Facebook Advertising in South African SMMEs: Investigating Gender Differences and Influencing Factors

With the rise of social media as a marketing platform, Facebook advertising has emerged as a cost-effective, adaptable, and wide-reaching tool for small, medium, and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs). However, adoption among South African SMMEs remains limited despite its potential benefits. As such, the purpose of this study is to examine gender differences in the factors that influence the behavioural intention of SMME owners and managers in South Africa to adopt Facebook advertising, drawing on an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Data were collected from 384 participants (181 males and 203 females) who actively use Facebook business accounts for advertising, through a combination of hand-delivered and online questionnaires using a convenience sampling approach. Regression analysis was employed to examine the data. Results indicate that for male respondents, behavioural intention is significantly influenced by perceived usefulness, ease of use, relative advantage, and attitude, while perceived value showed no significant effect. In contrast, all examined factors were significant predictors of behavioural intention among female respondents. These findings contribute to both academic and practical understanding by identifying gender-specific drivers of Facebook advertising adoption. The study provides valuable insights for SMME stakeholders that are looking to improve their digital marketing strategies, ultimately supporting increased brand exposure and sustainable business growth in a digitally evolving landscape.