Social Media Marketing Influence on Private University Student Enrollment Decisions in Kenya

Abstract: The study sought to investigate the influence of digital marketing strategies adopted by private universities on student enrollment decisions in Kenya. The study employed a survey design targeting a population of 69,375 students across three private universities in Kenya. The respondents were the currently enrolled students at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels of study. The study obtained a sample size of 375 respondents. The respondents were selected using a stratified random sampling technique. Data was collected from primary sources using a structured questionnaire and analyzed through descriptive statistics (mean scores, percentages, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (correlation and regression analysis).  The findings indicated that social media marketing improves student enrollment decisions in a significant manner. It was recommended that the private universities in Kenya should consider social media marketing in their education service promotion approach. The process of tailoring the promotional messages through social media must emphasise engaging in Q&A chatbots and short-form educational videos, like Instagram reels, Tik Tok, and YouTube shorts.

Private universities, Student enrollemnt decisions,social media marketing, Kenya

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