Social Networking Sites: Analysis of their Uses in the Context of the Internationalization of Small Businesses
This article investigates the role of social networking sites (SNS) in the internationalization of small businesses (SE). The multiple case study conducted between 2013 and 2014 shows that SNS support crucial marketing efforts such as the identification of new business opportunities and foster the development of professional and personal relationships with foreign partners. These tools are used by small businesses to communicate at three different levels with their foreign markets (organizational, individual professional and private) and in a cost effective way, saving them resources and allowing them to fasten the internationalisation process.