THE INFLUENCE OF DIGITALIZATION AND DISTANCE COMMUNICATIONS ON THE STRATEGY OF THE MARKETING MIX OF EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

Abstract

The article considers the prospects of digitalization of education, in particular in terms of forming a strategy for the marketing of educational services. The influence of the introduction of distance technologies in combination with online learning on the elements of the marketing mix of the educational service is analyzed. The marketing complex is proposed to be considered as a set of eight interconnected elements inherent in the service sector: product, price, promotion, distribution, material environment, physical evidence, process and personnel. It is established that the greatest impact of digitalization of education is the material environment of educational services, which is almost completely transformed into a virtual environment: material facilities and equipment will be replaced by platforms for video conferencing and distance learning platforms, which will reduce the cost of educational services and will enable educational institutions to finance funds for development, in particular, the part of the environment that should remain material (laboratories for training medical students, pharmacists, training facilities for actors, etc.). There will be significant changes in the organization of the educational process, in particular, the problems of organizing this process in space will disappear, learning will involve a combination of online communications and the use of distance learning platforms, there will be multichannel communication with teachers, geographical barriers will disappear, including in the organization of meetings with professional specialists and stakeholders, the level of comfort will increase due to the integration of learning in the home space. The contact staff of the educational service will also feel the changes: the transition online will require teachers to develop new soft skills and hard skills, the desire to accept change. Digitalization in education is proposed to be considered as a promising area that will bring the educational service to a new level, will provide benefits to both educational institutions and applicants. Successful digitalization requires overcoming a number of problems, including problems with Internet traffic and resistance to change, but these problems can and must be overcome.