Assessment of Social Media Marketing and Sales Performance of Fashion Startups in Kano State

Social media marketing has become an accessible and affordable channel for fashion startups, and assessing its contribution to sales performance among Kano State entrepreneurs provides evidence for digital marketing strategy in Northern Nigerian emerging businesses. This study assessed the relationship between social media marketing activities and sales performance among 120 fashion startups in Kano metropolis. Social media channels assessed included Instagram, WhatsApp Business, Facebook, and TikTok. Marketing activities measured included posting frequency, content quality self-rating, follower engagement rate, and paid advertisement use. Sales performance was measured by monthly revenue, customer acquisition rate, and order repeat rate over a 12-month period. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were employed. Results showed that Instagram usage was the strongest predictor of sales performance for fashion startups targeting youth markets (beta = 0.49, p < 0.001). WhatsApp Business showed superior customer retention performance, with repeat order rates 38% higher among businesses using it for customer communication. Businesses posting more than 5 times per week achieved significantly higher engagement rates. Paid social media advertising was used by only 29% of startups, but those who used it showed 43% higher customer acquisition rates. Language adaptation to Hausa in captions was positively correlated with sales in the Kano local market. The study concludes that consistent, language-adapted Instagram and WhatsApp marketing is the most effective digital strategy for Kano fashion startups and recommends digital marketing skills development through the Kano State Ministry of Commerce's SME support programme. Keywords: social media marketing, fashion startups, sales performance, Kano State, Instagram marketing