Digital Marketing Awareness Among Rural Entrepreneurs of Jharkhand - A Case Study of Ranchi District

Abstract

This research is about the digital marketing awareness among rural entrepreneurs of Jharkhand. Digital marketing has become an integral part of the business, and it is the new-age channel where businesses can promote their products or services through various social media platforms. According to the previous studies, most of the research has been done on the adoption and application of digital marketing tools rather than on digital marketing awareness on the national level, but not at the rural level. To study the digital marketing awareness among rural entrepreneurs, a well-structured questionnaire was prepared, and responses were recorded from 150 respondents. The data was analysed using simple linear regression from SPSS software. The findings reveal that the young entrepreneurs have adequate knowledge and information about the digital marketing tools, and there is still less participation of women in entrepreneurship. They are aware of the digital marketing tools, but there is still less usage of these tools. Rural entrepreneurs still choose traditional marketing. There are various limitations that rural entrepreneurs face, such as a lack of internet facilities, a limited understanding of these tools, and limited technology knowledge. It is suggested that the government should launch some training programmes to educate rural people about the usage of digital marketing tools.

Introduction

The text discusses the role of digital marketing in rural entrepreneurship, with a focus on rural entrepreneurs in the Ranchi district of Jharkhand.

It highlights that digitalisation has transformed business by enabling wider access to markets, improved customer engagement, and stronger brand awareness. However, rural entrepreneurs still face challenges in adopting digital marketing due to lack of digital literacy, poor infrastructure, limited training, and low awareness.

The study emphasizes the importance of digital marketing awareness as a key factor for business growth, competitiveness, and market expansion in rural areas. It specifically focuses on identifying the level of awareness among rural entrepreneurs, the factors influencing it (such as education, age, gender, and experience), and the benefits gained from using digital tools like social media, email marketing, and mobile marketing.

The literature review shows that while digital marketing has proven benefits for SMEs and entrepreneurship globally, rural areas still lag behind due to infrastructural and knowledge gaps. Most existing studies focus on adoption rather than awareness, creating a research gap that this study aims to address.

The research uses a descriptive and quantitative methodology, collecting primary data from 150 respondents in Ranchi district through questionnaires. Statistical tools like regression and ANOVA are used to analyze the impact of digital marketing awareness.

Conclusion

The study concludes that digital marketing awareness plays an important role in the adoption of digital marketing tools in rural entrepreneurship and have significant impact on business growth, and aware of the benefits of using these tools. These digital tools are becoming essential tools helping the business to reach the international market. Many respondents are aware of the digital marketing tools, such as social media platforms, and various methods of advertising products or services. There are various challenges associated with this, such as a lack of digital infrastructure, a lack of skills, a lack of practical application of knowledge, a lack of digital literacy, etc, so the government should launch some initiatives to combat these challenges.

References

The study concludes that digital marketing awareness plays an important role in the adoption of digital marketing tools in rural entrepreneurship and have significant impact on business growth, and aware of the benefits of using these tools. These digital tools are becoming essential tools helping the business to reach the international market. Many respondents are aware of the digital marketing tools, such as social media platforms, and various methods of advertising products or services. There are various challenges associated with this, such as a lack of digital infrastructure, a lack of skills, a lack of practical application of knowledge, a lack of digital literacy, etc, so the government should launch some initiatives to combat these challenges.

Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Nivedita Sio, Dr. Julius Aind, Dr. Ajay Kumar. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.