, catalogue, TV, cell phone, etc, and several offline channels which lacks a comprehensive, harmonizing marketing framework. In this project work, we present a new solution for businesses to promote their business online to reach a wider audience.

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1.4 Aim and Objective of the Study

The main aim of this study is to develop and implement of a Digital Marketing System that will be useful to business owners. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To create a platform for businesses to reach a wider audience and increase sales and profits.
2. To develop a general purpose store where consumers can find products and services from the comfort of home through the Internet.
3. To implement an online virtual store on the Internet where customers can browse the catalog and select products of interest.

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1.5 Significance of Study

This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

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1.6 Scope of Study

The study focuses on the design and implementation of a Digital Marketing System as an Effective Tool in Achieving Business Expansion in Covid-19 Era. The study will cover the marketing process of billings, buying and selling to customer which will be useful to business owners.

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1.7 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this institution to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
3. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
4. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
5. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials.

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1.8 Definition of Terms

1. Internet: The Internet is a global wide area network that connects computer systems across the world.
2. Business: A business is defined as an organization or enterprising entity engaged in commercial, industrial, or professional activities.
3. Virtual Store: The virtual store is an online store that displays merchandise and an order form.
4. Marketing: Marketing is the process of teaching consumers why they should choose your product or service over those of your competitors, and is a form of persuasive communication.
5. Promotion Channels: In marketing, promotion refers to any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or issue.
6. Customer Relation: Customer relations describe the ways that a company will engage with its customers to improve the customer experience.