Abstract:   Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) are shaping their operational approach in a more business-oriented manner due to the intensification of competition to recruit quality students. This requires the adaption of various marketing communication tools to develop, sustain and improve brand image. The invention of Web 2.0 technologies has offered many such options to organizations including social media (SM) that is being now used by many (HEIs) to connect with their stakeholders especially students. The specific objective and purpose of this study are to investigate the use of SM marketing in the higher education sector in Pakistan and its perceived impact on the admission of students. It is a qualitative study based on an inductive approach where in-depth interviews were conducted with the university’s administrators responsible to manage the SM activities. The interviews were transcribed using NVivo to determine content type placed online by the HEIs in Pakistan, benefits accrued, and their perceived impact on student admission. Also, the ethnography technique was used to find the type of content on SM being placed by the Pakistani HEIs. The study illustrates that Facebook and Twitter are the most commonly used social media accounts by the Pakistani HEIs. The content placed on SM by the Pakistani HEIs includes announcements, admissions, events, community messages, promotional messages, achievements, greetings, endorsements, and job/internship opportunities. Through this content, HEIs can better engage with their students, obtain necessary feedback, correct any misperceptions and help in career building. These benefits are consequently contributing directly and indirectly to the elements considered important by students for selection of HEIs as highlighted in students preference theories(Soutar & Turner, 2000; Maringe, 2006; Mangan, Hughes, Davies, & Slack, 2010). Implications: This study will help the HEIs to understand common benefits they can accrue through their SM use and its potential in facilitating their admissions process. The study will also let the managers of SM in HEIs know of ways to optimize their usage of SM that will consequently help them better gauge the identified benefits and ultimately help in achieving desired objectives about students recruitment.

Keywords:   Social Media Marketing, Web 2.0, Facebook, Twitter, Higher Education Marketing, Students Admission

Publisher:   ILMA UNIVERSITY

Published:   15 December 2016

Issue:   Issue 2 : Volume 12

E-ISSN:   2409-6520

P-ISSN:   2414-8393