Social Media Marketing, eWOM, and Enrollment Intention: The Mediating Role of Brand Awareness
https://doi.org/10.56225/jmsc.v4i2.501
Keywords:
Social Media Marketing, Electronic Word of Mouth, Brand Awareness, Intention to Enroll, Higher Education MarketingAbstract
This study examines the role of digital marketing strategies in influencing prospective students’ enrollment decisions in higher education. With the increasing importance of social media, universities are adopting Social Media Marketing Activities (SMMA) and Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) to enhance brand positioning and attract students. This study aims to analyze the effects of SMMA and eWOM on Brand Awareness and their impact on Intention to Enroll among prospective students of the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Pakuan. A quantitative explanatory approach was employed using survey data collected from 100 respondents through purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) with SmartPLS 4.0. The results indicate that SMMA has a positive and significant effect on Brand Awareness, while eWOM has a positive but insignificant effect on Brand Awareness. Furthermore, eWOM and Brand Awareness significantly influence Intention to Enroll, whereas SMMA does not have a direct significant effect on enrollment intention. Mediation analysis reveals that Brand Awareness significantly mediates the relationship between SMMA and Intention to Enroll but does not mediate the relationship between eWOM and enrollment intention. These findings suggest that social media marketing strategies primarily influence enrollment decisions indirectly through the formation of Brand Awareness, while eWOM directly affects students’ decision-making. The study concludes that higher education institutions should integrate SMMA and eWOM strategies by focusing on brand-building and encouraging positive peer-generated content to enhance student enrollment outcomes.
Downloads
References
Adhikari, S., Min, L., & Adhikari, B. P. (2025). The impact of social media content on enrollment decisions for bachelor’s level education programs in Nepal educational institutions. NPRC Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 2(12), 43–70.
Bilgin, Y. (2018). The effect of social media marketing activities on brand awareness, brand image and brand loyalty. Business & Management Studies: An International Journal, 6(1), 128–148. https://doi.org/10.15295/bmij.v6i1.229
Boufím, M., & Barka, H. (2021). Digital marketing: Five stages maturity model for digital marketing strategy implementation. International Journal of Business and Technology Studies and Research, 3(3), 1–15.
Chaffey, D., Ellis-Chadwick, F., & Mayer, R. (2009). Internet marketing: Strategy, implementation and practice. Pearson Education.
Godey, B., Manthiou, A., Pederzoli, D., Rokka, J., Aiello, G., Donvito, R., & Singh, R. (2016). Social media marketing efforts of luxury brands: Influence on brand equity and consumer behavior. Journal of Business Research, 69(12), 5833–5841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.04.181
Hair, J. F., Jr., Sarstedt, M., Hopkins, L., & Kuppelwieser, V. G. (2014). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM): An emerging tool in business research. European Business Review, 26(2), 106–121. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-10-2013-0128
Hennig-Thurau, T., Gwinner, K. P., Walsh, G., & Gremler, D. D. (2004). Electronic word-of-mouth via consumer-opinion platforms: What motivates consumers to articulate themselves on the Internet? Journal of Interactive Marketing, 18(1), 38–52. https://doi.org/10.1002/dir.10073
Ismail, I. J. (2025). A perceived usefulness of entrepreneurship education as a marketing model for students’ choice of universities: Does the electronic word of mouth matter? International Journal of Educational Management, 39(3), 617–636.
Jalilvand, M. R., & Samiei, N. (2012). The effect of electronic word of mouth on brand image and purchase intention: An empirical study in the automobile industry in Iran. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 30(4), 460–476. https://doi.org/10.1108/02634501211231946
Keller, K. L. (2016). Brand equity. In M. Augier & D. J. Teece (Eds.), The Palgrave encyclopedia of strategic management (pp. 1–5). Palgrave Macmillan.
Kharisma, A. Y., & Haryono, T. (2023). The role of social media marketing on brand awareness and student decisions to choose university. In Proceeding of International Conference on Science, Health, and Technology (pp. 509–521).
Kim, A. J., & Ko, E. (2012). Do social media marketing activities enhance customer equity? An empirical study of luxury fashion brand. Journal of Business Research, 65(10), 1480–1486. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.10.014
Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2016). Marketing management (15th ed.). Pearson Education Limited.
Mohseni, M. Z., & Titkanloo, S. J. (2022). The impact of social media marketing activities on student desires: Analysing the mediating role of brand identity, perceived value, and satisfaction. International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 16(3), 271–296.
Nguyen, L., Lu, V. N., Conduit, J., Tran, T. T. N., & Scholz, B. (2021). Driving enrolment intention through social media engagement: A study of Vietnamese prospective students. Higher Education Research & Development, 40(5), 1040–1055.
Pasaribu, I. X. W., & Achmadi, H. (2024). The influence of social media marketing on intention to enroll mediated by consumer brand engagement, brand awareness, and brand image in private universities in Jakarta and Tangerang. Transekonomika: Akuntansi, Bisnis dan Keuangan, 4(6), 950–965.
Ruangkanjanases, A., Sivarak, O., Wibowo, A., & Chen, S. C. (2022). Creating behavioral engagement among higher education’s prospective students through social media marketing activities: The role of brand equity as mediator. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1004573.
Setiadi, D., & Basri, A. I. (2022). Pengaruh elemen pemasaran media sosial terhadap brand awareness pada Instagram HMP Prodi Pendidikan Matematika Universitas PGRI Yogyakarta. Bisman (Bisnis dan Manajemen): The Journal of Business and Management, 5(2), 124–133. https://doi.org/10.37112/bisman.v5i2.2034
Wahab, A., Aqif, T., & Bint-e-Shehzad, Z. (2024). Studying the impact of e-marketing by universities on students’ loyalty with the mediation of intention to get enrollment and moderation of eWOM. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 16(5), 1486–1499.
Wijaya, H., Andri, R. C., & Rachmawati, D. (2023). Analysis of digital marketing strategies on interest and enrollment decisions of prospective new students in private higher education institutions in Indonesia (A case study of Jakarta Global University). Klabat Journal of Management, 4(2), 147–162.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
