The Extent of Social Media Marketing Influence on Food Service Business Operations

This study examined the extent of social media marketing (SMM) influence on the business operations of food service MSMEs in Solano and Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, focusing on customer acquisition, sales performance, brand awareness, and customer retention, as well as its relationship with organizational demographics. A quantitative descriptive-correlational design was employed, with data collected from 33 establishments using a structured questionnaire and analyzed through frequency distribution, weighted mean, Spearman’s rank-order correlation, and Kruskal– Wallis H test. The results revealed that SMM has a high level of influence across all operational dimensions, particularly in brand awareness and customer acquisition, and that its effectiveness is not significantly associated with most demographic variables, indicating that outcomes depend more on strategic implementation than firm characteristics. However, the study identified challenges such as limited technical skills, time constraints, and budget limitations. The study concludes that social media marketing is a vital and cost-effective tool for enhancing MSME performance and recommends strengthening digital marketing capabilities and adopting consistent strategies to maximize its impact.