A Thematic Analysis of the use of Social Media Marketing in Higher Education

Abstract

A review of the empirical, peer-reviewed literature related to marketing in higher education was conducted to examine the use and effectiveness of social media in higher education institutions. Results from twelve peer-reviewed, empirical studies were thematically analyzed. Findings were outlined in a thematic map with three emergent themes: (a) why social media marketing is used in higher education, (b) the purposes for which social media marketing is being used in higher education, and (c) the effectiveness of the use of social media marketing in higher education. Results suggested prospective students still rely on the traditional forms of marketing, such as institutional web and print materials, although there is some evidence that social media is gaining prominence in their decision-making process. In summary, findings imply university marketers should strategically plan, including assessing student preference regarding social media communication, in order to embed social media marketing as an institution-wide tactic taking into account the collection of measurable analytics on the effectiveness of the effort.