Abstract
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) adopt digital marketing (DM) tools to engage with customers in today’s digital environment. But its impact on SME performance is less as online activities performed by customers on different digital channels are not integrated. To address this, the study aims to integrate various DM efforts and see its impact on firm performance. Then, it develops an integrated digital marketing (IDM) framework based on three theories; namely Resource-Based View (RBV), Dynamic Capabilities Theory (DCT), and Network Theory. We analysed 206 articles from the Scopus database applying keyword co-occurrence using VOSviewer software. This was followed by a systematic literature review of most frequently occurring and strongly linked keywords. Bibliometric keyword co-occurrence map indicates five dominant clusters; namely digital marketing and innovation, marketing strategy, social media marketing, strategy and entrepreneurship, and sustainability. The Antecedent-Decision-Outcome (ADO) analysis illustrates the causal relationship between DM capabilities (website, SEO, social media marketing, e-commerce), strategic enablers (strategic alliances and CRM integration), and firm-level outcomes. The proposed IDM conceptual framework is supported by five propositions. It suggests that IDM capabilities directly boost SME performance; strategic alliances mediate the relationship; and CRM integration strengthens the effect of both capabilities and alliances on business outcomes. SME owners and managers can use the IDM framework to enhance performance through better customer engagement, market expansion, and sales conversion. Policymakers can support adoption through focused support programs and policies, while consultants can effectively customise the framework to solve specific SME challenges. Researchers and academicians can test the framework empirically.
Keywords: Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Digital Marketing, Resource-Based View (RBV), Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Social Media Marketing, Strategic Alliances.