Social Media Marketing in Education: Leveraging Platforms for Student Engagement and Recruitment in China

Mei Zhang
School of Humanities and Education, Guangzhou Institute of Science and Technology, Guangzhou 510540, China
Xinping Dong, Ph.D
Associate Professor, School of Business, Ningbo Tech University, Ningbo 315100, China.

Abstract:

Having noted the increased use of social media for entertainment and marketing purposes, the researcher sought to determine how best to utilize the growing coverage in the context of marketing higher education institutions in China. The ideology of utilizing social media platforms for engaging with potential students is founded on the fact that it is a strategic platform that allows institutions to reach students easily. The main objective of the completed study is to determine how to best leverage social media as a marketing platform to engage potential students. Through the application of a mixed methodology, the researcher was able to develop a conceptual framework that guided the study on what to cover regarding student engagement and recruitment. It was found by the researcher that WeChat is the most popular social media among the sampled respondents. Additionally, users preferred socializing through the platform, and not many of them used it solely for searching for advertisements. Therefore, the researcher recommends that advertisers involve some level of entertainment and socializing when initiating engagement. Currently, it is important to consider what such social and entertaining advertisements have had on students' perceptions of the institution after they enroll.