DIGITAL COMMUNICATION IN MICRO AND SMALL BUSINESS: THE CASE OF THE CULTURAL SECTOR IN THE COLOMBIAN DEPARTMENT OF BOLIVAR

Managing online presence has become a fundamental activity in business communications over the last two decades. This research explores digital communication in cultural companies in the Colombian department of Bolivar. The objective was to find out how these companies manage web presence in their communications management and which are the most used social networks. To this end, a description of their socio-economic profile was made and a qualitative approach was taken, through in-depth interviews, to find out about the experiences of ten companies belonging to various cultural sectors. The results show that most of these cultural organizations respond to the structure of small business, are geographically concentrated in the capital and are in a context of vulnerability, conditioned by labor uncertainty and low income. Cultural entrepreneurs consider communication important, but do not see it as a priority. Consistently, small businesses do use social networks as channels of communication with their audiences, due to their low costs and the use of their advantages. However, their use is based on the intuition and experience of the entrepreneurs, rather than on strategic planning. Facebook and Instagram are the most frequently used social networks.