Digital Brand Building on a Shoestring: How Innovative SMEs Can Avoid Social Media and Content Marketing Pitfalls

Abstract

This study examines how innovative Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan can build strong digital brands despite significant resource constraints. It develops and tests a model linking three strategic choices Strategic Platform Focus, Authentic Content Scalability, and Proactive Community Interaction to Digital Brand Resonance, with Perceived Brand Authenticity as a central mediator. Data were collected from 215 Pakistani SMEs and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that all three strategic factors significantly enhance Perceived Brand Authenticity, with Authentic Content Scalability being the strongest driver. Furthermore, Perceived Brand Authenticity fully mediates the relationship between Proactive Community Interaction and Digital Brand Resonance and partially mediates the effects of the other two strategic choices. The results demonstrate that achieving digital brand resonance depends less on financial investment and more on a coherent strategy that cultivates genuine customer relationships. This research provides a validated framework for resource-constrained SMEs in emerging markets, highlighting that strategic, authenticity-driven digital engagement is key to overcoming limitations and building a powerful online brand presence.

Keywords: Digital Brand Building, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), Brand Authenticity, Social Media Marketing, Resource Constraints