<![CDATA[Digital marketing through social media has become increasingly important for tourism destinations, yet many traditional gastronomic businesses have not used it optimally. This study aims to analyze the relationship between social media usage intensity as a digital marketing strategy and sales growth of Batak Simalungun gastronomic products in Simalungun Regency tourism destinations. A quantitative correlational design was employed involving 60 gastronomic entrepreneurs selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a five-point Likert questionnaire and analyzed through descriptive statistics, normality and linearity tests, and Pearson product-moment correlation. All indicators of social media usage intensity were in the high category (mean = 3.72), with interaction with followers scoring highest (3.93). Social media usage intensity was positively and significantly related to sales growth (r = 0.723, p < 0.05), accounting for 52.3% of the variance in sales growth, although the reliability of the social media usage intensity instrument was low (Cronbach's alpha = −0.433) and its items did not meet the corrected item–total validity criterion, so results should be interpreted with caution. These findings suggest that the more intensively entrepreneurs use social media, the higher the sales growth they perceive. Entrepreneurs and destination managers are advised to strengthen customer interaction and consistent account management.]]>
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