Discover the world's research25+ million members160+ million publication billion citationsJoin for free IBIMA Publishing Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education Vol. 2019 2019, Article ID 267057, 11 pages, ISSN 2169-0359 DOI ______________ Cite this Article as Andriani KUSUMAWATI 2019," Impact of Digital Marketing on Student Decision-Making Process of Higher Education Institution A Case of Indonesia", Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education, Vol. 2019 2019, Article ID 267057, DOI Research Article Impact of Digital Marketing on Student Decision-Making Process of Higher Education Institution A Case of Indonesia Andriani KUSUMAWATI Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Administrative Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia andriani_kusuma Received date 25 February 2019; Accepted date 27 April2019; Published date 20 June 2019 Copyright © 2019. Andriani KUSUMAWATI. Distributed under Creative Commons CC-BY The number of higher education institution in Indonesia both public and private increased in the last decade. With this kind of competition, it is more important than ever that universities find new ways to stand out and effectively market themselves to prospective students. The importance of the digital media as commercial platform is generally recognized by now and universities increasingly adopt online marketing channels compared to traditional ones. A vital issue of this research paper is to discover the process by which students use digital media and more specifically what the media’s role is in the decision making process of choosing a university. This knowledge on the use of digital marketing in Higher Education Institutions HEIs especially as part of university marketing strategies is very crucial in order to compete for qualified students. The aim of this paper is to explore the impact of higher education institutions digital marketing on student decision making process. A qualitative research approach was employed in this study through semi-structured interviews, observation and documentation as data collection methods. This research involves a large public university in Indonesia which is actively engaged in managing institutional digital marketing media particularly at the university department of marketing and public relations. Creswell's analysis model was conducted and carried out inductively and interpreted with sentences that are logical and easily understood. Findings show that university marketing management engages with digital media since it has now become a trend in all the businesses around the globe including HEIs. Mostly, students engage social media to seek information about university before choosing the right one. The collaborative and engaging nature of social media provides an opportunity to balance the educational control since communication platform is built on opinions and experiences of students and other stakeholders. Keywords Digital Marketing, Decision-making process, Student, Higher Education Institutions HEIs, Indonesia. Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education 2 ________________________________________________________________________ ______________ Andriani KUSUMAWATI 2019, Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education, DOI Introduction The development of digital marketing in Indonesia continues to increase quite promising from time to time. Indonesia’s digital landscape is rapidly growing with the country’s more than 260 million populations along with the rapidly rising number of internet users, striking 40% of social media penetration rate, and developing infrastructure. Moreover, with the growing economy, the digital literacy, and the rising urban population, Indonesia has a potential to become a place of digital creativity GetCRAFT, 2017. A survey by GetCRAFT 2017 in the paper "Indonesia's Digital and Landscape Marketing Reports" explains that the proliferation of digital platforms and improved technology savviness are making consumers more discerning about how they spend their time online. With this, there is a real emerging mindset shift among marketers, as they start to think as a publisher to lure prospects to their own channels with compelling contents, among other strategies. Their survey also explains that the digital landscape will always be changing and will continue to do so. However, regardless the channel, customers will always stay as the focal point of all marketing strategies. Digital media offers a bright future for marketers because as technology improves, there will be more innovative, effective, and greater ways to serve the customers’ needs. According to Martin’s 2015 research that digital marketing has taken the world changes and the higher education sector is no exception. Without enrolment growth, colleges and universities will not sustain. College and universities have the challenge of maintaining relevance among students who are increasingly more reliant on technology as a communication source. This research result is in accordance with Sherman 2014 in Best Practices Guide "Proving the Value of Digital Marketing in Higher Education", she explains that higher education has been undergoing a transition for many years. Both internal and external challenges are faced by HEIs worldwide. This challenge requires higher education marketing to move from glossy brochures to social media and the web to capture prospective students’ attention. Colleges and universities are becoming more selective about spending and more aggressive in recruiting prospective students. On the other hand, increasing competition and rising prices have forced students to become more selective in their school choice. A salient research published by Lorange 2017 in also asserts that most of the universities and education institutions now report that they are using digital marketing in some capacity to engage with students and reach potential applicants, and increasingly, higher education providers are reporting high levels from their digital marketing campaigns. Khausik 2017 also identifies that approximately of the internet web page views come from mobile devices. This is the reason why most educational institutes are now looking to target the mobile audience for their marketing campaigns. It is estimated that mobile subscriptions will hit million by the end of 2019, and the major share of this population will be students between the ages of 18-25 years old. Also, more than two-thirds of these students say that they prefer to receive a mobile message for any updates or reminders, which makes mobile marketing crucial for the educational industry. To target this particular audience, educational institutes are now putting an effort to make their content interesting and in an easily accessible format, so that they do not miss out on any potential business. Although marketing touches every department and has a significant impact on the institution's success or failure Sherman, 2014, its aplication is not 3 Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education _______________________________________________________________________ ______________ Andriani KUSUMAWATI 2019, Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education, DOI easy. This is evidenced by Martin’s 2015 research who explains that higher education social media administrators have the ability to multitask carrying on conversations with multiple people at once, often across multiple platforms, and at times, using multiple devices. Social media administrators are problem solvers, pros at transparency, and express a desire and willingness to go the extra mile to help constituents because admins understand how one bad experience can translate into a negative comment that then may turn the tide of sentiment instantly, creating an uncomfortable situation for everyone. Higher education social media administrators are innovators. However, Martin further explains that higher education social media administrators are also understaffed, underfunded, and overwhelmed. Research stated that students often visit social media after first visiting an institution’s website. That means an enormous amount of traffic passes through institutionally sponsored social media accounts each day, 24 hours a day, and 365 days a year. In accordance with those challenges, the Indonesian Strategic Plan of Directorate of Higher Education which is implemented on the 2025 Higher Education Long Term Strategy HELTS mentions that Indonesia will regard itself as ― Smart and Competitive Indonesia in 2025 Anonim, 2002 in Syahid & Tulung, 2016. In 2015, several HEIs in Indonesia are encouraged to be an autonomous Higher Education in terms of management. At this point, one of emerging agendas that coincides with the rise of HELTS is the need to become a World Class University WCU for Higher Education in Indonesia Syahid & Tulung, 2016. This program requires HEIs in Indonesia to compete to be the best educational institution. It is also commensurate with the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education which is always reminiscent to all HEIs in Indonesia, both private and public to continue innovate. Consequently, HEIs in Indonesia can no longer compete only with the fellow HEIs within the country, but also prepare to compete around the world 2018 to attract international students. This strategy is also in accordance with the Law of The Republic of Indonesia number 12 2012, regarding Higher Education with the consideration that "in order to increase the national competitiveness to face the globalization in whole sectors, higher education is required to develop science and technology and produce intellectuals, scientists and/or professionals who are cultured and creative, tolerant, democratic, possess strong character, and brave to defend the truth in the interest of the nation." For this purpose, technology existence becomes prominence, which evidences that the role of digital marketing is imperative and mandatory. The issues related to digital marketing in HEIs are indispensable since digital marketing is able to accomplish internalization as one of Indonesian HELTS agenda. Therefore, this paper focuses on the role of digital marketing for both marketers and students, and also examines the influence of university digital marketing on the students’ choice of higher education institution. Digital Marketing and Higher Education Institution Digital marketing is often referred to as 'online marketing', 'internet marketing' or 'web marketing'. Digital marketing is an umbrella term for the marketing of products or services using digital technologies, mainly on the Internet, but it also includes mobile phones, display advertising, and any other digital medium Sathya, 2017. At the same time, according to Stokes 2013 digital Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education 4 ________________________________________________________________________ ______________ Andriani KUSUMAWATI 2019, Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education, DOI marketing helps to create consumer demand by using the power of the interconnected and interactive web or in other words by using the power of the Internet, and satisfies this demand in new and innovative ways. It enables the exchange of currency but, more than that, it enables the exchange of attention for value. An article published by Williams 2017 in Forbes Community Voice explains that the modern marketer must be extremely agile. But while change spawns creativity, the goals of marketing remain constant. Organization hires a marketer to communicate the right message at various stages of the funnel, raise brand awareness and loyalty, drive traffic and customer engagement, and implement methods that lead to conversions and sales. Although Forbes gives key digital marketing trends to prepare for in 2017-2018 which are all changing the profession, the basis for long-term success is unchanged Human marketers must be determined to adapt. Tiago and Verissimo 2014 maintain that human interactions have changed significantly due to engagement on social networks; the rapid growth of web platforms has facilitated behavioral changes related to activities, habitats and interactions. Consumer behavior changes require organizations to re-strategy their marketing activities in digital space. Together with these processes, organizations must also be aware of how consumers’ attitudes, values, and belief impact their digital marketing campaigns Al Kailani & Kumar, 2011, this proves that the two areas; business intelligence BI and customer insight CI need to be brought together to support a company’s interactive marketing Stone & Woodcock, 2013. According to Stone and Woodcock 2013, applications or content for digital marketing can be designed to engage with the consumer at any time and in any place, with the purpose of informing, educating, entertaining or providing insights for the brand. It is not just limited to casual information seeking for entertainment or leisure but has become a significant platform for taking crucial career decisions. Due to the recent trends in technological advancements, marketing channels and consumer behaviors have seen a shift which has impacted the consumer decision making process when it comes to product purchases. Consumers’ engagement with brands has changed, thus organizations need to adapt their marketing strategies to reach them. Digital marketing in higher education is considered important particularly since HEIs were pressured by the intense global competition. According to Maringe 2006, higher education has been transformed from the dependency of funding by government to the competitive markets. The transformation of higher education from the dependency on government funding to the competitive market indicates that universities have to compete for students in the recruitment markets. Therefore, it is important for the universities to understand ways to attract students and how to market themselves Kusumawati, 2013. Furthermore, Choudaha and Chang 2012 warn that the environment of intense competition globally amongst universities and budget cuts pressure universities to become more strategic and to focus on international student recruitment. This situation makes international student recruitment a highly valuable component to the financial viability of many universities in the United States and other countries. But recruitment of international students comes at a cost which relates to university budgets. Therefore, apart from using the traditional forms of recruitment methods, universities need to look beyond and experiment other forms of recruitment including social media Choudaha & Chang, 2012. They advise that in-depth understanding of global 5 Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education _______________________________________________________________________ ______________ Andriani KUSUMAWATI 2019, Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education, DOI student mobility trends and their decision-making process will help consolidate institutional recruitment efforts more effectively. In article "Digital marketing trends for higher education in 2017", Joly 2016 asserts that higher education marketing leaders have to master the art of blending powerful and personalized customer experiences with the science of measuring and optimizing the impact of their initiatives. This proves that higher education managers or directors now have to work extra hard to get high quality graduates. In this case, no different from other industries, competition among universities to attract prospective students is also very dependent on the strength of each college brand, regardless of the quality of college management and graduate output. There are bonding relations that is; the quality factor is also very much determining the strength of the college brand, in addition to other elements that form the power of the brand. In such, digital marketing in higher education is an essential part of recruitment, retention and communication process either for stakeholder, government, or shareholder. Starting from enrolment to on-campus awareness, creating an effective digital strategy helps colleges and universities target the students that are right for their school, and reach others who may be part of their personal need but without knowing it. Digital marketing in higher education is also important in connecting with alumni who may be active boosters and supporters or could be re-engaged with specific strategies Spilker, 2017. The digital media phenomenon has begun to influence both higher education and students’ decision-making process. On the part of students looking for potential universities or colleges to attend, they use social media and other new online communication channels to obtain information and other related university information. Research Method In order to conduct the study, a case study approach including interviews combined with observations has been used. A case study often investigates a social phenomenon or a general perspective of a specific subject Yin, 2009; Christensen et al., 2010. For this research, a large public university in Indonesia was selected as a case site. A case study research is used to study the contemporary phenomenon in its real-life context Yin, 1994 and it can be used where the research and theory are at their early, formative stages Benbasat et al., 1987. Since the study strived for a broader understanding and deeper knowledge of marketing within HEIs; interviews, and observations were used. Due to the interest of conducting a study within the field of marketing of HEIs and how such institutions attract and enroll students, the study was delimited towards a public university in Indonesia. This suited the study´s purpose as recommendations from strengthening marketing approaches have been constructed towards how the public university could attract and enroll students. The introduction described the conditions that are taking place in the industry of HEIs, in combination with problems that Indonesia is facing towards competition within this industry. This was an influencing factor for the chosen topic since the recommendations presented constructive outputs not only for this university, but also for further studies within HEIs and higher education in Southeast Asia. The higher education industry in Indonesia has recently received a lot of attention due to increased competition and enhanced establishment of HEIs Kusumawati, 2013. Since this study area is not that elaborated Hemsley-Brown & Oplatka, 2006 it also influenced the choice of topic. Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education 6 ________________________________________________________________________ ______________ Andriani KUSUMAWATI 2019, Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education, DOI Data was collected using semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders of university marketing and recruitment management officer. Each interview included questions about the background of the organization, as well as its marketing and recruitment management practice, the participants' roles, and their views about the role of digital marketing for promoting the institution as well as influencing student choice of university. Additional information was obtained from students’ participant and secondary data including reports and internal and external documents. Observation of digital media used by the university was also employed in order to complement the interviews. The purpose of these observations was to carry out a within-case Yin, 2009 analysis based on multiple forms of data from a respective university. This enabled a more in-depth analysis, in comparison to only using a data from the staff and student interviews. Findings and Discussion Brawijaya University was first established into a state university on January 5, 1963, following a Presidential Decree issued earlier in the same year. This date was later promulgated as UB’s anniversary specifically called Dies Natalies among Indonesian academic society members with acronym of UNBRA and then UNIBRAW, before UB being inaugurated as the official acronym of Universitas Brawijaya in 2008. With approximately 60,000 students in various degrees ranging from the Diploma Program, Bachelor’s Degree Program, Master’s Degree Program, Doctoral Degree Program, and Medical Specialist Program, in 16 Faculties, UB is the 5th largest university in Indonesia according to Webometrics world university ranking on 2017. Based on 4ICU world university ranking, UB’s position on 2018 is on the 4th rank in Indonesia, going upward from the previous year’s rank of the 6th. On Southeast Asia level, UB is on the 17th. At present, UB’s website has a comprehensive and professional design look. Information such as student’s admission, selection of degree programs, faculty-related links, and student services are available. However, the website only provides basic information typically in a roundabout manner and lacks depth in the info it could provide for potential students. A comment left behind by some of the students particularly mentioned that, “The website is not quite informative” and that information “did not give me confidence applying to UB”. There is no complete information of the necessary courses for each degree, or detail on what these courses require. Other information that might be considered important for prospective students such as housing accommodation and location assistance maps were not provided and difficult to find. In terms of social media, UB has done well for itself with Facebook, as from this writing with 34,864 followers, Twitter with 159,000 followers, and Instagram with more than 40,000 followers. Beside these three social media, YouTube, Flickr, and RSS were also utilised by UB. Furthermore, on these social media pages, they do not show too much activity from students; most activities are from the university itself with slight to no reposts or comments by the followers. Digital Marketing as Marketing Strategy Stone and Woodcock 2013 explain that most corporations must now "market in a digital world". Pride and Ferrel 2016 explain that digital marketing uses all digital media, including the internet and mobile and interactive channels to develop communication and exchanges with customers. In the other hand, Stoke 2013 explains that digital marketing helps to create consumer demand by using the power of internet and satisfies this demand in new and innovative ways. 7 Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education _______________________________________________________________________ ______________ Andriani KUSUMAWATI 2019, Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education, DOI The argument of Stone and Woodcock 2013 as well as the theory of digital marketing from Pride and Ferrel 2016 and Stoke 2013 support the research result obtained from the interview. The Research result from the public university can be described as follows 1 Digital marketing in the HEI environment is a marketing strategy that employs through websites, social media, and other electronic media where these channels are a fast and inexpensive means of promotion, and are efficient given the distance and time; 2 Digital marketing in university environment is very useful for both university management and student. For university, digital marketing plays as promotional and communication tools, while for students, digital marketing might influence their choice of university, since the media provides two way communications and interaction as source of information obtained very fast, clearly and communicatively; 3 Digital marketing in the university environment acts as a lifestyle that constantly changing society such as using social media. Consequently, it can be concluded that university marketing uses digital media as one of its marketing strategies that are much needed and becoming a compulsory. This case is because the demands to follow the patterns of society life always change together with the rapid development of technology. The Interview from the public university shows digital marketing as one of the marketing strategies that have engagement, such as 1 Creating student awareness for more recognition regarding the university's services; 2 Digital marketing has a high impact to reach a large number of students; 3 It’s for a low cost and provides a good return on investment; 4 Have the ability to display a wider service range due to the digital capabilities, for example easiness of communication and collecting feedback quickly; 5 Enables the public universities to quickly adapt their marketing initiatives to keep up with the recent trends; 6 Enables the public universities to provide engaging content and have different marketing communication dynamics across the different channels. Therefore, this research result is supporting previous research conducted by Reddy 2016 which complemented Stokes’s idea who asserts that digital marketing has provided a new source of information for consumers and a platform to be social. On the other hand, Stokes’ 2013 idea claims that digital marketing strategy has the essential guide both of context, value exchange, objectives, tactics and evaluation. The entire guide has each roles and engagement impacts. The participants; both public university management and student, reveal that digital marketing space is easier to provide support and access an information compared with traditional marketing. University aligned their information through the digital marketing and traditional marketing channels so that the student receives the similar information. University always improves the communication approach on digital marketing programs in order to be more effective into their overall marketing strategies. Student Response to Digital Marketing Channel Research conducted by Martin 2015 explains that in higher education, social media has the multitasking ability, carrying on conversation with multiple people at once, often across multiple platforms, and at times, using multiple devices. The participant from this public university in Indonesia who employs digital marketing channels explains that social media and email are multitasking and also provide the way of communication easier or efficient when they connect with their students. Most of the participants give the opinion that digital marketing only serve as additional Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education 8 ________________________________________________________________________ ______________ Andriani KUSUMAWATI 2019, Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education, DOI information on student choice of university since the decision was initiated by them. This result confirms Martin’s 2015 research, who found that digital marketing could be a problem solver. Martin 2015 also explain that digital marketing pros at transparency, express a desire and a willingness to go extra mile to help college’s admin to filter like negative or positive comment in digital platforms. In this case, it is directly related with the current research result which found that digital marketing has a widespread impact, all information that students need can be searched through websites or social media but it is also an obstacle if something bad happens such as negative comments about public university or hoax which will quickly spread. The unfavorable experience requires public university to be aware since it causes losses, and therefore, they have to clarify the negative comment into positive comment effectively. HEIs should be absolutely certain that they are not missing valuable opportunities to connect with students. Students often post questions that go unnoticed or unanswered. Sometimes, student approached to ask several questions through university digital media, therefore, HEI's should response those queries by utilizing a department or division to handle those enquires timely. When student queries are not responded by university, they might turn to a competing institution with the same question. HEIs must be present, available, accessible, and responsive in order to connect with students in digital marketing such as social media. Digital Marketing Engagement Impacts on Student Decision Making Process Digital marketing on student decision making processes is something that should change the purpose of digital marketing in educational institutions which only made it previously as a trend to provide information either to stakeholders or shareholders of a process that does not become just to know, especially students. It aims at directing students to have knowledge, making decisions new thoughts or views and solving problems in HEI as a success of the use of HEI's digital marketing, it also builds a good relationship between HEIs and students since both parties understand each other. Noel 2009 states that marketing is a satisfying consumers' needs profitably, if marketers understand their consumers' needs and satisfy these needs. This is evidenced by the results of the interviews obtained from the public university showing that the marketing teams from the university still did not fully understand the needs of prospective students or scholars, they only followed the development of technology without seeing the real strategies and tactics so that the outcomes obtained were not satisfactory. The result of the interview from students also explains that their university does not completely understand the real needs of the students who always wanted to get satisfactory service both from the point of view of web design, the information conveyed and other digital marketing, there are even some misconceptions by students about who manages digital platforms in their university. On the other hand, students also cannot deny that digital marketing helps them in making decisions, they emphasize that the information they got through digital marketing only serve as an additional source in the decision making process. This research finding which explores digital marketing engagement on student decision making processes is also related with Kotler and Armstrong’s 2014 concept who reveal that consumers pass through all five stages with every purchase but in more routine purchases, consumers often skip or reverse some of these stages. This argument also meets the conditions faced by students or 9 Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education _______________________________________________________________________ ______________ Andriani KUSUMAWATI 2019, Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education, DOI prospective students when choosing a university. In relation to the above literature, all participants indicated that digital marketing does trigger the student’s need. Identifying the need of tertiary education is the first critical step in the student decision making process, as student should have a motivation for going to further study which might bring out better future of their career path and their own prestige to achieve the highest level of education. Digital marketing plays an important role in influencing students in identifying a need for education and through the digital space, Public Universities can align their marketing strategies to target students. The next stage is the illustration of digital marketing's engagement impact on student choice, which consists of information search and evaluation of alternatives in the student decision making process. According to Kotler and Armstrong 2014, an interested consumer may or may not search for more information. If the consumer’s drive is strong and a satisfying product is near at hand, he or she is likely to buy it then. If not, the consumer may store the need in memory or undertake an information search related to their need. The student processes information in order to find the right choice of education institution. In this step, students are not using a simple and a single evaluation process in all their choice situations. However, students went through evaluating the choice alternatives depending on the individual or a specific choice situation. Instead of student choosing by their own reference, sometimes they choose according to their family's recommendation. On the fifth stage, this can be more explain from the student retention of university or required situations of students to keep updating the information from their university. Conclusions This case study provided a better understanding of digital marketing impact on student decision making process in Higher Education Institutions HEIs in Indonesian Public University. The results emphasis that university marketing management employs digital media since its now becomes a trend in all businesses around the globe including HEIs. Moreover, in this year, digital marketing has vast progressed from previous year and educational institutions also take part of this technology advance which is always connected with their student via internet. Digital marketing is very essential and becomes a mandatory for all HEIs including public university as it follows the habit of current generation which continuously changes along with the rapid development of technology. Such digital marketing provides a low cost communication, a good return on investment, and has an ability to reach a wider community as well as ability to display whole service range due to the digital capabilities. Either public university or students also mention that they are easier to distribute and obtain information through digital marketing media compared with traditional marketing. Various interactions and responses could be obtained through social media since it has a multitasking function such as two ways communication, as well as being more effective and efficient with provided facilities such as comment columns, they also provide video and photo with little caption thus, they are easier to be understood by their audience. Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education 10 ________________________________________________________________________ ______________ Andriani KUSUMAWATI 2019, Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education, DOI References 1. 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It has been found that students rely heavily on various digital platforms to gather information regarding various offers, thus greatly influencing their decision-making process Kusumawati, 2019. Digital marketing activities, in the context of the educational sector, offer a variety of opportunities, such as the use of social networks for advertising and information exchange purposes, websites, student and expert reviews, video marketing, search engine optimization and influencer marketing. ... Vesna N BaltezarevicIn recent years, the education sector has faced increased competition both locally and globally. Existing marketing activities become insufficient and inadequate. The education sector is forced to approach innovative methods to ensure visibility and competitive advantage, as well as for promotional messages to reach the targeted group. For education sector, students and potential future students represent the primary target group. In order to attract new students and keep those who are in the process of studying, it is necessary for educational institutions to adapt their marketing strategies to the new conditions and preferences of this segment of potential consumers. Given that members of the younger population are increasingly focused on the digital environment, the application of traditional marketing methods does not provide satisfactory results. Generations of young people are most often in a virtual environment where they exchange information, messages and where they encounter promotional activities regarding education. Digital marketing tools which are primarily oriented towards the digital environment, can enable more efficient interaction with students consumers, as well as to hear the needs and wishes of this target group through a two-way communication channel, which can help them to prepare an adequate response through a customized marketing campaign. Digital methods, in addition to bringing significant savings in marketing activities compared to traditional ones, provide better differentiation of organizations, better image and can help in creating a large base of loyal consumers. Among the many digital marketing activities, website SEO optimization for search engines, social media content marketing, influencer engagement and review updates have proven to be the most effective in the education sector. Keywords Education sector, Digital environment, Digital marketing, Students... Kusumawati believes that digital media is an important element in the decision-making process of students about which college to choose. It has been found that students rely heavily on various digital platforms to gather information regarding various offers, thus greatly influencing their decision-making process Kusumawati, 2019. Digital marketing activities, in the context of the educational sector, offer a variety of opportunities, such as the use of social networks for advertising and information exchange purposes, websites, student and expert reviews, video marketing, search engine optimization and influencer marketing. ... Meltem yıldızCharacter Strenghts, Subjective Well-Being, Pandemic, Turkish High School Students... AIDA Model Business, as defined by Mackey et al., 2013, "is the voluntary exchange of value generated by two parties." As such, it is crucial for business executives to understand the decision-making process clients go through when making a purchase Kusumawati, 2019. Marketing campaigns and advertisements may sway consumers at this phase of the buying process Dahiya & Gayatri, 2018, and pricing and other visible details may influence their decisions. ...Rahmat Aidil DjubairRelationship of AIDA Model towards Data Analytics Capabilities, Marketing Strategies and Digital Marketing Performance on Small and Medium Enterprises SMEs... Bagi perguruan tinggi, digital marketing berperan sebagai alat promosi dan komunikasi, sedangkan untuk pelajar, digital marketing mempengaruhi pilihan perguruan tinggi, karena menyediakan komunikasi dua arah sebagai sumber informasi yang diperoleh sangat cepat, jelas dan komunikatif. Sehingga, pemasaran menggunakan media digital merupakan salah satu strategi pemasaran Kusumawati, 2019. ...Rustiana SetyowatiJumlah perguruan tinggi di Indonesia dari tahun ke tahun semakin bertambah. Karena hal tersebut, perguruan tinggi khususnya perguruan tinggi swasta perlu menyusun strategi merebut hati calon mahasiswa baru sehingga berminat untuk memilih perguruan tinggi tersebut sebagai tempat melanjutkan studinya. Digital marketing melalui media sosial membuka cara baru bagi perguruan tinggi untuk berinteraksi dengan siswa, dan menjadi alat yang ampuh untuk menyebarkan pesan sehingga meningkatkan branding perguruan tinggi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh digital marketing terhadap keputusan pemilihan program studi/perguruan tinggi. Jenis penelitian ini adalah penelitian deskriptif. Sampel penelitian siswa SMA kelas 12 di Indonesia yang dibagi dua wilayah. Pengumpulan data menggunalan kuesioner online dengan giveaway. Analisis data menggunakan analisis deskriptif dan regresi linier berganda. Hasil penelitian menunjukkah bahwa Ada hubungan antara interesting content dengan keputusan masuk perguruan tinggi Coef= 95% CI Faktor lain yang berhubungan dengan keputusan masuk perguruan tinggi adalah interactive communication Coef=0,78, 95% CI 0,53– Good Product Description Coef= 95% CI Contest and Giveaway Coef= 95% CI advertising Coef= 95% CI Kesimpulan dari hasil penelitian ini yaitu digital marketing berhubungan dengan keputusan masuk perguruan paper provided a detailed description of a new method for defining weight coefficients of criteria which is called Defining Interrelationships Between Ranked Criteria II DIBR II. The method is based on defining significance of adjacent ranked criteria by decision-makers, respectively, experts. Based on the defined significance values, the weight coefficients of criteria are calculated using a simple mathematical apparatus. This approach eliminates certain shortcomings of previous methods which is used to calculate the weight coefficients of criteria. The application of the DIBR II method is presented using two illustrative coefficients of criteriaDefining interrelationships between Ranked Criteria II DIBR IIMulti-criteria decision-making MCDMWith rapid developments in Information and Communication Technology ICT sector prevailing over the present age of Industry the nature of traditional marketing has undergone a paradigm shift. The recent pandemic has reflected the need of more emphasis on technology-enabled marketing. It is said the battle is now on digital space. Digital Marketing DM has become a key strategic advantage for the organizations. The age of Industry has enabled generation of a massive volume of data at lightning speed with extremely high variety and capturing with improved hardware technology. However, it is important to derive actionable insight out of the data for formulating appropriate decision on time. Here comes the importance of marketing automation tools that help in proper organization of captured data from various sources including social media on a real-time basis for aiding the strategic decision-making process and action planning. Likewise, all sectors, education industry, particularly higher educational institutes HEI have witnessed a transformational change in recent years in the admission process. With more reliance on digital media, the HEIs have felt the need to acquire, nurture, engage and optimize the potential inquiries or “leads” for enhancing the enrollment. In this context, the present paper aims to compare a set of recently developed marketing automation tools such as chat BOT, Whatsapp Business API, Google Tracking, etc. from the perspective of effective lead management and optimization for improving the return on investment ROI. For this purpose, in the present paper we propose a novel extension of a very recently developed multi-criteria decision-making MCDM algorithm such as Preference Ranking on the Basis of Ideal-Average Distance PROBID with q-Rung Orthopair Fuzzy qROF information wherein the criteria weights are determined by using qROF-based entropy method. We carry out the sensitivity analysis and validation test that reflect the stability and validity of the marketingAutomated lead managementHigher education admissionq-Rung Orthopair Fuzzy Sets qROFSPreference Ranking on the Basis of Ideal-Average Distance PROBIDEntropy methodNaseem Abdulghaffar Saeed BazuhairPurpose The aim of this study is to examine the extent to which business administration students are aware of the role of digital marketing in the growth of electronic commerce. Theoretical framework Business administration students are asked to examine the role of digital marketing in the evolution of electronic commerce. The study examines the effect of gender, academic level, field training, and digital marketing experience on business administration students' understanding of digital marketing. Methodology The research community consists of students in the College of Business Administration at the undergraduate level. The sample was 230 male and female students 95 males and 135 females from the University of Tabuk. The study tool measured the awareness of business administration students about digital marketing and the development of electronic commerce. Findings The results came all expressions were high, and the emergence of the most increased responses showed a significant challenge in the importance of students' awareness of digital marketing in the growth of electronic commerce. Research, Practical & Social implications It is clear from the above that there are no statistically significant differences in the understanding of business administration students of the role of digital marketing in the growth of electronic commerce according to a variable gender, courses in digital marketing and electronic commerce, experience in digital marketing. Originality/value We understand that there are many studies that discussed the digital marketing but we believe that the value of this study lies in the novelty of focusing on the awareness of business administration students of this interesting Mohammad Al-hawajrehAlaa Radwan Al-NawaisehReham Zuhier Qasim AlmomaniAnber Abraheem Shlash MohammadThe major aim of the study was to examine the impact of strategic leadership on implementing public policies in government departments in Karak Governorate. Therefore, it was focused on government departments in Karak Governorate in Jordan. Data were primarily gathered through questionnaires which were distributed to a random sample of 175 respondent. In total, 175 responses were received including 5 invalid to statistical analysis due to uncompleted or inaccurate. Hence, the final sample contained 170 responses. Structural equation modeling SEM was conducted to test hypotheses. The study reached the presence of a statistically significant effect of strategic leadership on the implementation of public policies. The study recommended the necessity of paying attention to human capital in government departments in Karak governorate and enhancing interest in ethical practices from major implications in planning activities and processes and participation with stakeholders in providing services and preserving government departments’resources in Karak Matar Al-AdamatNisreen Ahmad Fares FalakiMajed Kamel Ali Al-Azzam Muhammad Turki AlshuridehThis study aims to identifying the impact of digital marketing on the mental image of students at private universities in Jordan. The population of the study consisted of all the higher education students in the private Jordanian universities in 18 universities numbering 6381. The study sample was chosen randomly, and it consisted of 359 male and female students. The distribution of the questionnaire was done through an electronic link by Google Drive and was sent to the students with the collaboration of the deanship of students’ affairs. To conduct this study, the analytical and descriptive method was used. The results of the study showed a statistically significant effect of digital marketing on the mental image of students at private universities in Jordan. Based on the study results, the researchers recommend managers and decision makers of the private universities in Jordan to enhance their interactive advertisements on the pages of others, enhance the pricing of their educational services, and make updates on their marketing channels to achieve a positive Rajasekar Sreeramana AithalPurpose With reference to cadets' decision-making on a maritime career, the goal of this research is to identify the digital marketing channels in maritime education. Design/Methodology/approach The data for the descriptive study was gathered from maritime education cadets attending in private maritime universities. Using a structured questionnaire and the convenience sampling approach, 60 respondents were chosen as the study's sample size. Findings The results of the empirical investigation show that the target group under study has a high level of awareness regarding digital marketing channels in maritime education. Practical Implications To be familiar with digital marketing platforms and their profound influence on cadets' decision-making in maritime education. Originality/Value The impact of cadet decision-making in maritime education utilizing digital marketing has been examined using descriptive and t-test analysis. Type of the Paper Empirical purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships among academic research, marketing practice, and marketing education as a result of the emerging consumer behaviour in digital environments. Subsequently, the proposed conceptual framework would set the basis for the examination of specific aspects of the above relationships through an empirical study. A review of special issues, a sample of publications, and a content analysis, indicate the increasing interest of researchers in digital marketing applications within different contexts. Practitioners increasingly recognize the impact of digital marketing developments on their marketing strategies; however marketing education may not equip graduates with what businesses want in order to implement effectively such strategies. A sample of marketing programs also shows that the response of marketing educators would rather be the introduction of new or modified courses focusing on digital marketing. The need for further research is – The purpose of this systematic review was to explore the nature of the marketing of higher education HE and universities in an international context. The objectives of the review were to systematically collect, document, scrutinise and critically analyse the current research literature on supply‐side higher education marketing; establish the scope of higher education marketing; identify gaps in the research literature; and make recommendations for further research in this field. Design/methodology/approach – The approach for this study entailed extensive searches of relevant business management and education databases. The intention was to ensure that, as far as possible, all literature in the field was identified – while keeping the focus on literature of greatest pertinence to the research questions. Findings – The paper finds that potential benefits of applying marketing theories and concepts that have been effective in the business world are gradually being recognised by researchers in the field of HE marketing. However, the literature on HE marketing is incoherent, even inchoate, and lacks theoretical models that reflect upon the particular context of HE and the nature of their services. Research limitations/implications – The research field of HE marketing is still at a relatively pioneer stage with much research still to be carried out both from a problem identification and strategic perspective. Originality/value – Despite the substantial literature on the marketisation of HE and consumer behaviour, scholarship to provide evidence of the marketing strategies that have been implemented by HE institutions on the supply‐side remains limited, and this is relatively uncharted territory. This paper reviews the literature in the field, focusing on marketing strategies in the rapidly developing HE international Al Rachna KumarThe purpose of this research is to investigate factors impacting internet buying in three cultures USA, India, and Jordan. While several consumer characteristics impacting internet buying have been studied in previous research, there has been relatively little research which studies the factors across national cultures. Internet buying and commerce has a global reach and several corporations count on global markets for expansion and growth. As a result, it is critical to understand the particular nature of differences in consumer characteristics impacting internet buying in different countries and cultures. This paper reports on an empirical study, which tests the impact of consumer characteristics uncertainty avoidance and perceived risk on internet buying. Data was collected and analyzed from USA, Jordan, and India. Results indicate that in cultures where uncertainty avoidance is high, perceived risk with internet, buying is also high, and this impacts internet buying negatively. Cultures where perceived risk is high, it impacts internet buying negatively. Results provide practical implications to web based vendors on consumer characterize that should be taken into account when marketing online in different cultures. Results also provide valuable insights into the nature of internet buying and the factors that limit internet-buying acceptance across article explains how social media channels enable brands and companies to engage with consumers. It builds on the authors' work on customer management strategies, showing how social media can be used throughout the customer management cycle. The authors suggest that for social media to be used effectively in support of the above strategies, companies must be fully aware of the effect social media are having upon marketing, develop the required social media capabilities, identify strategies which use these capabilities to support overall marketing strategy and prioritise carefully how they want to use social media. The required capabilities relate to the following areas measurement; workflow management and agility, execution, brand and proposition management, customer experience management partner management, data management; technology; direction and leadership; people and culture; insights and planning; and channels and student recruitment is becoming integral to the financial health of many higher education institutions worldwide, in addition to remaining an important means of attracting talent and expanding campus purpose of this research report is to provide a thorough understanding of the trends and issues related to international student present this research in two primary sections. First, we provide an overview of international student mobility to four host countries – the the UK, Australia and Canada in the context of major policy reforms. Then we provide an in-depth analysis of international enrollment trends in the with emphasis on emerging recruitment practices and institutional examples supporting these conclude that the perception of improved employment prospects will strengthen among international students, and the stringent immigration policies of the UK are likely to divert some traffic to destinations such as the Australia and Canada. International students will continue to display diversified choices of destination and will gravitate toward enrolling in English language programs and studying at the Bachelor’s level. Comprehensive report available for download from WENR link. Jose Manuel Cristóvão VerissimoTeresa TiagoChanges in consumer behavior require firms to rethink their marketing strategies in the digital domain. Currently, a significant portion of the associated research is focused more on the customer than on the firm. To redress this shortcoming, this study adopts the perspective of the firm to facilitate an understanding of digital marketing and social media usage as well as its benefits and inhibitors. The second generation of Internet-based applications enhances marketing efforts by allowing firms to implement innovative forms of communication and co-create content with their customers. Based on a survey of marketing managers, this article shows that firms face internal and external pressures to adopt a digital presence in social media platforms. Firms’ digital marketing engagement can be categorized according to perceived benefits and digital marketing usage. To improve digital marketing engagement, marketers must focus on relationship-based interactions with their customers. This article demonstrates how some firms are already accomplishing just Paper Final Indonesia's Digital and Content Marketing Reports in 2017, 'White Paper Final Indonesia's Digital and Content Marketing Reports in 2017,' Retrieved from /indonesia-digital...Students' Perception of Choice Criteria in the Selection of an Indonesian Public University', University of Wollongong Thesis CollectionA KusumawatiKusumawati, A. 2013, 'Students' Perception of Choice Criteria in the Selection of an Indonesian Public University', University of Wollongong Thesis Collection. Retrieved from 8. Kaushik, S. 2017, 'Current Digital Marketing Stats and Trends in Education Industry," accessed on January 28 th 2018 from Education Digital MarketingP LorangeLorange, P. 2017, 'Higher Education Digital Marketing', accessed on January 28 th 2018 from her-ed-marketing/Higher-Education-Digital-MarketingSocial Media Engagement and Collegiate Recruitment An Examination of the Use of Social Networks in the College Recruitment and Student Choice Processes', Dissertations. Paper 93C M MartinMartin, C. M. 2015, 'Social Media Engagement and Collegiate Recruitment An Examination of the Use of Social Networks in the College Recruitment and Student Choice Processes', Dissertations. Paper 93. Retrieved from