Abstract

The role of SMEs in economic development of any nation cannot be overemphasis. This is because of their contributions to their respective country GDP. However, the emergence of social media has provided a paradigm shift in the modus oparandi of SMEs globally. One country that has benefited from this new wave of social media marketing is SMEs in Nigeria. Therefore, this study seeks to examine the imperatives of social media marketing on the growth and development of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria. This study is situated within the Rogers (1995) Innovation Decision Process theory. Data for the study were collected from various secondary sources such as textbooks, journals and internet sources while content analysis was used in analysing the data collected. This study argues that social medium marketing has assisted SMEs in Nigeria in increase connectivity, knowledge sourcing and customer engagement. This study argues that social media has provided a lot of benefits to SMEs in Nigeria. Therefore, for SMEs owners to derive the desired benefits from social media, it will largely depend on how effective and efficient they are in their use of social media platforms. Therefore, this study recommends among other things that if SME owners should leverage on the opportunities provided for SMEs growth and development in Nigeria.