CONTENT MARKETING IN ONLINE LEARNING PROGRAMS: A RESEARCH ON EU-FUNDED ‘E-PROFMAN’ PROJECT

Abstract

Online learning composes an important potential for today's knowledge-based economy because it is independent from time & location, has a learner centered and cost effective approach and it connects different profiles of learners. Promotion of online learning programs via e-marketing strategies in order to attract participants is vital. At this point, content marketing offers new opportunities for improving the promotion process of online learning programs in an atmosphere where individuals spend important amounts of time on the internet as consumers of digital content. Content marketing aims to answer the questions of target audience clearly and establish empathy by providing individuals with useful, relevant and reachable content. Within this framework, the study aims to develop an understanding of usage of content marketing in promotion activities of online learning programs that have participants from multiple countries. In order to realize this purpose, visitor behaviors on e-Profman’s (an EU-funded international online learning program) website was analyzed by using Google Analytics data. Based on the results, it is possible to state that promoting an online education program by sharing content about it on other websites is the most efficient way to pull visitors to the program's application website. However, findings point out that the most engaging visitors are attracted through content shared on social networks. Data analysis revealed that content about lecturers of the program is the most consumed one by potential applicants. Within the scope of research, it is also observed that differences of country of origins play an important role when it comes to navigating the program's website and finalizing the application process.