The complicated branding challenges of upper training establishments in rising international locations can appear unmanageable. First, providers and diploma programmes supplied by universities appear to be similar, making it exhausting to face out. Second, universities in rising international locations usually endure from an absence of formal communication strategies to attach the worth of their model to their audience.
But constructing a model for increased training establishments in rising international locations needn’t be a nightmare – particularly if you know the way to make use of social media marketing to develop model credibility and model fairness. In this analysis, rising international locations are thought of to be international locations which might be on a path in direction of prosperity with financial improvement, low per capita earnings and excessive potential for development, similar to Vietnam, Thailand and Tunisia.
We examined college students’ perceptions of marketing on social media primarily based on two communication strategies: user-generated content material and institution-generated content material to develop model credibility and model fairness, utilizing information from a survey with 936 undergraduates, from two rising international locations, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Here we current recommendation primarily based on our findings.
User-generated content material vs institution-generated content material
To create and change details about the college manufacturers with potential college students, social media marketing is developed in two types: user-generated content material and institution-generated content material.
User-generated content material refers back to the media content material created by college students, workers, alumni and different stakeholders for the tutorial establishment that may be shared immediately or repurposed. It might be them capturing their private journeys, the college campus, commencement ceremonies, festivals or just sharing recollections.
Institution-generated content material is the media content material created by college marketing group on official model pages and social media channels.
Although these two types of content material are equally vital, college students are extremely reliant on and observe user-generated content material as it’s not designed to serve a business function. Authentic and entertaining, user-generated content material makes a big effect on establishments’ manufacturers as a result of it presents an genuine view of campus life.
User-generated content material motivated potential college students in Sri Lanka and Vietnam to develop optimistic emotions in direction of an establishment, our analysis confirmed, because of the collectivist tradition in these international locations.
Peer-to-peer marketing of this nature just isn’t new, however establishments nonetheless miss alternatives to pivot their content material methods in direction of genuine, pupil voices. Here are some straightforward methods to encourage college students to create extra content material and construct a optimistic model worth for his or her college.
Understand what motivates potential college students to attach with institutional manufacturers, ie, relatable student-generated content material. There needs to be a steadiness between the social media content material created by the marketing group and different stakeholders so as to current the college from totally different angles.
Let college students play a task in managing the establishment’s social media accounts. Universities can type a social media managing group with a pupil ambassador. They can seize the scholar expertise and share this by way of the official social media accounts. They can even assist promote the establishment’s hashtag to encourage extra college students to make use of it in their very own posts.
Get alumni on board. Former college students have lived and gained wealthy life experiences at a specific establishment earlier than transferring on to different initiatives and professions. Current and aspiring college students will look to them for inspiration.
Embed user-generated galleries on the establishment’s web site. Showcase the partaking content material that your college students, alumni or workers create in your web site. It is an effective way to carry some color to your college web site and create a optimistic and pleasant picture.
Driving elements of establishments’ model fairness
Brand fairness refers back to the worth endowed by the institutional model, which helps to mitigate dangers, similar to fewer candidates or pupil attrition, and differentiates a college from its rivals.
By constructing credibility, a college will improve its model fairness, our examine exhibits. To make enrolment choices, potential college students are depending on universities offering correct and truthful info. They wish to know that the establishment they apply to will ship on its guarantees. As establishments more and more use social media to share, talk and collaborate with present and potential college students, they need to make sure that the knowledge shared is reliable. To deal with these challenges, universities can:
Talk about college students’ ache factors. For instance, the marketing group may analysis what worries college students most and run a marketing campaign masking key ache factors and highlighting the help out there.
Create partaking video content material: utilizing quick movies, establishments can higher clarify diploma programmes, what they may contain, and the advantages to potential college students by way of social media.
Virtual campus excursions: give potential college students an perception into what the college is like in actual life by creating digital excursions of the campus. It might help potential college students get a extra genuine really feel for the establishment.
These methods to assist develop an establishment’s model fairness needs to be utilized in mixture so as to interact potential college students and encourage an enrolment choice.
This perception relies on a lately printed examine: “Higher training institutes’ model fairness in rising markets: Impact of social media marketing and model credibility” in Q1-ranked Journal of Marketing Communications.
Charitha Harshani Perera is a lecturer within the Faculty of Business and Law at Northumbria University.
Rajkishore Nayak is an affiliate professor, and Long Thang Van Nguyen is a senior lecturer within the School of Communication and Design at RMIT University, Vietnam.
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https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/why-universities-emerging-countries-should-invest-social-media-marketing
