چالش‌ها و فرصت‌‌های دیجیتال مارکتینگ در توسعه بازار کسب‌‌وکارهای پلتفرمی نوپا

Background and Objective: Digital technologies, especially digital marketing, are regarded as a key driving force for the transformation and development of nascent platform-based businesses. This approach generates substantial opportunities while also bringing numerous challenges. Accordingly, a qualitative study with in-depth interviews of human resources experts was conducted to precisely identify these challenges and opportunities, helping managers and entrepreneurs adopt more effective strategies for developing their platforms. Among the opportunities are rapid and broad access to global markets, lower marketing costs compared to traditional methods, and closer engagement with customers. It also enables branding and the development of a coherent identity for startups, the creation of networks of collaboration and synergy with ecosystem actors, and data analytics to improve decision-making.

Methodology: Given the qualitative nature of the topic, an interpretive philosophy underpins the study, and interpretivism is used to understand differences among humans as social actors. Therefore, an inductive approach was preferred to answer the research question. Concepts are extracted from perceptions and the research context, qualitative data are collected, and flexibility in adjusting the approach as the research progresses is maintained, with the researcher being a part of the research process and limited generalizability in mind. Because the aim is to identify the challenges and opportunities of digital marketing in developing nascent platform markets, the study is applied, and the data collection method is non-experimental, thus descriptive and cross-sectional. Data were gathered from literature reviews, previous studies, library documents, and in-depth interviews with human experts.

Findings: Digital marketing is identified as one of the key tools in developing the market for nascent platform-based businesses. However, this process is always accompanied by challenges that can affect the success and growth of these ventures. Understanding and grasping these challenges will help entrepreneurs and managers design better strategies to address them and ultimately achieve sustainable growth and success.

Conclusion: Networking and strategic collaborations through webinars and online training sessions facilitate effective engagement with audiences, potential customers, and industry players, and by providing useful information, answering questions, and conducting expert discussions, they increase brand trust and appeal. These events not only create opportunities to attract new customers and expand the email list but also foster an active online community, knowledge exchange, and storytelling of successful experiences, establishing the brand as a credible industry resource. Moreover, digital marketing strategies, as key elements for the success of nascent platform businesses, with rapid digital developments, identify market needs, communicate coherently with audiences, and support market development by offering diverse sub-strategies for implementing and achieving marketing objectives.