First section would be understanding the profile of the SME being studied. Inasmuch as the researcher would like to test for the feasibility of social media as a platform for marketing SMEs, the researcher must first understand the nature of SMEs as business entities and as compared to large businesses. Creating the profiles of SMEs would give more understanding of the possible differences (and similarities) that could emerge in the

This is thus a correlational research measure, which aims to show a correlation between increases in marketing potential with increased use of social networking platforms for SMEs of various industries. The research will use the coding methods of grounded theory in order to extrapolate meaning from open ended survey responses. External validity will be assured through the number of SMEs included in the survey to ensure that results represent

Razak, (2012) point out that internet has assisted SMEs to integrate social media in SMEs marketing strategies globally. Typically, internet has become accessible to billion of people globally, and the phenomenon has revolutionized the use of social media for business advantages. Razak, (2012) point out that 75% of internet users use social media to carry out various activities such as linking to shopping site, and since 2007, social network has

, et al., 2011). Individuals most often use social media to create and strengthen relationships and increase communication within those relationships, rather than explicitly wanting to shop for products. Those individuals are using social media sites to: a) "construct a profile within a bounded system"; b) maintain "lists of other users with whom they share connections"; and c) view and "browse" those lists of connections with others they have interacted

Safeguarding the privacy of the respondents is vital. Setting a certain criteria to guarantee the security and privacy of the respondents will be useful like informing the respondents that their names will be kept confidential, their location and company will be mentioned only if they give their consent, participation is completely voluntary, and it cannot be imposed. In any way, no such information will be publicized that can help to

Adoption Of Social Media by Small Business and Entrepreneurs in the Gulf Region The internet technology has revolutionized the communication landscape among businesses in both developed and emerging economies because of the unprecedented growth of the social media. Social media is an interactive technology system that business and people use to collaborate, connect, and create personal and business profiles. A growing consensus among marketing professionals, business and academic communities shows