IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE VISIBILITY OF MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS IN KENYA

JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION

MFIs in Kenya have been increasingly using social media to enhance their visibility and reach more customers. The main objective of this study is to evaluate social media use on the visibility of Microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Kenya. To investigate the effect of social media use on the visibility of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Kenya, a case of ECLOF Kenya. Specific objectives of the study entails: to evaluate social media use on the reputation of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Kenya. The study was based on Social Media Engagement Theory. A mixed research strategy was used for this study to gather and analyze data using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Data was collected in two stages. To start with, questionnaires was used to collect quantitative data.The researcher also conducted key informant interviews (KIIs) comprising ten senior management staff of ECLOF Kenya at the Nairobi main office. The questionnaire was given to randomly sample 250 ECLOF Kenya customers, being served by its headquarters in Nairobi and with access to social media platforms. Quantitative information was coded, inputted and converted into a Minitab data file for analysis after being entered into an Excel spreadsheet. This study's main target was based on 250-ECLOF Kenya customers under the Nairobi headquarters, with access to social media platforms. The study regression equation revealing that there is a positive correlation significance with p-value = 0.000, this falls within the range of alpha value = 0.5. It’s degree of freedom (df) =1 and F-value = 23.61. In conclusion, social media has the potential to be a powerful tool for enhancing the visibility of MFIs, but its practical use requires a strategic and adaptive approach. It is recommended that ECLOF Microfinance in Kenya, for example, use platforms like Facebook and Twitter to keep its clients informed about new loan products, repayment schedules, and other important information.

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