Social Media Marketing and Logistics Service Awareness Among Small Business Owners in Calabar, Cross River State

This study examines the relationship between social media marketing by logistics companies and service awareness among small business owners in Calabar, Cross River State, South South Nigeria. The proliferation of social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp Business has opened new channels for logistics firms to communicate service offerings and build brand recognition, particularly among the SME segment. Many small business owners in Calabar remain unaware of formal logistics services available for inter-city and international freight, relying instead on informal transporters. A descriptive survey design was adopted, with structured questionnaires administered to 150 small business owners in Calabar Central and Calabar South municipalities. Social media marketing is assessed through frequency of platform use by logistics firms, content relevance, and engagement level with logistics-related posts. Service awareness is measured by knowledge of available logistics options, pricing familiarity, and prior formal logistics service uptake. Pearson correlation and regression analysis are employed. The study is grounded in recent digital marketing and service marketing literature applied to logistics contexts in developing economies. Findings are expected to show that targeted social media content significantly improves logistics service awareness among SMEs. Recommendations will address the need for logistics firms to design platform-specific content strategies tailored to the SME buyer persona in South South Nigeria, with broader implications for logistics sector market development. Keywords: social media marketing, logistics service, awareness, small business, Calabar.