The role of social networks in enrollment strategy of universities in Vietnam

Abstract

It is increasingly vital for universities to compete more and more to attract students with better input quality. Enrollment consultation has become an important part of the enrollment strategy of higher education institutions. In Vietnam, robust development of information technology infrastructure, declining prices of services and equipment and increasingly widespread applications of social networking have resulted in the growing role social media in communication and enrollment strategy of universities. This study compares the change in social media usage, specifically, videos on the social network facebook, as an important communication and enrollment promotion tool of 29 public universities in Hanoi in 2019 and 2020. The findings show that there is a strong growth in both quantity and quality of enrollment promotion videos over the past 2 years. The study also shows that fluctuations in the number of videos, video length, and enrolment quotas had an impact on the number of views of promotion videos on social networks. There are some implications that university managers might consider: enhancing reputation by taking various approaches, describing the program structure, explaining relevant skills and knowledge that learners may have, describing student life examples. University should also be aware of the benefits and importance of alumni and current students as well as university staff. University marketing managers can plan and execute effective marketing strategies at various levels to reach potential students, to engage with them through social networks and finally turn these interactions into applications.