The role of accounting in measuring the effects of digital marketing in social enterprises

Abstract

Entrepreneurship, as the driver of the economic and social development, can be focused on achieving the economic mission (generating profit), but also on correcting social inequality with the aim of contributing to the improvement of general well-being. In this regard, as an addition to the classical concept of entrepreneurship, the phenomenon of social entrepreneurship is also developing, as well as issues around measuring and reporting on social performance. Social entrepreneurship is implemented in the form of the establishment of social enterprises that represent private organizations whose main goal is to serve the welfare of the social community. The basic idea of social entrepreneurship is the realization of a social mission, not the increase of the personal wealth of interest groups. Accordingly, the subject of this paper is the review of one of the most important aspects of social enterprise operations, which represent its measuring effects of digital marketing activities. The marketing activities of a social enterprise are primarily aimed at recognizing a certain social problem, for which an adequate solution should be offered. Thus, the focus of market research is placed on the identification of social problems, and decisions related to the marketing mix are made respecting the efforts to eliminate these social problems. The aim of this paper is to look at the role and highlight the importance of digital marketing as one of the decisions made within the marketing mix strategy of a social enterprise, and investigate the effects of digital marketing through the prism of social accounting. The methods that will be used in this work are analysis, synthesis and generalization. The research results will provide basic knowledge about the state and perspectives of digital marketing in social enterprises and their social accounting with an emphasis on social return on investment (SROI).