Effiom Effiom Inameti Ph.D.*
&
Dick Diepriye I. J. Ph.D
Department of Entrepreneurship and Marketing
Faculty of Management Sciences
Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State, Nigeria
*For correspondence, email: inametiee@fuotuoke.edu.ng
Abstract
Higher brand awareness and a wider pool of potential students are typically displayed by universities with robust online presences, interesting content, and focused advertising strategies. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the digitalization of marketing strategies affected the brand awareness of a few private universities in south-south Nigeria. Four research hypotheses were put to the test. The study was driven by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). A cross-sectional online survey design was used. The study’s participants were nineteen (19) private universities that were authorized by the NUC. Using Cochran’s formula, a sample size of 384 respondents were selected from an unlimited population. The research tool was a structured questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale. For data analysis, the multiple regression analytical tool was used with the help of SPSS version 23. According to the study, private universities’ brand awareness is positively impacted by the four aspects of digital marketing strategy that were taken into account. Therefore, in order to reach a larger audience of potential students, we suggested, among other things, that universities give priority to digital marketing tactics like social media marketing, search engine optimization, and content marketing.
Keywords: marketing strategy, brand awareness, private universities, digitalization
