Knowledge and usage of methods of online promotion by students as potential entrepreneurs

Abstract

According to popular belief, it has never been easier to raise funds to run and manage one's own business. In an era of startups popping up like mushrooms, crowdfunding, business angels, venture capital and mobile Internet, investing in a business is a much easier undertaking than it was two decades ago. Furthermore, Augmented Reality available through mobile devices like smartphones or tablets, the Internet of Things, which makes the consumer feel like a science fiction character in their own home, or Virtual Reality shopping, a Matrix movie-like experience in a testing phase at the moment, provide increasingly more innovative ways to take one's first steps in business, gather momentum, and win loyal customers. According to the results, running one's own business is not a popular professional plan among young people, which is especially surprising given the fact that the majority of the respondents were students of specialisations that equipped them with knowledge facilitating entrepreneurial activities. Running one's own business seemed to be an attractive career path for about 30% of the respondents. Although they realise the significance of the Internet in running their own business, they do not believe that this is always a necessary tool. The students declared knowledge of multiple methods of communication and promotion and often use social media channels, but rarely expressed the desire to use these measures. A particular way of using the Internet to foster entrepreneurship are methods of online promotion like Social Media Marketing or Search Engine Optimization. Those tools enable reaching potential customers and engaging in an active dialogue with them about their favourite brands, products and services. They also allow exchange of information with the entrepreneur and are currently one of the fundamental tools for creating a company's success. The article presents the results of research on the knowledge of methods of online promotion and networking by students as potential entrepreneurs.