Investigating Digital Marketing Strategies in Influencing Student Enrollment Decisions in Tertiary Education

Abstract

Digital marketing has been recognized as a crucial aspect of attracting students for enrollment. Therefore, the aim of this research is to examine the influence of digital marketing strategies on student enrollment decisions and to identify the most effective digital marketing strategy for driving student enrollment in tertiary education. This research utilized a descriptive quantitative research approach with a stratified random sampling technique and employed a modified survey questionnaire as the primary method of data collection. The data obtained from the survey questionnaire were analyzed and interpreted using a Four-point Likert scale, which measures interval data. The findings of the study revealed that utilizing “university webinar platforms” significantly influences student enrollment decisions in tertiary education. Moreover, it was also revealed that utilizing “social media presence and retargeting campaigns”, and “mobile-friendly website and educational apps” increases the awareness of students on the university programs and services being offered by learning institutions. As a result, these digital marketing strategies increase the students’ interest in university programs influencing significantly their enrollment decisions. It came to light that there is a statistically significant relationship between digital marketing strategies, namely, social media presence and retargeting campaigns (r=.963, p=.008), mobile-friendly website and educational apps (r=.821, p=.089), video content strategy (r=.820, p=.089), SEO-enhanced content on web pages (r=.810, p=.097), and university webinar platforms (r=.760, p=.136) on the student enrollment decisions in tertiary education.